Joel Whitburn says that "Call Me" is the song title with the most versions.

Jim replied....

I have looked at one of Joel's books, and I think that if you confine the charts to the Top 30, then five different "Call Me" songs did make the 30, as against just four songs called "Hold On".

On the other hand, according to Joel's "Top Pop Hot 100 Singles", twelve songs titled "Hold On" made the Hot 100, as against seven songs titled "Call Me".

So I suppose it all depends on whether you take the Top 30 or the Top 100 as your reference point.

Of course, we could go mad altogether, and include all the bracket titles using the words "Call Me", such as "Call Me ("Irresponsible)", "Call Me (Lightning)" etc., and that would bring "Call Me" up to 14.

But then again, if you did the same for "Hold On", and included "Hold On (I'm Coming) and "Hold On (Tighter To Love) etc., then "Hold On" would move ahead to 21!

In any event, he is probably referring to the Top 30, in which case he is defintely right (5-4), but if he is referring to the Top 100, he is having a senior moment (and I ought to know - I have plenty of them!).

Only joking - the man is a genius.

Actually, since all this thing started on Monday, I have started reading through Joel's books again, and there are some great things there - and things that would surprise you.

For example, he lists the 500 Most Successful Acts (Elvis is at Number 1 with Ferrante & Teicher at 500), but in the 500 are a few unexpected names, such as The Fireballs at 423rd, and Vic Dana at 425th.

What's more, they are both miles ahead of Don McLean, The Partridge Family and Led Zeppelin!

Now I like the Fireballs (and I can just about stomach Vic Dana), but if I had not seen it in print, I would hardly have rated them as high myself.

But there you have it - it is correct and The Fireballs and Vic Dana did out-chart Led Zeppelin and Don McLean!

Also, he lists the Top 20 Pop Rock Male Vocalists (1955-1963), (Elvis is on top with Jack Scott at Number 20), followed by the Top 20 Pop Rock Male Vocalists (1964 on), (Neil Diamond on top and Frankie Valli at 20), and interestingly enough, I was surprised to see that not one of the earlier Top 20, survived into the later Top 20!

But what surprised me was that in the earlier (1955-63)listing, neither Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis or Bill Haley made the Top 20, whereas Jack Scott, Freddy Cannon and Frankie Avalon all did!

He also has a section on acts whose first and only hit made Number 1 - and thereafter, they failed to even make the Hot 100 - and there were twelve of them, which is surprising. You would think that somebody who had a Number 1 hit, would at least manage to get the follow-up to 99. But 12 of them didn't - the ultimate one-hit wonders.

Finally, he lists the most valuable 45rpm records to chart, and these include "Surfin" by the Beachboys on Candix (worth $250!) which I do not have in my collection anyway.

Now why didn't I buy a hundred of these back in 1962 instead of wasting my money on the 4 Seasons (worth $2 each) and Elvis (the same?).

To misquote Shakespeare...we would not want to think too deeply on these things because that way lies madness!

Great books though, and I never knew that his own personal vinyl collection contains every single US Hot 100 entry of all time - and that it is stored underground for safety!

Of course, if I had bought the right ones back then, I too could have a bunker of my own,

Regrets, I have a few....

• RE: Same Song, Same Time, Different Artist - John 10/01/2009 15:14:54 EDT (1)