"Too Young" is a well-known song with music composed by Sidney Lippman and lyrics written by Sylvia Dee. A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951. It reached the top of the charts in the United States and became the most popular song of that year. The song was one of the first by music companies to try to attract younger listeners. Its success led to more music made for young people. Another popular version of the song was released by Donny Osmond in 1972.
Nat King Cole recording
The song "Too Young" was one of the first songs created by record companies to attract young listeners. In the United States, early recordings were made by Victor Young and His Orchestra and Johnny Desmond. However, the version by Nat King Cole became the most popular.
The song was recorded on February 6, 1951, and released by Capitol Records (catalog number 1449) in March. It reached the top of the Billboard chart in June 1951, staying there for five weeks. It remained on the Best Seller chart for 29 weeks. It also spent 12 weeks at the top of Your Hit Parade and 8 weeks at No. 1 on the Cash Box chart. The song sold over a million copies, and Billboard listed it as the best-selling song of 1951. Nat King Cole called this song one of his three favorite songs.
The song's success may have shown record executives that young people had the power to buy music. This idea helped lead to the rise of rock and roll music, which became popular with young audiences in the mid-1950s.
Other early versions
Several versions of the song were recorded around the same time as Nat King Cole's version. Some of these versions reached the US charts, but they did not reach as high positions as Cole's recording.
The version by Patty Andrews was released by Decca Records with catalog number 27569. It first appeared on the Billboard Best Seller chart on June 8, 1951, and stayed on the chart for one week, reaching number 30. On other Billboard charts, this version reached number 19 on the Most-played Jukebox Records chart.
Other versions did not reach the top 30 on the Best Seller list but appeared on other Billboard charts. These included Toni Arden's version (Columbia Records, number 15 on Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys), Fran Allison's version (RCA Records, number 20 on Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys), and Richard Hayes' version (Mercury Records, number 24 on Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys).
Semprini, a pianist with rhythm accompaniment, recorded the song in London on July 7, 1951. It was part of a medley titled "Dancing to the Piano (No. 7): Part 1. Hit Medley of Slow Foxtrots," which also included "Alice in Wonderland" and "Forbidden Love." The recording was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label with catalog number B 10123.
In the United Kingdom, Jimmy Young's version of the song was successful. It reached number 1 on the UK's sheet music charts in 1951 and remained there for 12 weeks. Another version from the same time was released by Steve Conway.
Donny Osmond cover
A version of the song "Too Young" by Donny Osmond, who was 14 years old at the time, became a top 10 hit in many countries. It reached number 5 in the United Kingdom and number 6 in Canada. In the United States, the song spent eight weeks on the top 40 chart, reaching a highest position of number 13 when released as a single (MGM catalog number 14407) in 1972.
Other versions
- In 1960, Sam Cooke recorded the song for his album Hits of the Fifties. In Australia, the Parlophone label released a version by Jim Gussey And His Orchestra, featuring vocals by Matt Dryden and Olive Lester.
- Bobby Vinton recorded the song on the album There! I've Said It Again.
- In 1973, Michael Jackson included the song on Motown Records' album Music & Me. This version was released as a single in Italy.
- In 1978, the Swedish dansband Vikingarna released a disco version of the song on their album The Vikings Export.