Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: The Everly Brothers, “All I Have to Do is Dream”

57 years ago today, The Everly Brothers – otherwise known as Phil and Don to their pals – ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a two-week stay with a single that defined harmonization for a generation.

Written in 1958 by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, “All I Have to Do is Dream” was a song which the Everly Brothers felt so at home singing that it only took them two takes to nail it, but you may or may not be aware that the guitar work on the track was provided by the one and only Chet Atkins. To date, it remains the only song ever to sit atop the Hot 100, the R&B Best Sellers chart, and the Country & Western Best Sellers chart simultaneously, which is pretty amazing when you think about it, but it certainly helps to explain why the song continues to appear in various best-ever lists, most notably the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”

Mind you, “All I Have to Do is Dream” wasn’t just recorded by the Everly Brothers. Heck, they’re not even the only artists to have had a hit single with it: others who’ve managed that feat include Richard Chamberlain (#14 in 1963), Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell (#27 on the pop charts and #6 on the country charts), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (#66), and Cliff Richard, who teamed with Phil Everly to take the track to #14 on the UK Singles chart. And then there was that version by R.E.M. on the soundtrack to Athens, GA / Inside-Out, and the live version by Jan & Dean, and – lest we forget – the version by Laverne and Shirley.

What’s that? You’ve never heard Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams sing “All I Have to Do Is Dream”? Boy oh boy, have we got a playlist for you…