Popular 1950s Guitar Songs You’ll Love Playing
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The 1950s gave us some of the most popular songs of the decade, from upbeat rock ’n’ roll to timeless ballads that still get played today.

These are the tracks that filled jukeboxes, packed dance halls, and launched the careers of music legends like Little Richard, Ritchie Valens, and Eddie Cochran.

On this page, you’ll find guitar lessons for popular 50s songs that every player should know — complete with chords, strumming patterns, and full demos.

If you’ve ever wanted to bring the energy of top 1950s hits to your own playing, this is the perfect place to start.

Rock Around The Clock was recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets and released as a single in 1954 before appearing on the 1955 album Rock Around the Clock. Written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers, who used the pseudonym Jimmy De Knight, the song initially achieved only modest success.

That changed dramatically after it was featured over the opening credits of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. The exposure helped send the song to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, where it became a major international hit.

With its driving rhythm and energetic performance, Rock Around The Clock is widely regarded as one of the recordings that helped bring rock and roll into the mainstream during the 1950s.

Rockin' Robin gave Bobby Day his biggest hit when it arrived in 1958, climbing to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming his signature recording. The catchy tune came from songwriter Leon René, who used the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas for the composition.

Its playful bird-themed lyrics, infectious rhythm and memorable “tweet” and “tweedle-lee-dee” vocal hooks made the song a natural fit for the fun-loving side of late-1950s rock and roll. Although Bobby Day never duplicated its enormous success, Rockin' Robin remained a familiar oldies favorite.

The song found a whole new audience in 1972 when a young Michael Jackson released his own version, taking it to No. 2 on the Hot 100 once again.

Devil or Angel began as an R&B song by the Clovers in the mid-1950s before Bobby Vee transformed it into a polished pop hit in 1960. Blanche Carter, a member of the Clovers, wrote the song, and their original version reached the R&B charts in 1956.

Vee's softer interpretation proved even more successful, climbing to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and giving the young singer his first Top 10 single. Its gentle melody and lyrics about being uncertain whether a romantic interest is a “devil or angel” suited Vee's smooth vocal style perfectly.

The success helped establish him as a major teen-pop performer and paved the way for hits such as Rubber Ball and Take Good Care of My Baby.

The Night Has A Thousand Eyes became one of Bobby Vee's biggest hits when it was released in 1962, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and further cementing his place among the leading pop singers of the early 1960s.

The song takes its title from an old proverb and tells the story of a cautious lover who warns that secrets and unfaithfulness rarely stay hidden for long. Written by Benjamin Weisman, Dorothy Wayne and Marilyn Garrett, the recording combined a memorable melody with the polished production style that defined much of the era's teen-pop sound.

More than sixty years later, it remains one of Vee's most recognizable and enduring recordings.

Party Doll helped put Buddy Knox at the forefront of the emerging rockabilly scene when it became a major hit in 1957. Knox had written the song with Jimmy Bowen several years earlier, and it was eventually recorded by Knox and his band, the Rhythm Orchids, after they attracted the attention of record producer Norman Petty.

Released nationally on the Roulette label, Party Doll climbed to No. 1 and became Knox's signature recording. Its easygoing vocal, catchy rhythm and blend of country and rock and roll gave the record a distinctive sound during the first wave of teenage rock music.

The song has since been covered by numerous performers and remains one of the best-known recordings of Knox's career.

Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby became part of Carl Perkins' rockabilly repertoire when he recorded the song for his 1957 album Dance Album of Carl Perkins. Although Perkins was long associated with the number, its roots go back much further to country singer and songwriter Rex Griffin, who recorded an earlier version in 1936.

Perkins reshaped the song with his distinctive rockabilly sound, combining playful lyrics with the guitar-driven style that made his Sun Records recordings so influential. The song reached a much larger audience in 1964 when The Beatles recorded their own version for Beatles for Sale, with George Harrison handling the lead vocal.

Their admiration for Perkins helped introduce his music and rockabilly influence to a new generation of listeners.

Let's Twist Again arrived in 1961 as Chubby Checker's follow-up to the dance phenomenon created by his hit version of The Twist. Written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, the song invited listeners to return to the dance craze with the memorable call to “twist again, like we did last summer.” It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became an even bigger success internationally.

