Toppermost of the Poppermost - UK Number Ones : part 2 - The 1960s

[daf]

Why, Why, Why, De Long Face? it's . . .

247b. (MM 197.)  Tom Jones - Delilah



From :  30 March - 12 April 1968
Weeks : 2
Flip side : Smile
Bonus : Top of the Pops

The Story So Further :

On 29 July 1986, Gordon Mills died of cancer, and Jones's son Mark became his manager.

In 1987, newly signed to Epic, re-entered the singles chart with "A Boy From Nowhere", which went to #2 in the UK.  The b-side featured excerpts of three songs - "I'll Dress You In Mourning / To Be A Matador / Dance With Death" - with linking narration from Robert Powell, from the Mike Leander and Eddie Seago musical Matador. At this point, the musical had yet to be staged due to problems in attracting financial backing. The show eventually opened in 1991, with randy Scotsman John Barrowman in the leading role.

 

Cashing in, his old record company Decca rushed out a re-issue of "It's Not Unusual" which peaked at #17 in May 1987. Originally released before "A Boy From Nowhere", the flop single "I Was Born To Be Me" (b/w "A Panama Hat") - featuring another two songs from the Matador musical - finally limped into the chart on the rebound, peaking at #61.

 

The following year, he covered Prince's "Kiss" with The Art of Noise. The song reached #5 in the UK and #31 in the US.

Tom Jones : "What I achieved in the '60s and early '70s carried me through. I was playing the arenas into the '80s, so I wasn't aware that my recording career was slipping because the shows were so big. It started to show a bit in the '80s, and I started to play smaller places. I recorded a ballad called 'A Boy From Nowhere', so it started to happen for me again in '87. Then I recorded 'Kiss' with the Art of Noise in '88 and I was back on Top 40 radio, so I started playing bigger places again."

Jones received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989, located at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, in front of Frederick's of Hollywood.

 

Though "Kiss" had given his career a boost, his next few singles failed to reap the harvest : "Move Closer" (b/w "'Til The End Of Time") reached #49 in April 1989  /  "Couldn't Say Goodbye" (b/w "Zip It Up") - #51 in January 1991  /  "Carrying A Torch" (b/w "Walk Tall (Valley Of The Shadows)" - #57 in March 1991  /  "I'm Not Feeling It Anymore" (b/w "Something That You Said") - written and produced by curmudgeonly Ringworm hit-maker Van Morrison failed to chart in May 1991.

 

In 1992, he made his first appearance at the UK's Glastonbury Festival, and in 1993 appeared as himself in episodes of two popular US sitcoms, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Simpsons. He also lent his leathery pipes to the charity single "All You Need Is Love". With proceeds going to ChildLine, and produced by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, this plastic abomination somehow reached #19 in March 1993.

 

The Single :

"Delilah" was written by Barry Mason, with music by Les Reed. It was recorded by Welsh singer Tom Jones in December 1967.



It was originally recorded by Trouser-splitting bombastic balladeer P. J. Proby in late November, 1967. Proby hated the song and refused to include it on his album Believe It Or Not, which was being compiled and recorded at the time.

 

The song earned Reed and Mason the 1968 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Barry Mason : "Normally, it would be a line, especially a title line that would be the inspiration for me. For Delilah, I was inspired by Jezebel, the old Frankie Laine hit. I used to love story songs when I was a kid."

The song tells the story of a man who passes his girlfriend's window and sees her inside shagging another man. He waits outside all night, and then confronts her in the morning, only to have her laugh in his face. He stabs her to death, and then waits for the police come to break down the door and arrest him.

Though the song was a fictional story, 'Delilah' herself was based on a real person -

Barry Mason : "The song was written about a teenage girl called Delia I met on holiday in Wales when I was about fourteen. It was a whirlwind holiday romance, but I never got the girl out of my mind. I wanted to write a song about her for years, but why why why Delia just didn't work. Then one day it just hit me, I changed the name to Delilah and after that it just fell into place."

