1955 Perez 'Prez' Prado And His Orchestra: Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)

Opening with a slutty riff on Gershwin's 'Rhapsody In Blue', Prado's instrumental version of 'Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)' hammers home it's Latin cha cha rhythm while giving it a definite Cuban mambo spin. The end result is without a doubt the liveliest tune to top the charts to date and the first pure dance track to do so. True, the bulk of the beat is rooted firmly in a structure as formal as a waltz, but when it grinds to a halt Perez fills the full stops of silence with some glorious trumpet that manages to sound both free and filthy at the same time. The passing of over fifty years has taken the edge of exotica off it, but it's still something that would go down a storm after a few shots of rum. Carmen Mirander on your arm optional.