The American country music group The Statler Brothers, or The Statlers, is considered one of their generation’s most successful vocal groups. Among the Statler Brothers’ many achievements was the transfer of country genre’s nostalgia records from the rural to the suburban setting – just like in their hit 1972 track “Do You Remember These.”
It earned the number two spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the eighteenth rank on the Easy Listening chart. Then, it went on to dominate the Cashbox Country Top 100.
The song was written by Don Reid, Harold Reid, and Larry Lee and was produced by Jerry Kennedy under Mercury Records. It was released in March 1972 as the first single for their album Innerview.
Meaning Behind The Song
This two-minute-and-fifty-three-second-long song lists nostalgic items and pop culture references during the post-war (late 1940s through the ‘’50s) era.
Let’s dissect the lyrics….
For You
We have the penny loafers – a convenient laceless shoe design, which became a staple in American schools and campuses; the Studebaker, the one-time wagonmaker; the Dixie Cup lids that featured a string of movie stars; and the controversial “knickers to your knees,” which was meant as short pants but apparently referenced women’s underpants in the UK.
Then there’s the Sadie Hawkins’ dance inspired by Al Capp’s November 1937 Abner comic strip where women invite men instead of the other way around. It also recalls the ducktail, a men’s haircut style described as the slicked-back hair; James Dean, the film actor who symbolized the restless and idealistic 1950s youth; and Judy’s mom (played by Rochelle Hudson) in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause.
After that, we have the popular Fender skirts when cycling was a popular recreational activity, the delicious double root beer float, and Captain Midnight, who had genius-level intelligence. Of course, who could forget the Charles Atlas course, especially its self-resistance exercise technique called the Dynamic Tension, or Roy Rogers’s horse, Trigger, a Golden Palomino stallion who had been his co-star in many of his movies and shows?
Last but not least, who didn’t know Veronica and Betty from the Archie Comics and Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes”?
The whole song was just a treasure mine of memories. If you want to reminisce about these things too, go ahead and play The Statler Brothers’ “Do You Remember These.” And if you want more nostalgic The Statler Brothers’ songs, put “Beat the Devil” and “Flowers on the Wall” on the queue.