The recording also earned the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Rock & Roll Recording. Rather than simply duplicating The Twist, the song helped extend the popularity of the dance and reinforced Checker's association with it. Let's Twist Again remains one of his signature recordings and one of the most recognizable dance songs of the early 1960s.

I Remember showed a softer side of Eddie Cochran when the ballad appeared in 1957, far removed from the rebellious energy associated with recordings such as Summertime Blues and C'mon Everybody. Cochran co-wrote the song with his longtime collaborator and manager Jerry Capehart, creating a sentimental number built around memories of a lost romance.

Although it never achieved the widespread recognition of Cochran's biggest rock and roll hits, the recording demonstrated that his talents extended beyond driving guitar-based rockabilly.

Cochran's career was tragically cut short by his death in a 1960 automobile accident at only 21 years old, and I Remember has since appeared on numerous collections celebrating the remarkably diverse body of work he left behind.

Looking for more Eddie Cochran? Check out the song Hallelujah I Love Her So on my 50s Love Songs On Guitar page.

Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie captured Eddie Cochran in full rock and roll mode when it was released in 1958. Written by George Motola and Ricky Page, the song paired Cochran's energetic vocal delivery with the driving guitar sound that helped make him one of the most influential young performers of the era.

Although it never achieved the chart success of better-known Cochran recordings such as Summertime Blues and C'mon Everybody, it developed a lasting following among rockabilly fans and collectors. The recording also highlights the raw, guitar-centered style that later influenced musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie remains one of Cochran's lesser-known gems and a strong example of the youthful energy found throughout his late-1950s recordings.

Twenty Flight Rock became one of Eddie Cochran's defining early rock and roll recordings after he performed the song in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It. Released as a single in 1957, the energetic rocker was credited to Cochran and Ned Fairchild and featured the driving rhythm and guitar-centered sound that became Cochran trademarks.

Although the single was only a modest chart success, the song earned an extraordinary place in rock history. When Paul McCartney first met John Lennon at a church fête in Liverpool in July 1957, McCartney impressed Lennon by playing Twenty Flight Rock on guitar.

That performance helped convince Lennon and the Quarrymen that McCartney was someone they wanted in the group.

Ain't That a Shame gave Fats Domino his first major crossover success in 1955 and helped carry the sound of New Orleans rhythm and blues into the growing rock and roll market.

Co-written by Domino and his longtime collaborator Dave Bartholomew, the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and crossed over to the pop Top 10. Pat Boone quickly recorded a more polished pop version that also became a major hit, but Domino's original—with its rolling piano, relaxed vocal and unmistakable New Orleans rhythm—became the enduring recording.

The success introduced Domino to a much wider audience and helped establish him as one of the most important artists of rock and roll's first generation.

Looking for more Fats Domino? Check out the song Blueberry Hil on my 50s Love Songs On Guitar page.

I'm Walkin became another major Fats Domino hit in 1957, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard pop chart while climbing to No. 1 on the R&B chart. Co-written with his longtime collaborator Dave Bartholomew, the song featured Domino's unmistakable rolling piano, relaxed vocal delivery and New Orleans rhythm.

Its success reinforced the crossover popularity he had established with earlier hits such as Ain't That a Shame. The song also played an interesting role in launching another young star that same year. Ricky Nelson performed I'm Walkin' on his family's television program The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and released his own version as a single.

Nelson's recording became a hit as well, helping launch his successful career as a recording artist.

Venus became the biggest hit of Frankie Avalon's career in 1959, spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by Ed Marshall, the romantic ballad finds Avalon asking Venus, the goddess of love, to send him the perfect girl and make his romantic dreams come true.

Its lush orchestration and Avalon's smooth vocal delivery were a sharp contrast to the harder-edged rock and roll dominating much of the decade. The enormous success of Venus helped establish Avalon as one of America's leading teen idols and was followed later that year by another No. 1 hit, Why.

Although Avalon later became equally familiar as an actor, Venus remains the recording most closely associated with his early music career.

