Earth Angel

"Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" is an American Doo Wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label (Dootone 348), as the B-side to "Hey Señorita". The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on the Best Seller and #8 on the Juke Box chart. The song was originally recorded as a demo at Ted Brinson's garage studio in South Los Angeles in October 1954, with producer Dootsie Williams[1]. "Earth Angel" quickly outstripped its A-side in popularity, and reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart for three weeks in early 1955, and number eight on the pop chart[2]. Covered many times since, the love song would prove to be the only Top 40 hit from the group. The version of "Earth Angel" recorded by The Penguins ranked #151 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2004, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. The Penguins' rendition is considered by many to be "the granddaddy of rock n' roll"[citation needed] since it was one of the first records which could be described as rock and roll to hit the national pop charts. Authorship The song was originally credited to The Penguins' baritone singer Curtis Williams, but, after a legal dispute in 1956, both Jesse Belvin and Gaynel Hodge, at the time a member of another Los Angeles vocal group, The Turks, were added as co-writers.[citation needed] One source[citation needed] states that ""Earth Angel" was a pastiche of everything that was floating around Los Angeles". According to one of the most reputable sources[1], it was started by Belvin, and then evolved through various differently titled songs recorded by Hodge and Williams. In turn they were influenced by "Dream Girl", Belvin's #2 R&B hit as one half of Jesse and Marvin, which contained many of the same vocal inflections used in "Earth Angel". The "Will you be mine?" hook was borrowed from the #9 R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows[1]. A very similar song, in terms of its piano introduction and chord progression, is "I Know" recorded in 1953 by The Hollywood Flames, a group in which Hodge and Williams were both members for a time. The chord changes, known as the 50s progression, are also similar to the Rodgers and Hart song, "Blue Moon", which was popular with many doo-wop groups. The coda of Earth Angel, with the repeatedly harmonized word "You-oo... you-oo... you-oo... you-oo," had previously been heard in The Dominoes' #5 R&B cover of "These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)"

[Chorus] Earth angel, earth angel Will you be mine? My darling dear, love you all the time I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you [Verse 1] Earth angel, earth angel The one I adore Love you forever, and ever more I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you [Verse 2] I fell for you and I knew The vision of your love, loveliness I hope and I pray that someday I'll be the vision of your happy, happiness [Chorus] Oh earth angel, earth angel Please be mine My darling dear, love you all the time I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you [Verse 3] I fell for you and I knew The vision of your loveliness I hope and pray that someday I'll be the vision of your happiness [Chorus] Earth angel, earth angel Please be mine My darling dear love you all the time I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you