donnica59

<ul><li>This song describes a man who deals with his heartbreak by denying it - he's mastered the art of smiling through the pain. </li><li><br></li><li>It was written by The Platters' producer, Buck Ram, who needed a follow-up to the group's first hit, "Only You." </li><li><br></li><li>Working fast, he wrote the lyrics in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, where the group was performing.</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>This was used in the movie&nbsp;<em>Rock Around The Clock</em>, and also appeared on the&nbsp;<em>American Graffiti</em>soundtrack along with two other songs by The Platters: "<a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-platters/smoke-gets-in-your-eyes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Smoke Gets in Your Eyes</a>" and "Only You."&nbsp;</li><li><br></li><li>Freddie Mercury revived "The Great Pretender" in 1987 when he released his version of a single. </li><li>It didn't make an impact in America, but went to #4 in the UK.</li><li><br></li><li>This was the first ever doo wop #1 in the USA, and it also made The Platters the first R&amp;B group to have a #1 on the pop charts. </li><li>The music was not known as "doo wop" at the time - it was categorized as rock or R&amp;B. Around 1970, Gus Gossert, who was an oldies DJ on WCBS in New York City, started using the term "doo wopp" to describe this type of music.</li><li><br></li><li> Gossert didn't come up with the term however - a record collector named Stan Krause did. </li><li>Krause helped produce Gossert's shows and gave him song information to use on the air.&nbsp;</li><li><br></li><li>You can hear a female voice harmonizing on this song. </li><li>That would be Zola Taylor, who was brought in as the only female member of The Platters. </li><li>She was Frankie Lymon's second wife, and was portrayed in the movie&nbsp;<em>Why Do Fools Fall In Love</em>&nbsp;by Halle Berry. </li><li>She died from a stroke in 2007 at age 69.&nbsp;</li><li class="ql-align-center"><br></li><li>You know this is an old song because it uses the word "gay" with its original meaning: happy and carefree. </li><li>The lyric: "Oh yes, I'm the great pretender, just laughing and gay like a clown."</li><li><br></li><li><a href="https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/chrissie-hynde-of-the-pretenders" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Chrissie Hynde</a>&nbsp;named her rock band "The Pretenders" after this Platters song.</li><li><br></li><li>This was sampled in the 1956 novelty hit "<a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/buchanan-goodman/the-flying-saucer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">The Flying Saucer</a>" by Buchanan &amp; Goodman. </li><li>The song is referenced as "Too Real" by The Clatters.</li></ul><p><br></p>