Although people can and do argue for hours about what the very first rock single recorded was, “Rock Around the Clock” was unquestionably the first rock single to hit #1, in the summer of 1955. Its blockbuster success was sparked by its use on the soundtrack of the movie The Blackboard Jungle. But the year before, the 78-rpm single of “Rock Around the Clock” had been a flop–and it was only a B-side itself. The song that took top billing over it was “Thirteen Women,” a novelty R&B number about an H-bomb explosion that leaves just fourteen people alive: one man and thirteen women. Lyrics such as ” I had three girls dancing the mambo / Three girls balling the jack / And all of the rest really did their best / Boy, they sure were a lively pack” were apparently one year ahead of their time.

(Excerpted from the 2006 book Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John?: Music’s Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed, published by Three Rivers Press, written by Gavin Edwards.)