{"id":4434,"date":"2013-02-18T06:32:08","date_gmt":"2013-02-18T14:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legendsrevealed.com\/entertainment\/?p=4434"},"modified":"2013-02-18T03:34:54","modified_gmt":"2013-02-18T11:34:54","slug":"did-a-singer-once-record-28-variations-of-the-same-hit-song-depending-on-where-the-song-was-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legendsrevealed.com\/entertainment\/2013\/02\/18\/did-a-singer-once-record-28-variations-of-the-same-hit-song-depending-on-where-the-song-was-released\/","title":{"rendered":"Did a Singer Once Record 28 Variations of the Same Hit Song Depending on Where the Song Was Released?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is the latest in a series of examinations into urban legends about music and whether they are true or false. Click here<\/a> to view an archive of the music urban legends featured so far.<\/p>\n

MUSIC URBAN LEGEND<\/span><\/u>: A singer once had a Top 40 song with 28 variations of the song depending on where the song was released!<\/p>\n

Tommy Facenda broke into the music industry while still in his teens, working as a member of Gene Vincent’s backing band, the Blue Caps, in 1957 (Facenda was 18).<\/p>\n

Facenda was a strong guitarist, and a good singer, to boot, and soon he was pursuing a solo career, as well.<\/p>\n

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His solo career did not go particularly far, but he did have one Top 40 hit, and it was one of the more bizarre Top 40 hits that you’ll see!<\/p>\n

Frank Guida, head of Legrend Records, gave Facenda a song based on the high schools in Guida’s home state of Virginia, called “High School U.S.A.” The song references a number of high schools in Virginia.<\/p>\n

Then Guida had a stroke of genius (or madness?)!<\/p>\n

First, he would have Facenda record a “national” version of the song (where he would name cities rather than high schools), then he would have him record a different version of “High School U.S.A.” for each region of the United States (well, a lot of them, at least)!<\/p>\n

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