The twilight of 1959. The air in London was crackling with change, a nervous anticipation of the decade to come. Rock and roll had crashed the gates, but the charts were still a wild, unpredictable frontier, a place where a slick, transatlantic hybrid of American soul and British beat could seize the crown. Enter Emile Ford & The Checkmates, a unit led by the St. Lucian-born Michael Emile Telford Miller, an artist whose musical vision was matched only by his deep, restless curiosity about the engineering of sound itself.
This is the context for the piece of music that would define their career, a single that would not just top the charts, but become a cultural milestone: “What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?”
The song, released on the Pye Records label, was not just a hit; it was a phenomenon. Crucially, it was initially the B-side to “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles” in October 1959. It took the collective intuition of radio DJs and record-buyers to flip the disc and find the magic. The track quickly ascended the UK Official Singles Chart, settling in at Number One over the crucial 1959 Christmas period and staying there for a remarkable six weeks, stretching deep into 1960. This success was extraordinary, earning Ford a gold disc for sales that reportedly exceeded a million copies in the UK alone—a feat unheard of for a debut single by an unknown. It cemented Ford’s place as Britain’s first major Black pop and rock and roll star.
The Architect of Sound
To discuss this record is to discuss the studio, the literal space where its glamour was forged. Ford was famously a sound engineer by training and inclination, a fact that informed his meticulous approach to recording. He had reportedly turned down a major deal with EMI because they wouldn’t let him produce his own records, eventually settling with Pye where he was granted the necessary control. This recording, made at Lansdowne Studios, London, is reliably co-credited to Ford and the legendary Joe Meek, a man whose innovative, often eccentric sonic touch is indelibly stamped on the early British rock and roll landscape.
Meek’s touch is audible in the compression, the slightly pinched, thrillingly immediate sound that was a hallmark of his work. Yet, the arrangement retains a sheen of professionalism that speaks to Ford’s own technical demands. The sound is not muddy or chaotic; it is sharp, present, and designed for maximum impact. Listeners streaming this track today, even through premium audio equipment, are encountering a record that was engineered to punch far above the weight of 1959 technology.
Anatomy of an Earworm
The original song itself is a relic of another age, penned by Joseph McCarthy, Howard Johnson, and James V. Monaco in 1916 for a Broadway production. Its core is a charming, slightly flirtatious interrogation—a man questioning the intentions behind a woman’s captivating gaze. Ford and The Checkmates take this Tin Pan Alley template and infuse it with the driving pulse of nascent rock and roll and the sweet harmonies of doo-wop.
The entire piece of music clocks in at barely over two minutes, yet it feels complete, purposeful, and dynamic. It opens not with a swagger, but a clipped, almost syncopated rhythm section groove—a sharp, understated guitar figure cutting through a taut, snapping drum beat. This immediately sets a mood that is less rockabilly grit and more dance-hall sophistication.
Ford’s lead vocal is confident and smooth, avoiding the raw emotionality of American R&B for a polished, crooning style that was instantly accessible to the British and European markets. His voice is double-tracked, perhaps slightly chorused, giving it a round, full presence that occupies the centre of the mix.
Behind him, The Checkmates—including Ford’s half-brothers George and Dave Sweetnam on bass and sax, respectively—provide the signature doo-wop call-and-response. Their backing vocals are not just harmony; they are rhythmic texture, with the iconic “bop-bop-a-doo-wop” phrases creating a light, almost airy bed for Ford’s melody. The vocal arrangement is meticulous, with sudden, dramatic shifts in dynamic—a collective breath before the whole group swells into a full-throated delivery of the title line.
The arrangement is sparse but effective. The piano plays a simple, rolling figure that anchors the harmony, its sound bright and slightly distant, reminiscent of a live hall rather than a claustrophobic booth. The instrumentation features a subtle, almost jazzy bassline that walks steadily beneath the rest of the track, providing a bedrock of swing. A standout moment is the tenor saxophone break, brief but impeccably timed, providing a blast of soulful warmth before Ford sweeps back in for the final verse.
“The genius of this track is how it takes a dusty old standard and treats it not as an archaeological find, but as a blueprint for the future of pop arrangement.”
The Cultural Resonance
Ford and his Checkmates were pioneers not just in sound, but in culture. A successful multi-racial band in the UK at the cusp of the sixties, they were a visible signal of a changing Britain. Their success paved the way for future artists by demonstrating that sophisticated, non-traditional forms of pop could dominate the domestic charts. Ford, with his dual mastery of the microphone and the mixing desk, was a new kind of pop star—an artist as invested in the technical delivery as the performance itself.
Think of that single, played on a clunky radiogram in a post-war living room, the beat urging teenagers to dance, the harmonies whispering of American glamour. It’s a sonic bridge, connecting the music hall era of the song’s origins to the Merseybeat revolution that was just around the corner.
This album, or rather, this defining single from their early career, remains a perfect example of how a simple, captivating melody, when paired with revolutionary production and a charismatic performance, can transcend genre and generation. While many today seek guitar lessons to master the aggressive chords of rock’s next wave, this track reminds us of the power of restraint, rhythm, and a perfectly executed vocal harmony. The song’s legacy lies not just in its chart position but in the sheer durability of its charm. It’s a flawless two-minute blast of sophisticated, swinging pop that deserves to be pulled from the nostalgia bin and appreciated for its brilliance of craft.
Listening Recommendations
- Adam Faith – What Do You Want: Similar charting history and era, sharing the thematic focus on a concise, questioning chorus.
- The Platters – Only You (And You Alone): For an adjacent mood of smooth, polished American doo-wop vocal harmony and romantic balladry.
- Joe Meek (Producer) – Telstar (The Tornados): To hear another, later example of Joe Meek’s signature, heavily-processed, and dramatic sonic landscape.
- Johnny Kidd & The Pirates – Shakin’ All Over: A contemporaneous British rock and roll hit that shows the genre’s grittier, guitar-driven counterpoint.
- Shakin’ Stevens – This Ole House: A later 1980s revivalist UK No. 1 that taps into a similar rockabilly/pop aesthetic, showing the original’s lasting influence.
- Sam Cooke – Chain Gang: For a parallel example of a smooth, technically brilliant vocalist from the era backed by prominent, rhythmic group harmonies.