Bobby Darin: Alabamy Bound (The Hit Single That Could Have Been)

Many of Bobby Darin's early hit singles had essentially the same set of traits that rocketed them up the charts. The formula for a Darin hit seemed to be one part finger-snappin' rhythm, one part sly or humorous lyrics, and a heaping splash of Darin's undeniably thrilling vocal style. "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," and "Things," all released between 1958 and 1962, showed time and again that this recipe was a virtual guarantee of a place in Billboard's Top Ten. But somehow, this trend was overlooked when Darin recorded the Buddy DeSylva/Bud Green/Ray Henderson chestnut "Alabamy Bound" with arranger/conductor Jimmie Haskell in September of 1962. Instead of being released as a single, or even as an album track, the recording languished on a shelf, until it finally appeared in 1995 as part of Capitol's "Spotlight on Bobby Darin" CD.

The choice not to release "Alabamy Bound" back then seems even stranger when you consider the fact that the tune's arranger, Jimmie Haskell, was at the helm for several of Darin's hit singles, including the abovementioned "Beautiful Baby" and "Things." The latter had reached #3 on the charts only months before "Alabamy Bound" was recorded.

One listen to the tune (check it out at the DarinLand Myspace) confirms it has the same Darin magic that made "Mack," "Beautiful Baby" and "Things" so irresistible. Haskell's arrangement for "Alabamy Bound" is simply brilliant. This man knows what to do with a train song. Haskell's train is not chugging lazily along, but roaring down the track, with horns and drums kicking out with an infectious intensity. Darin sings the song with a perpetual smile in his voice, loving every line. When he talks about puttin' his "eight-and-a-halfs in an upper berth" you know he's getting a charge out of the entire experience. And when Bobby Darin is charged up, he tends to pass that spark right over to the listener. This, my friends, is how hits are born.

While it is unfortunate this tune never had the chance for the chart-topping success it so richly deserved, we can at least be glad we have it to enjoy now, along with all the other amazing Darin performances available on CD and DVD.