Mr. Custer

{{Infobox song | name = Mr. Custer | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = Larry Verne | album = Mr. Larry Verne | B-side = "Okeefenokee Two Step" | released = 1960 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = Novelty | length = 3:04 | label = Era | writer = {{plainlist}} * Al De Lory * Fred Darian * Joseph Van Winkle {{endplainlist}} | producer = | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Mr. Livingston | next_year = 1960 }}

"'''Mr. Custer'''" is a march novelty song, sung by Larry Verne, and written by Al De Lory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle.

==Background== It is a comical song about a soldier's plea to General Custer before the climactic Battle of the Little Bighorn against the Sioux, to allow him to stay behind, because he had a bad dream about the battle.<ref name= billboard>{{cite book | last = Bronson | first = Fred | author-link = | title = The Billboard Book of Number One Hits - revised & enlarged | publisher = Billboard Books | date = 1992 | location = New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn0000bron/page/76 76] | isbn = 0-8230-8298-9 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn0000bron/page/76 }}</ref>

==Chart performance== It was a number-one song in the United States in 1960, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for the issue dated October 10, 1960, and remained there for one week. On the US Hot R&B Sides chart, it went to number 9. It reached number 12 in Canada, also October 10, 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/60-10-10-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - October 10, 1960}}</ref>

== Reception == In a retrospective review for his ''Number Ones'' column in 2018, Stereogum writer Tom Breihan panned the song, giving it one star out of ten while calling it "offensive", "morally wrongheaded", and "unlistenable musically".<ref>{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Larry Verne's "Mr. Custer" |website= Stereogum |url= https://www.stereogum.com/1986109/the-number-ones-larry-vernes-mr-custer/columns/the-number-ones/|date= March 7, 2018|accessdate= October 9, 2021}}</ref>

==Chart history== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== ;Larry Verne {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1960) !Peak<br />position |- |Canada CHUM Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/60-10-10-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade - October 10, 1960}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|12 |- |U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Sides<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=603}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|9 |- |U.S. ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>[http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19601008.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 8, 1960]</ref> |align="center"|3 |- |} ;Charlie Drake {| class="wikitable |- !Chart (1960–61) !Peak<br />position |- |New Zealand (''Lever Hit Parade'')<ref>[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qsongid=140#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 10 November 1960]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|7 |- |UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/mr.-custer/ |title=Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com |date=1960-11-02 |accessdate=2021-02-06}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|12 |- |} ;Ted Lune {| class="wikitable" |- !Chart (1960) !Peak<br />position |- |New Zealand (''Lever Hit Parade'')<ref>[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qsongid=140#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 24 November 1960]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|4 |- |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1960) ! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |- |U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1960.htm Musicoutfitters.com]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|42 |- |U.S. ''Cash Box'' <ref>[http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1960YESP.html Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1960]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|26 |- |} {{col-end}}

==Sequel== A follow-up record, "Return of Mr. Custer (Please Mr. Sittin' Bull)", was released in 1964, which used the same melody and music arrangement, but it failed to chart.<ref>[http://dmdb.org/cgi-bin/plinfo_view.pl?SYN984601 Demented Music Database: Return Of Mr. Custer - Larry Verne]</ref>

==Cover versions== *La Mesa California band "The Search" covered this in 1967. *"Mr. Custer" was also a number-12 success in the UK Singles Chart for Charlie Drake in 1960, his third such chart hit.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 167}}</ref> *Novelty/country singer-songwriter Ray Stevens covered the song for his 1969 album ''Gitarzan''.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Custer}} Category:1960 singles Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:American comedy songs Category:American novelty songs Category:1960 songs Category:Songs about the military Category:Songs about real people Category:Songs about military officers Category:Cultural depictions of George Armstrong Custer