 Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town): Lyrics by Dickie Thompson Recorded April 12, 1954 Decca Single 29124: B-Side to (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock Length: 2:54 SAMPLE LYRICS:
Last night I was dreaming I had two gals every morning I had three gals dancin' the Mambo Everyone knows Rock Around the Clock, the A-side of the single that made the beefy, aging (he was 30 when Clock charted) and cowlicked Bill Haley [7/6/25-2/9/81] a household name and helped launch the teen rock culture. The same song featured in the film "The Blackboard Jungle." The same song that served as the theme song for the first season or two of "Happy Days" in the seventies. The same song that has sold nearly 20 million copies to date. But it is the B-side of this record that is the more daring and interesting song. "Thirteen Women" is a remarkable Atomic fantasy number that features a working stiff dreaming about being the only male to survive an H-Bomb attack. The creeping beat, the plucked electric guitar chord (which signifies the Hydrogen explosion) and the risque lyrics make this tune a landmark Atomic Platter and the king of its own subgenre -- the Atomic Sex song. In 1962 Ann-Margret issued her loungey version of this classic with the lyrics changed to "Thirteen Men" with only "gal" in town. Bill Haley's Comets changed personnel prior to 1956, but eventually settled into the following line-up through 1960:
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