After releasing his first two singles, "A Teenager's Romance"/"I'm Walking" and "You're My One and Only Love," on Verve Records, Ricky Nelson switched to Imperial Records in the fall of 1957 for his third single, "Be-Bop Baby"/"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?," and his debut album, Ricky. The result was even greater success: the single's A-side reached the top five and its B-side the Top 40, making for a gold record, and the LP topped the charts. Heard at length for the first time on the 12-track album, the 17-year-old continued to display the combination of natural pop instincts and genuine rock & roll feel that set him apart from the burgeoning pack of Elvis Presley imitators. He was derivative, to be sure, a TV star from a celebrity family who attended Hollywood High School and whose life had been scripted for public consumption since he was eight years old, making him a far cry from the Hillbilly Cat. But he also sang rhythmically in his smooth voice, negotiating the rock & roll beat with far greater ease than Pat Boone. Two songs were borrowed from Carl Perkins and one from Jerry Lee Lewis, and Nelson covered Jimmie Rodgers' recent hit "Honeycomb." All of his covers were more relaxed, less frantic than the originals, but the band, pushed way back in the mix, kept up a steady guitar combo sound. There were also several updates from what could have been the Ozzie Nelson catalog: "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (1945), "Am I Blue?" (1929), and "I'm Confessin'" (1930), plus a version of the recent Cole Porter hit "True Love." In Nelson's hands, these songs sounded more like Elvis Presley than Bing Crosby, though the older generation was never quite forgotten, and that was the idea.
RICK NELSON
RICKY (Imperial LP-9048)
November/1957
Now have you heard tell how he made a bee
Then he tried a hand at a green green tree
So the green was made I guess you heard up in well he made a little bird
Then they waited all around till the end of spring
Gettin' every note that the birdie sing
And he wrote it up in one sweet tone for my honeycomb
Oh honeycomb won't you be my baby...
A be bop baby a be bop baby a be bop baby she's the gal for me
I'm gonna find her tonight we're gonna have a time
I want that baby to be mine all mine
A big day's comin' for my baby and me the day she says she belongs to me
A be bop baby still in her teens just as sweet as she can be
A be bop baby in her old blue jeans is the be bop baby for me a be bop baby for me
Well one thing honey before we go well one thing baby that I want you to know
Well if you can't rock me I'll find me somebody who can
[ guitar ]
Well if you can't rock me...