The lyrics unfold from the killer's point of view, and are filled with his, often contradictory, emotions. He speaks of Delilah in possessive terms, but also refers to himself as her "slave." He asks his dead girlfriend to "forgive" him, but still clearly sees himself as having been wronged by her - the deluded prick!

Jones's version features a big-band accompaniment set to a flamenco rhythm. Flamenco was a surprising choice, since there is no reference to Spain anywhere in the song. However, 'Delilah's similarities to the plot of "Carmen" - in which Don José stabs Carmen to death when she tells him she is leaving him for another man - may have influenced Reed with the arrangement.

 

When Jones performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show, the censors insisted that the line "At break of day when the man drove away" be changed to "At break of day I was still 'cross the way", as the original version implied he had spent the night shagging Delilah. Jones later rightly described the change as "such bullshit".

Tom Jones : "I remember when I first heard Delilah, I thought: 'This is just a comedy record and my manager said: 'Yes, but we want you to do it seriously.' When you first hear it, you think it's a rip-roaring, we-are-the-champions kind of number. But it's actually about a man killing a woman."



According to Philip Norman, the song also features backing vocals by Long John Baldry's pianist, Elton John, from Bluesology : "Times were hard for the then-aspiring superstar, and he took whatever session work he could get, becoming in this case an indistinguishable voice in the chorus behind the melodramatic story."

It reached No. 1 in the charts of several countries, including Germany and Switzerland. The US Billboard chart records its highest position as 15.

The sixth-best selling single of that year, it reached #2 in the obscure Record Retailer "official" charts in March 1968, but was a Number one in the widely read Melody Maker 'Pop 30' chart for two weeks - keeping 'Love Me Do' hit-makers The Beatles off the Top Spot for the first time since 1962.

     

Welsh rugby fans have sung "Delilah" as an unofficial anthem since at least as early as the 1970s; it was referred to in the lyrics of one of the verses of Max Boyce's "Hymns and Arias": "We sang 'Cwm Rhondda' and 'Delilah', damn they sounded both the same".

In 2014, Dafydd Iwan, the legendary Welsh language folk singer, called for Welsh rugby supporters to stop singing "Delilah" at matches, asserting that the song "trivialises the idea of murdering a woman". Jones dismissed Iwan's claims, stating: "I don't think singers are really thinking about it ... If it's going to be taken literally, I think it takes the fun out of it."

 

Other Versions include :  The Ravers (1968)  /  Teddy Greaves and his Groovy Group (1968)  /  "Čas růží" By Karel Gott (1968)  /  Sheila (1968)  /  Peter Alexander (1968)  /  "La nostra favola" by Jimmy Fontana (1968)  /  I Ribelli (1968)  /  The Platters (1969)  /  Nite People (1969)  /  Connie Francis (1969)  /  The Ventures (1970)  /  Pete Colley (1970)  /  Louis Prima with Sam Butera and The Witnesses (1970)  /  Korda György (1970)  /  The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (1975)  /  Barry Mason (1976)  /  Norman Gunston (1978)  /  John Otway (1995)  /  Inkubus Sukkubus (1999)  /  Doctor & The Medics (2000)  /  Juan Ignacio Moreno (2009)  /  Danny McEvoy (2011)  /  Tamer Zeynioglu - Stecher (2016)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! :

           

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Previously :
189.  It's Not Unusual
227.  Green Green Grass Of Home
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[purlieu]

Not a bad verse actually, but fucking hell that chorus is horrible.

[kalowski]

I hate this song. I hate this leather-bound fucking honker.

[Captain Z]

One interesting thing about it is that it's one of only a handful of number 1s not to have a typical 4/4 time signature, being in waltz (3/4) timing. Obviously The Beatles experimented with timing a fair bit, Cilla Black had one, and I wasn't really paying attention during the 50s, but it won't happen many more times.

[The Culture Bunker]

One interesting thing about it is that it's one of only a handful of number 1s not to have a typical 4/4 time signature, being in waltz (3/4) timing. Obviously The Beatles experimented with timing a fair bit, Cilla Black had one, and I wasn't really paying attention during the 50s, but it won't happen many more times.

