I was five when this came out and it haunted me for years as a great song and of course I thought you could actually put a falling star in your pocket and have been trying to catch one ever since

On this day in music history: March 14, 1958 - The Recording Industry Association Of America (aka RIAA) certifies the first Gold single awarded. The trade organization established in 1952 begin a program to acknowledge and award recordings that achieve a high sales plateau. With the sales of 45 RPM singles and full length LP’s continuing gain momentum, the RIAA establishes the Gold sales award for singles and LP’s that have reached over $1,000,000 in sales in the US. The first single to qualify is “Catch A Falling Star” (#3 Best Seller) by pop singer Perry Como. The first full length album to reach Gold status is the motion picture soundtrack for the Rodgers And Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma!” The sales criteria is later altered for Gold singles at 1,000,000 units and LP’s at 500,000 units shipped. With record sales reaching an all time high by the mid 1970’s, the RIAA establishes the Platinum sales award for singles and LP’s in February of 1976, with singles reaching that mark at 2,000,000 units and LP’s at 1,000,000. When single sales dramatically decline in the 1980’s, the sales requirements are cut in half in 1989 for both Gold and Platinum status. 

Of course we love some Perry Como!

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