"Mean Old World" by Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson was a teenage singing sensation, only 17 when he scored his first hit: a cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walking" (#4). As he grew up, he went from Ricky to Rick. 

Little Ricky's songs could be heard in malt shops across the USA throughout the 50s and 60s. He landed so many hits that he is ranked the 7th and 24th most successful charting artist for each decade, respectively. Nelson is ranked the 25th most successful artist of all-time, and was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987.

Among his many hits, Nelson topped the charts twice: "Poor Little Fool" hit #1 in 1958 and "Travelin' Man" hit #1 in 1961. Nelson made a living performing songs written by others, but as his career began to fade away in the late 60s, he began writing his own material. He scored a comeback hit of his own authorship in 1972 when "Garden Party" hit #6, but could not sustain this momentum. His last chart appearance came in 1973 with "Palace Guard," which peaked at #65.

"Mean Old World," written by Billy Vera, was released in 1965 and only reached #96. It's a sharp contrast from most of the sunny stuff in Nelson's catalogue. A bit true to the lyrics, Nelson's life was tragically cut short in a plane crash in 1985. He was only 45 years old, and missed seeing his twin sons conquer the charts as "Nelson" just a few years later.