If only 'Golden Brown' had stuck to 3/4 time all the way through, it might have made the top...

[Satchmo Distel]

I hadn't realized until just now how short 'Massachusetts" is - only 2:18 minutes. Released in the US under Brian Epstein's Nemperor label, which was named after his cable address (but Epstein was dead by the time it was released):

[daf]

Oh God, it's . . .

248.  Cliff Richard - Congratulations



From : 7 – 20 April 1968
Weeks : 2
Flip side : High 'N' Dry
Bonus : Eurovision

The Story So Far : 

Following his eighth Number 1 with "The Minute You're Gone" in May 1965, his next single, "On My Word" (b/w "Just A Little Bit Too Late") - which stalled at #12 in June 1965 - ended a run of 23 consecutive top ten UK hits that had begun with "A Voice in the Wilderness" back in January 1960.

 

In 1965, readers of the New Musical Express voted Cliff as the World's Top Male Singer - knocking Elvis, PJ Proby, Heinz and Spud from The Brumbeats into a cocked hat! He recorded three TV specials, toured Europe and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the USA.

Teaming up with The Shadows for his next single, "The Time In Between" (b/w "Look Before You Love"), he reached #22 in August 1965, and ended the year on a high when "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" (b/w "The Night") reached #2 in November 1965.

 

In early 1966, he dipped his toe into the murky waters of Cabaret - making his Night Club debut at the Talk of the Town.

 

In May 1966 he reached #15 with "Blue Turns To Grey" (b/w "Somebody Loses"), and released the album "Kinda Latin"  featuring songs in the Bossa Nova style, including : "Blame It on the Bossa Nova"  /  "The Girl from Ipanema"  /  "One Note Samba"  /  and "Quando, Quando, Quando".

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Though he had talked about growing Christian awareness, and was attending church regularly, few realised the major change it would make to him as a person, and to his career, when in 1964 he became an active Christian. 

In June 1966, Cliff appeared on stage at a Billy Graham campaign meeting and spoke openly of his Christian faith. Many of his fans wept when they read this news the following day, fearing the end of his career as a pop star.

 

Initially, he believed that he should quit rock 'n' roll, feeling he could no longer be the rocker who had been called a "crude exhibitionist" and "too sexy for TV". Richard intended at first to "reform his ways" and become a teacher, but Christian friends advised him not to abandon his career.

Cliff : "The first thing I did was want to be like my friends who were in schools teaching religious instruction or helping run TEAR fund and things like that. I felt that maybe my lifestyle was not conducive to being an active participant in the Christian life. There were churches in America saying, 'This is evil and of the devil and we've got to burn our rock and roll records.' Now I couldn't help but be affected by that; I got a feeling that people were ready to applaud my departure from show business if I did it. I don't remember reading about burning things here. In England it never got that bad. But there was a feeling that rock and roll and Church didn't go together. Classical music and Church worked all right, but rock and roll didn't. So you tended to feel slightly cut off in some way; that there was something wrong."

 

There was speculation that he would become a clergyman or a teacher of religious education but Cliff stayed with music and his fans breathed again!

   

Cliff : "I went to a teacher training college and had an interview with the principle. Having told the press I was going to pull out, my producer, Norrie Paramor, said, 'You know you say you believe all these things, why don't you do a gospel album?'  I went, 'OK, I will do that, then I can say "Goodbye" with a clean conscience.' Then I met the Billy Graham crowd and they asked me to be in a movie and I thought, 'OK, I'll do that'. Then a TV company from Newcastle asked me to do a series of six television shows, all based on parables. God doesn't speak to us with a great big booming voice (unless you go and see the movies) but he does indicate what you should be thinking. I was suddenly aware that I could function as a Christian within this world. Of course, I got terrible press: 'We knew he was kidding!' this sort of thing. But at least I'd made a stand."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In July 1966 "Visions" (b/w "What Would I Do (For The Love Of A Girl)") reached #7. The next single "Time Drags By" (b/w "La La La Song") Nudged into the Top 10 in October 1966.

