Joshua Kennon writes this:
"Patti Page died.
If you are a member of my generation or younger, the odds are overwhelming that you have no idea who Patti Page was. In the 1950’s, she was the third best selling artist of the decade and had lifetime album sales exceeding 100,000,000 records. Given the lower population base back then, and the limited distribution channels, she was a far bigger cultural force in her generation than someone like, say, Beyoncé Knowles or Kayne West is today.
Her song, “Tennessee Waltz” was the third best selling song of all time. Very few people I know even recognize the song today, let alone could sing it. Think about that. The third best selling song of all time. And the population, again, was much smaller back then so the accomplishment is even more impressive.
And yet, barely six decades later, she is all but forgotten by 99.99% of people who weren’t born during her reign at the top of the charts. In another decade or two, she will have faded into complete obscurity.
If you are a member of my generation or younger, the odds are overwhelming that you have no idea who Patti Page was. In the 1950’s, she was the third best selling artist of the decade and had lifetime album sales exceeding 100,000,000 records. Given the lower population base back then, and the limited distribution channels, she was a far bigger cultural force in her generation than someone like, say, Beyoncé Knowles or Kayne West is today.
Her song, “Tennessee Waltz” was the third best selling song of all time. Very few people I know even recognize the song today, let alone could sing it. Think about that. The third best selling song of all time. And the population, again, was much smaller back then so the accomplishment is even more impressive.
And yet, barely six decades later, she is all but forgotten by 99.99% of people who weren’t born during her reign at the top of the charts. In another decade or two, she will have faded into complete obscurity.
This is a story that is played out over and over throughout history. People think their actions will guarantee greatness and make them immortal, even if they change the course of human history. However, other than to a few historians, their names will be lost in the sands of time. Their legacy will be forgotten.
People give up what really matters to them. They alienate the people who care about them in pursuit of some grand goal. Or, even worse, they waste their life on things that have no lasting meaning, marking time until death takes them, sitting in a room staring at a computer screen or television.
Was Patti Page’s life a success? It depends on whether or not she loved what she did. If she woke up every day and couldn’t wait to get into the studio or in front of an audience, then yes. Otherwise, no matter how much money she made or how many albums she sold, she failed. Never forget that lesson.
No Matter How Famous, Rich, or Powerful You Are, There Are No Exceptions
Who remembers the radical monk who assassinated the King of France, Henry III, the night before his attack on Paris, setting in motion, events that eventually led to the United States doubling in size after buying land in the Louisiana purchase centuries later? Most college students couldn’t even tell you about him.
Who, in my generation, knows about Wallace Beery, Janet Gaynor, Marie Dressier, and Robert Taylor, some of the biggest movie stars on the planet in the 1930’s akin in name recognition to Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and Judi Dench? Virtually no one."
Was Patti Page’s life a success? It depends on whether or not she loved what she did. If she woke up every day and couldn’t wait to get into the studio or in front of an audience, then yes. Otherwise, no matter how much money she made or how many albums she sold, she failed. Never forget that lesson.
No Matter How Famous, Rich, or Powerful You Are, There Are No Exceptions
Who remembers the radical monk who assassinated the King of France, Henry III, the night before his attack on Paris, setting in motion, events that eventually led to the United States doubling in size after buying land in the Louisiana purchase centuries later? Most college students couldn’t even tell you about him.
Who, in my generation, knows about Wallace Beery, Janet Gaynor, Marie Dressier, and Robert Taylor, some of the biggest movie stars on the planet in the 1930’s akin in name recognition to Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and Judi Dench? Virtually no one."
Author and Credits: Joshua Kennon