16 Candles (song)

"16 Candles" is a 1958 song performed by the Crests and written by Luther Dixon and Allyson R. Khent.

"16 Candles"
Single by The Crests
B-side	"Beside You"
Released	October 1958 (US)
Genre	Doo-wop
Label	Coed
Songwriter(s)	Luther Dixon and Allyson R. Khent

Track listing

7" vinyl

1. "16 Candles"
2. "Beside You"

Single originally released in 1958 on Coed Records. (#506)

Chart performance

• The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, while "Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price was at #1.^[1] "16 Candles" also went #4 on the US R&B charts for 21 weeks in 1959.^[2] In Canada it reached #5.^[3]

In popular culture

This song has appeared prominently in several 'entertainment' contexts, including at least two major Hollywood [motion picture] productions. It was an example of a typical Doo-wop song in the 1973 movie American Graffiti^[4] and it had somewhat of a 'title role' in the 1984 movie Sixteen Candles.^[5]

Covers

• A cover by Jerry Lee Lewis peaked at #61 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1986.^[6]
• The Jackson 5 did a cover of this song for their album, Maybe Tomorrow. This cover has since been rereleased along with their greatest hits albums.^[7]
• A rockabilly cover by Stray Cats was used as the title song to the eponymous movie.^[8] This version was also featured in the soundtrack of the first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.^[9]
• A cover by Sha Na Na was performed live and recorded on their album Golden Age of Rock'n'Roll in 1973.^[10]

References

1. "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 138.
3. "CHUM Hit Parade - January 26, 1959".
4. See e.g. the "Track listing" section of the article about the soundtrack of the movie American Graffiti
5. See e.g. the "Soundtrack and songs" section of the article about the movie Sixteen Candles
6. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
7. Sixteen Candles, retrieved 2023-05-14
8. "Sixteen Candles (1984) - Soundtracks - IMDb". Retrieved 15 April 2023 – via www.imdb.com.
9. "Альбом «Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack)» (Разные артисты)". 5 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2023 – via music.apple.com.
10. "Sha Na Na - The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll". Retrieved 15 April 2023 – via www.discogs.com.

External links

• The Crests sing 16 Candles