The Class of '57
"The Class of '57" | ||||
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Single by The Statler Brothers | ||||
from the album Country Music Then and Now | ||||
B-side | "Every Time I Trust a Gal" | |||
Released | August 19, 1972 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:38 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Don Reid, Harold Reid | |||
Producer(s) | Jerry Kennedy | |||
The Statler Brothers singles chronology | ||||
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"The Class of '57" is a song written by Don Reid and Harold Reid, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in August 1972 as the first single from the album Country Music Then and Now. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1] The song was also critically acclaimed with the Statler Brothers winning the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
Content
The song is a sometimes nostalgic, sometimes bittersweet look back at what became of a fictional high school graduating class from 15 years earlier. In turn, each one of the four singers — Don Reid, Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt and Harold Reid — takes a solo turn at reflecting on several of the classmates. Some of the tales are of success; they became teachers, factory workers, a church organist, and owners of various business enterprises. Others are tragic, such as a classmate who ends up in a mental institution, another on welfare, yet another who ended up in severe debt, and most tragically one who, after having his wife leave him for another classmate, ends up taking his life. Reflecting real life, the lyrics also remember classmates of which they've lost track ("where Mavis finally wound up is anybody's bet").
The chorus has the underlying theme of reflecting on the high hopes and dreams they had in high school, but how life became more complicated as the years passed and did not turn out the way they hoped.
Chart performance
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
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US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] | 6 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 3 |
References
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- Phil Balsley
- Lew DeWitt
- Jimmy Fortune
- Don Reid
- Harold Reid
- Flowers on the Wall
- Sing the Big Hits
- How Great Thou Art
- Bed of Rose's
- Pictures of Moments to Remember
- Short Stories
- Entertainers...On and Off the Record
- Christmas Card
- The Originals
- 10th Anniversary
- Years Ago
- The Legend Goes On
- Today
- Atlanta Blue
- Pardners in Rhyme
- Christmas Present
- Four for the Show
- Maple Street Memories
- "I Still Miss Someone"
- "Flowers on the Wall"
- "Oh Happy Day"
- "Bed of Rose's"
- "Do You Remember These"
- "The Class of '57"
- "I'll Go to My Grave Loving You"
- "How Great Thou Art"
- "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine"
- "Who Am I to Say"
- "The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell"
- "How to Be a Country Star"
- "Nothing as Original as You"
- "Charlotte's Web"
- "In the Garden"
- "Don't Wait on Me"
- "Years Ago"
- "You'll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams)"
- "Whatever"
- "A Child of the Fifties"
- "Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)"
- "Guilty"
- "Elizabeth"
- "Atlanta Blue"
- "One Takes the Blame"
- "My Only Love"
- "Hello Mary Lou"
- "Too Much on My Heart"
- "Sweeter and Sweeter"
- "Count On Me"
- "Only You"
- "Forever"
- "I'll Be the One"
- "The Best I Know How"
- "Let's Get Started If We're Gonna Break My Heart"
- "More Than a Name on a Wall"
This 1970s country song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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