NORMAN / SAD MOVIES (Make Me Cry)

Growing up in an era when lyrics to songs were realistic and easy to remember and life was carefree and happy, I enormously enjoyed the scores of songs coming out of the United States and England each week. I remember well in 1961 while I was attending a boarding school in Goulburn, Australia a song by Sue Thompson, pop and country music singer, called Norman which was climbing up the charts on the radio every Sunday afternoon when the nuns at my boarding school took us 1^st and 2^nd year students on our weekly walks and picnic. Needless to say, our walks became very lively and vigorous whenever Norman was heard on the portable radio one of my friends was carrying. There were no Soundabouts or smart phones in those days, fortunately, and so our group of girls enjoyed singing along quite loudly with the song during the walks.

Sue Thompson, whose poignant yet lovely voice could always make me sing along, signed on with Hickory Records in 1960. In 1961, Sad Movies (Make Me Cry) became a No. 5 hit on the pop charts, and she followed this up successfully with Norman, which reached No. 3. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John D. Loudermilk, sold over one million copies, and were awarded with gold discs.

So, let’s listen to both these songs, beginning with the bubbling Norman

NORMAN



Words and Music: John D. Loudermilk
Artist: Sue Thompson

Norman , ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Norman, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Norman, Norman, my love

Jimmy called me on the phone but I was gone, not at home
Cuz I was out parked all alone with darlin' Norman
Bill invited me to a show but I said no, cannot go
There's a dress that I've got to sew and wear for Norman
Norman holds me close to him, Norman kisses me and then
Norman knows my heart belongs to him and him and only him, oh

Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ohh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ohh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Norman, Norman, my love

Joey asked me for a date, he wanted to take me out to skate
But I told Joey he would have to make arrangements with Norman
Norman is my only love, Norman's all I'm thinking of
Norman gives me all his lovin', kissin', huggin', lovey-dovin'

Norman, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Norman, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Norman, Norman, my love

Released as a single in 1961, Sad Movies (Make Me Cry) was Sue Thompson's first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at No. 5. The song also reached the top of the Billboard Easy Listening chart. Although Thompson was in her thirties when she recorded Sad Movies, her singing style and young-sounding voice appealed to many young people of that era. Songwriter John D. Loudermilk was inspired to write this song after a girlfriend of his related to him that after seeing a movie and the lights came on at the end of the show, the person she went with had tears in her eyes and said, 'Sad movies make me cry'.

SAD MOVIES



Lyrics and Music: John D Loudermilk
Artist: Sue Thompson

Sa-a-a-d movies always make me cry

He said he had to work so I went to the show alone
They turned down the lights and turned the projector on
And just as the news of the world started to begin
I saw my darlin' and my best friend walk in

Though I was sittin' there they didn't see
And so they sat right down in front of me
When he kissed her lips I almost died
And in the middle of the color cartoon I started to cry.

Oh-oh-oh sa-a-a-d movies always make me cry
Oh-oh-oh sa-a-a-d movies always make me cry

And so I got up and slowly walked on home
And mama saw the tears and said “what's wrong?”
And so to keep from telling her a lie
I just said “sa-a-a-d movies make me cry”

Oh-oh-oh sa-a-a-d movies always make me cry
Oh-oh-oh sa-a-a-d movies always make me cry
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Sa-a-a-d movies make me cry-y-y