Graduation Day (song)
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"Graduation Day" is a song composed by Joe Sherman with lyrics by his brother Noel Sherman,[1] and was originally a 1956 hit song by the Four Freshmen.
Four Freshman version
| "Graduation Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Four Freshmen | ||||
| from the album Freshman Favorites | ||||
| B-side | "Lonely Night in Paris" | |||
| Released | April 1956 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, vocal pop | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Composer | Joe Sherman | |||
| Lyricist | Noel Sherman | |||
| The Four Freshmen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
The song is about nostalgia[2] and was an important influence in the early rock era.[3]
Chart performance
In the US, the Four Freshmen recording reached number 27 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart.[4]
The Rover Boys version
in 1956. The version by the Canadian vocal group The Rover Boys (named after the popular college-themed literary characters) recorded a version of "Graduation Day".[citation needed]
Chart performance
The Rover Boys' version reached number 16 on the U.S. charts.[5]
Other versions
- Bobby Pickett released his own version of the song in 1963.[6][7] The A side "The Humpty Dumpty" was a Billboard Pop Spotlight for the week of 25 May. The reviewer wrote that the B side ("Graduation Day") was a serious rendition of a ballad hit of some time back.[8] "Graduation Day" eventually made it to No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of 29 June.[9][10]
- The song was a concert staple of the Beach Boys, who were deeply influenced by the Four Freshmen.[11] A recording of it was featured on the live Capitol Records album Beach Boys Concert (1964), and a studio version was included as a bonus track on the 1990 Today! & Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) compilation CD.[12][13]
- In 1967, The Arbors recorded their version and included on their The Arbors Sing Valley of the Dolls LP.[14]
