"Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte," Patti Page (1965)

It's pretty... and pretty terrifying

Peak: #8 on the Hot 100
Streams: 1.1 million

David Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a standard-bearer for films that put lovely ballads in a creepy context. There’s a double whammy with Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams,” first when it soundtracks a bizarre lip sync and then when it plays under this lipstick-tinted madness. Then of course there’s the opening scene, where Bobby Vinton’s title tune plays over a suburban montage that seems totally normal… until it doesn’t.

The tradition continues with both Scream and the original miniseries adaptation of The Stand, which make Blue Öyster Cult’s elegant “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” quite fearsome indeed. And thanks to David Fincher’s Zodiac, both Three Dog Night’s “Easy to Be Hard” and Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” now fill me with dread.

But the godmother of this entire cinematic trope might be the song “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte.” It’s a pretty little ditty that’s also the thematic centerpiece and title song of the psychological thriller Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte. (There’s a separate essay to be written about the varieties of punctuation at work here.)

In that 1965 movie, Bette Davis plays a woman accused of murdering her husband. In the years after his death, she is haunted by the melody of a song he once wrote for her. And that song is… well… you can probably guess.

Thus, unlike “In Dreams” or “Easy to Be Hard,” “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte” began its life as a creepy tune. It was introduced to the world as a ballad with sinister intent.

It was also nominated for an Oscar. Patti Page performed it at the ceremony, and even though the song lost to “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins, her rendition was so well received that a studio version became a massive hit. Her single peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 and sold over a million copies.

In a reversal of the usual pattern, the creepy song from the movie then transformed into an easy listening classic. I’m guessing that plenty of people who enjoyed Page’s crooning never experienced the cinematic thrill of Bette Davis shrieking, “You’re a vile, sorry little bitch!” (And that’s their loss.)

The good news is that even without the film’s campy context, this is still a great record. I like the lyrics that encourage Charlotte to trust her lover John’s affections. I like the string arrangement. I especially like Page’s warm and comforting vocal.

I’m sure Patti Page was happy for people to receive the song however they wanted. Whether fans were ironically enjoying the murderous associations or genuinely appreciating the melody, they were giving her a surprise comeback hit after almost a decade in the wilderness. The week this song peaked , the top 10 also included “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Wooly Bully,” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).” It was incredible that a woman who launched her career in 1948 was rubbing elbows with all those rock stars.

Because it made money and earned seven total Oscar nominations, Hush… Hush Sweet Charlotte helped Bette Davis stay on top, continuing the comeback she started with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? in 1962. The fact that the movie also contributed to Patti Page’s revival suggests it was one of the most powerful films of its time. Can someone please revive it today? And maybe get Annie Lennox to record the title song? She gets my vote for the Patti Page Resurrection Treatment.

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