"Memories Are Made of This," by Dean Martin

January to February 1956--(Five Weeks)

(Hic!)

It seems hard to believe, but there was apparently a time when Jerry Lewis was a shooting star and Dean Martin, not yet anointed as "the King of Cool," was considered something of a space filler.  He was good-looking and could sing, but hell, that was hardly a novelty back in the 50's; on the other hand, shouting "Hey LAAAAYDEEEE!" in a nasal, childlike voice was an act no one else on Earth could imitate.  Ever.

Nevertheless, in 1956, the Lewis and Martin partnership broke up after 10 highly lucrative years, leaving Martin in somewhat of a lurch.  "Memories" can be seen as the very beginning of a highly successful show biz reinvention, refashioning straight man Dean into Dino the clown, an always-tipsy slacker and ladies' man with a zest for double entendres.  But this song was pre-Rat Pack, which was more of a Kennedy Era phenomenon, so perhaps the persona hadn't been finely honed yet--for a Dean Martin tune, this song is remarkably conservative.

Why do I say conservative?  Because while the first half of the tune is all about the "Your lips and mine / Two sips of Wine" romance that made Dean Dino, the second half turns into a love letter to "One man, one wife / one love through life."  Dean Martin is advocating monogamy?  And--gasp--settling down and having kids?  Three kids?  You get the feeling that the 1960's Dean Martin who sang the more carousing "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" woulda decked him one.  (Of course, the real life Dean Martin was happily married for 24 years to his second wife, who coincidentally bore him three children, so maybe this song is a lot closer to the real Dino than his Rat Pack output.)

The song itself?  Pleasant enough, I suppose--I've always like songs with a prominent acoustic bass plunking away in the background.  The cooking metaphors used throughout the song are just this side of ridiculous, although a friend of mine laughed at loud at the part that goes "three little kids for the flavor," which sounds just plain wrong to our 21st century ears.  (Cannibalism?  Pedophilia?  You decide.)  And what's up with those background singers?  If you can figure out what they're singing under the "One girl, One boy" part, your ears are better than mine--the best I can deduce is "I was a smoker / but now a joker / it was a happy day when [inaudible]."  (Shades of the Steve Miller Band, if I've transcribed it correctly.)  Frankly, the backup part is an unwanted distraction--Dino's voice and charisma are enough to drive the song home.

Anyway, this is a great example of the American Dream from the Eisenhower era expressed in song--fall in love, get married, have kids, live happily ever after--and thus it's another song for parents, not their children.  Martin was 40 at the time, no longer the fresh-faced hunk from a decade earlier, not yet the ageless swinger he would soon become, and it's safe to say that most of the people who made this song a #1 hit were in their 40's as well.  (Cue the Tom Brokaw voice:)  The Greatest Generation, the men and women who fought a World War and then settled down to reap the benefits of peace, still held sway over the pop charts--but their era was swiftly coming to an end.  

Up next:  Doo-wop steals the spotlight.

(PS:  According to Wikipedia, Broadway lyricist Tim Rice apparently considers the Everly Brothers' 1960 cover of this song to be "the most perfect pop song ever."  Not quite sure I agree, but listen here to decide for yourself.)