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"Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song about nostalgia, written in 1955 by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller. They were the members of a three-pieced group called "The Easy Riders", who served as a backing band for Dean Martin's version of this song, also released in 1955.

History

The song was first issued by Mindy Carson with Ray Conniff's Orchestra and The Columbians. Carson's version reached No. 53 on Billboard's Top 100 chart.

The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin in 1955. He was backed by The Easy Riders (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller), who wrote it. On the B-side of the 45 and 78 recordings was "Change of Heart" written by John Rox.

Martin's version reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, remaining at the top for five weeks in 1956, while spending six weeks atop Billboard's chart of songs "Most Played by Jockeys", five weeks atop Billboard's chart of "Best Sellers in Stores", and four weeks atop Billboard's chart of songs "Most Played in Juke Boxes". It became a Gold record and Martin's biggest hit. It was also his only UK number one hit, topping the UK Singles Chart on 23 February 1956, and remaining at the top for four weeks. The song also reached No. 2 in the Netherlands and No. 20 in Flanders.

Gale Storm released a version of the song in late 1955, which reached No. 5 on Billboard's chart of songs "Most Played by Jockeys", while reaching No. 16 on "The Top 100".

After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the song was adapted into the "Honvágy-dal" ('The Song of Homesickness') and used as an unofficial anthem for refugees scattered around the world. Recorded by Ida Boros, it became a cultural phenomenon and a sign of protest against the communist government.

The song charted once more in 1966 by the Drifters, a No. 48, hit for them. It was recorded by Anne Murray for her Croonin' album in 1993, but it was only released as a bonus track on the special Croonin' album put out by Heartland Records.

In Germany, titled "Heimweh" ("Homesickness") and performed by Freddy Quinn and with lyrics by Ernst Bader and Dieter Rasch, the song was 14 weeks at number one, the most successful song of 1956. Worldwide it sold more than eight million, thus exceeding sales of the Dean Martin version.

Other notable recordings

English versions:

• Dave King (1956)
• Petula Clark (1956)
• Bing Crosby for his album Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around (1956)
• Roger Williams (1959. #81 in Music Vendor)
• Ray Conniff (1960)
• The Everly Brothers (1960)
• Jim Reeves (1963)
• Paul Anka (1963)
• Frank Sinatra (1964)
• Little Richard (1964)
• Cliff Richard and The Shadows (1965)
• The Drifters (1966)
• Val Doonican (1967)
• Shorty Long (1969)
• Statler Brothers (1981)
• Stanley and the Turbines - rocksteady version (1983)
• Johnny Cash (1996)
• Deana Martin (2006)

German versions:

• Freddy Quinn Heimweh (Dort wo die Blumen blüh'n) (1956)
• ZK, later Die Toten Hosen Heimweh (1980)
• Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung Alk-Parade (1991)
• Stephan Remmler und die Schatzsucher Heimweh (1991)
• Element of Crime Heimweh (2004) Soundtrack The Edukators

Hungarian versions:

• Ilona Hollós (1957)
• Bojtorján (1984)

Croatian version:

• Vice Vukov Sve je daleko sad (1966)

Swedish version:

• Staffan Broms with Jörgen Ingmann Det är så en dröm blir till (1956)

See also

• List of best-selling singles in Germany

References

1. "Dean Martin Records on 78 RPM". Deanmartinfancenter.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
2. Browne, Ray Broadus; Ambrosetti, Ronald J. (1993). Continuities in Popular Culture: The Present in the Past & the Past in the Present and Future. ISBN 9780879725938.
3. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 23. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
4. "Memories Are Made Of This". Bigfm.de. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
5. "The Top 100", Billboard, February 4, 1956. p. 40. Accessed September 21, 2016.
6. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 6. Accessed September 21, 2016.
7. Whitburn, Joel (1987). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 195.
8. Dean Martin - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed September 21, 2016.
9. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 55–6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
10. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This, Dutch Charts. Accessed September 21, 2016.
11. Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This, Ultratop. Accessed September 21, 2016.
12. Whitburn, Joel (1987). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 292.
13. "Charts-Surfer: Musik Nr.1-Hits". Charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
14. Catherine C. Fraser/Dirk O. Hoffmann: Pop Culture Germany: Media, Arts And Lifestile, 2006, p. 262

• Songs about nostalgia
• Number-one singles in the United States
• Number-one singles in Germany
• Billboard Top 100 number-one singles
• 1955 songs
• Songs written by Terry Gilkyson
• Songs written by Frank Miller (singer)
• UK singles chart number-one singles
• Number-one singles in Australia
• Dean Martin songs
• Capitol Records singles