'Rock Around The Clock, a song written by Max Freedman and Jimmy DeKnight, and performed by Bill Haley and His Comets, is often cited as being the first 'rock 'n' roll' hit, although this is inaccurate.

Although the lyrics of 'We Didn't Start The Fire' place 'Rock Around The Clock' in the year 1954, it was actually a hit in 1955, spending eight weeks at number one in the Billboard top 100, but barely scraping the UK top 20 on it's original release, although it did top the UK charts when it was reissued. Haley's first hit had been in 1954, and was actually 'Shake, rattle and Roll', a much bigger UK hit.

'Rock Around The Clock''s iconic status has come about mainly as a result of being the first rock 'n' roll record to achieve such a feat- transatlantic number one, and for a number of weeks.

The song itself seems rather prosaic now- a repetitive riff, verses largely the same every time round, with just a count up of hours