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) has an unusual connection to Jerry Lee Lewis that predates the famous version by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. Written by Mickey Newbury, the song was first recorded by Lewis in 1967, bringing his distinctive blend of rock, country and blues to Newbury's unconventional composition.

Later that year, The First Edition recorded the psychedelic arrangement that became the song's best-known version, reaching the Top 10 in 1968 with Kenny Rogers on lead vocals. Lewis returned to the song on his 1970 album There Must Be More to Love Than This.

His earlier recording makes Just Dropped In an interesting reminder that the song's history began before the psychedelic hit most listeners know today.

Whole Lotta Shakin turned Jerry Lee Lewis into one of rock and roll's most electrifying new stars in 1957. The song had been recorded by other performers before Lewis transformed it at Sun Records with his pounding piano, swaggering vocal and increasingly frantic performance style.

Credited to Dave “Curlee” Williams and Roy Hall, Lewis's version crossed musical boundaries, reaching No. 1 on both the country and R&B charts while climbing to No. 3 on the pop chart. Television performances helped audiences see that his stage presence was every bit as explosive as the record sounded.

The success established Lewis as a major rock and roll performer and made Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On one of the defining recordings of his career.

Good Golly Miss Molly became another explosive Little Richard classic when his recording was released in 1958. Written by John Marascalco and Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, the song had been recorded by other artists before Little Richard's version appeared, but his pounding piano, soaring vocals and relentless rhythm made it unmistakably his own.

The single reached No. 10 on the Billboard pop chart and No. 4 on the R&B chart, adding another major hit to his remarkable run of late-1950s recordings. Its raw energy made the song a natural favorite for generations of rock performers, with later versions recorded by artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Good Golly Miss Molly remains one of the recordings that best captures Little Richard's enormous influence on early rock and roll.

The Blues Don't Mean A Thing offers a glimpse of Melvin Endsley as a performer rather than simply the successful songwriter behind other artists' hits. Endsley is best remembered for writing Singing the Blues, which became a major success for both Marty Robbins and Guy Mitchell during the 1950s.

His own recordings explored the territory between country, rockabilly and the developing rock and roll sound, and The Blues Don't Mean A Thing reflects that crossover style. Although the song never became a major national hit, it represents the work of a songwriter whose compositions reached audiences far beyond his own recordings.

Today, it remains one of Endsley's lesser-known performances and an interesting example of the musical boundaries becoming increasingly blurred during the late 1950s.

Come On, Let's Go helped introduce Ritchie Valens to rock and roll audiences when it was released in 1958, becoming one of the first hits of his remarkably brief career. Valens wrote the upbeat rocker himself, and the recording climbed into the Billboard Hot 100 while showcasing the youthful energy that made him an exciting new performer.

The song arrived shortly before his better-known hits Donna and La Bamba, all recorded during a career that lasted less than a year. Valens was only 17 when he died in the February 1959 plane crash that also claimed Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. Despite his short career, Come On, Let's Go remains an enduring example of his early rock and roll sound.

Check out the song Donna on my 50s Love Songs On Guitar page.

It Was I gave Skip & Flip their biggest hit in 1959, climbing to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and bringing the young duo national attention. Skip & Flip consisted of Clyde “Skip” Battin and Gary “Flip” Paxton, whose close vocal harmonies fit perfectly with the polished pop sound heard near the end of the decade.

Written by John Marascalco, It Was I paired those harmonies with a simple romantic lyric and an instantly memorable melody. Although the duo's time together was relatively brief, both musicians continued working in the music business after their partnership ended.

Paxton later became a successful producer and songwriter, while Battin eventually played bass with several groups, including The Byrds.

Gee became an important early milestone in the development of doo-wop and rock and roll after The Crows released it in 1953. Written by group member William Davis, the song combined youthful lead vocals, tight group harmonies and an infectious rhythm at a time when vocal-group R&B was beginning to reach a broader teenage audience.

Initially released as the B-side of I Love You So, Gee gradually attracted attention through radio play and jukebox exposure before becoming a hit in 1954. Its success helped demonstrate the growing crossover appeal of rhythm and blues and foreshadowed the explosion of doo-wop groups that followed.

Today, Gee is frequently recognized as one of the recordings that helped bridge 1950s R&B and emerging rock and roll.