July 9, 1955: Bill Haley & His Comets began an eight-week run at the top of the charts with "Rock Around the Clock."
Bill Haley's wasn't the first recording of "Rock Around the Clock," nor was it Haley's first rock and roll record. It was, however, the seismic event that kicked off the rock revolution. In Hollywood, screenwriter and director Richard Brooks had taken on the assignment of adapting Evan Hunter's novel "Blackboard Jungle," a story about juvenile delinquents in a New York high school, into a movie.
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He stumbled across "Rock Around the Clock" on his car radio and decided to use it for the opening credits. Suddenly, the song's character changed from a light-hearted tune about wholesome partying to an anthem for youthful rebellion. While the older generation was appalled at the movie's violence, the younger generation went wild, and "Blackboard Jungle" went from its intended B-movie status to a smashing success, and the Bill Haley recording of "Rock Around the Clock" was its signature song.
Blackboard Jungle Intro
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