Heartaches (Klenner-Hoffman) by Ted Weems & his Orchestra, whistling by Elmo Tanner

A big surprise hit of 1947 was this revival of Weems’ up-tempo arrangement of the early ‘30s ballad “Heartaches”....and in two different* reissued Weems versions. It was this 1938 Decca recording (not the earlier 1933 version as incorrectly documented elsewhere) that initially exploded due to its exposure on a Charlotte NC radio station, resulting in Decca hurriedly re-distributing the track and RCA Victor following with their own newly-labeled Bluebird release from 1933. Both were combined into a single ranked listing on the Billboard charts, spending 13 weeks atop the juke box listings and 12 weeks at #1 in sales....each selling over a million copies.

Among the new competing versions of “Heartaches” that were recorded in 1947, only the Harry James release (also included in this collection) registered on the national sales and juke box charts. Several months after “Heartaches,” Decca again struck gold with yet another reissued Weems track, the 1939 “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” featuring a young Perry Como. Having disbanded several years earlier, Ted Weems himself soon reassembled a band and made a number of new recordings for Mercury, including the hit “Mickey.”

* Weems’ first “Heartaches” (recorded for Bluebird 8-4-33, reissued by RCA Victor in 1947) tore through five choruses of the tune with a frantically strumming guitar setting the rhythmic pace. For the more refined Decca remake (recorded 8-23-38), conga drums accented the rhythm, the piano chorus was dropped, and the more relaxed tempo allowed whistler Elmo Tanner to perform a more technically accomplished solo.