1955 Songs: Earth Angel
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (75647)
United States
March 6, 2025 10:42am CST
Brr! Tommy Smothers didn’t yo-yo as much as this weather is doing! Time for hot tea and a warm song from, can you believe it, 70 years ago. Songs like this remind me of how much I love harmony. And here it is!
Earth Angel - Penguins
If you’re only going to have one hit, make it count!!! This was the only hit for an L.A. R&B/doo-wop quartet. And, in true 50s segregation, a cover by a white group charted higher. 
I guess this group was doomed to failure. Not only did the song chart higher for a cover act, the members of the Penguins got into a long legal dispute over the authorship of the song. The kicker was when they approached songwriter Buck Ram and asked him to manage them. He turned them down in favor of promoting another R&B/doo-wop who didn’t even have a record deal at the time. The group Ram chose to favor was the Platters, so he obviously made the right choice.
The Penguins faded into obscurity after this song’s success in 1955, but this song will remain forever.
Earth Angel
Written by Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, and Gaynel Hodge
Recorded by the Penguins
Released as a single, 1954
A fool in love with you:
I guess this group was doomed to failure. Not only did the song chart higher for a cover act, the members of the Penguins got into a long legal dispute over the authorship of the song. The kicker was when they approached songwriter Buck Ram and asked him to manage them. He turned them down in favor of promoting another R&B/doo-wop who didn’t even have a record deal at the time. The group Ram chose to favor was the Platters, so he obviously made the right choice.
The Penguins faded into obscurity after this song’s success in 1955, but this song will remain forever.
Earth Angel
Written by Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, and Gaynel Hodge
Recorded by the Penguins
Released as a single, 1954
A fool in love with you:Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
17 people like this
15 responses
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
10 Mar
@TheHorse — yeah, we’ve moved on to Les Paul and Mary Ford now.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (227559)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Mar
@FourWalls Well, I did. But that was the other day. 
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (7408)
• United Kingdom
6 Mar
I remember this song from Back to the Future, where Marty McFly is trying to get his mother off with his dad (she only has eyes for him!). 
With a name like The Penguins, no wonder they didn’t take off. 
With a name like The Penguins, no wonder they didn’t take off. 2 people like this
@celticeagle (175710)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Mar
@FourWalls ........You are silly. I was just getting into music about the time songs like this were popular.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
I learned a lot of old songs in movies in the early 70s, I must admit.
Yeah, pick a bird that can fly if you want a good career! 
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (84969)
• United States
7 Mar
Songs I've loved and forgotten about, I was only a kid when this song was popular yet I remember it well
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
Hope it brings back a lot of good memories for you!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (190995)
• United States
7 Mar
I wonder if the Penguins sang the version that was in Back to the Future? Good song. Have a great day.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
No, it was not the Penguins in the movie. You have a great day, too! 
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (190995)
• United States
11 Mar
@FourWalls Thanks. It's going to be near 70 later this week.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (36578)
•
8 Mar
Ah, I enjoy music with harmonies to it and "Earth Angel" certainly had that sound that made Doo Wop music so great. Too bad The Penguins could not manage to capitalize on its success.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
Earth angel, earth angel, will Marty McFly be mine….
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (44878)
•
7 Mar
@FourWalls
I had not seen Michael J. Fox on TV for a long time, until he was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in Parkinson's....that poor fellow. But he never gives up, he keeps on going. Maybe he is an Earth Angel in disguise!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (191035)
• United States
7 Mar
I always liked that song. It has a heavenly feel.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (175710)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Mar
I loved this song when I was about 12 or 13.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
We had an album of pop and doo wop when I was a kid, and this was on it.
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
6 Mar
Wow, that’s cool. We had it on a various artists album.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (52621)
• United States
6 Mar
@FourWalls I have some of the albums with a variety of artists too that I love.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
As long as you know a few of them, it’s a successful month.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
So dreamy and romantic, who wouldn’t love this!
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (110695)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
6 Mar
I remember the song "Earth Angel" when it played on the radio but I did not know the singing group "The Penguins" recorded the song before The Platters covered the song.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (75647)
• United States
7 Mar
The songwriters were all members of the Penguins.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (95242)
• Arvada, Colorado
6 Mar
Goosebumps..or so I remember
Dancing with Franki Vali even though he don't sing this one lol..dreaming 12 yr old.
Dancing with Franki Vali even though he don't sing this one lol..dreaming 12 yr old.1 person likes this