       

The film "Finders Keepers", released in December 1966, saw him traveling with The Shadows to a Spanish town for a gig. When they arrive, they are puzzled to find the area empty. They find out that a small bomb has accidentally been dropped on the town and the villagers have fled in panic that it will go off. The boys decide to find the bomb and restore peace in the village, with some musical numbers along the way.

 

Though not featured in the film, the excellent song "In The Country", (b/w "Finders Keepers"), reached #6 in December 1966.

   

Appearing on numerous religious TV programmes, he condemned pop stars who took drugs, said that pre-marital sex was unhealthy, and told The Beatles that they were wasting their time consorting with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Instead, he devoted a lot of his time to appearances with his own crackpot guru - Billy Graham.

Cliff : "I was surrounded by mature Christian people, who advised me. One of the big decisions I had to make was whether or not I would appear on the Billy Graham platform. I kept thinking, 'Oh my goodness, this is public! Is it going to affect my career?' When I sat down one night and prayed about it with friends, I decided, 'Look, if I believe this; if I know it to be true as I do, then it's got to be more important than anything else. So if I lost my career, I don't think God would dump me; there would be something else that I would perhaps have to do'. That to me was a huge step, that I could get up and say, 'I actually don't care what happens; I'm going to say what I believe'."

Almighty God, duly pleased with Cliff's prudish proclamations, and the smiting of false Indian idols, rewarded him with a sell-out box-office for his his 1966 Panto season!!

Cliff : "It was the summer of '66 at Earls Court, and a few months later I was doing a pantomime and we broke all Palladium pantomime box office records. I felt that was a major step in my life."

In early 1967, Cliff Richard And The Shadows released the Cinderella EP, which included : "Come Sunday"  /  "Peace And Quiet"  /  "She Needs Him More Than Me"  /  "Hey Doctor Man"

 

Though God's intervention in his pantomime run was pretty impressive - particularly as the "Good Lord" had put aside sorting out the Vietnam War specifically in order to fulfill Cliff's urgent panto prayers - it was an achievement far outweighed by ensuring Cliff became the only artist to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades. Proof, if proof be needed, of God's wonderful and mysterious ways!

   

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

His next single, "It's All Over" (b/w "Why Wasn't I Born Rich") reached #9 in March 1967.

   

In April 1967, while having a such a good time he was having a ball, he released the album 'Don't Stop Me Now'.

 
 

In May 1967, there were rumours that Cliff would quit the music business at the end of the year.

   

In June, "I'll Come Runnin'" (b/w "I Get The Feelin'") reached #26 in the charts, and he scored a Top 10 hit with "The Day I Met Marie" (b/w "Our Story Book") in August 1967.

     

In October 1967, he released 'Good News' - an album of religious music . . .

     

. . . and rumours of his imminent retirement were still alive and well.

 

In November 1967 he released "All My Love"  (b/w "Sweet Little Jesus Boy") which reached #6 in the UK charts, and just in time for Christmas, the Carol Singers EP.

   

In November it was revealed that Cliff's was now wearing contact lenses. A furious God, displeased with this reckless display of vanity, smote the Bachelor Boy's sinful optics with a magic "sneezing spell" - All praise to His baffling inscrutability and peevishly vindictive ways!

 

He ended the year by recording the live album 'Cliff in Japan' . . .

     

. . . and starring the TV pantomime Aladdin along with the Shadows and Arthur Askey.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1968, he sang the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, "Congratulations". This was the closest result yet in the contest and Richard locked himself in the toilet to avoid the nerves of the voting. A Nailed on dead-cert to win, it lost, however, by one point to Spain's "La La La". Despite the setback, "Congratulations" was a huge hit throughout Europe and Australia - including Germany where it stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks - and yet another UK No. 1 in April 1968. The single sold over one million copies, giving him his fifth Gold Disc.

   

In June 1968 he released 'Congratulations: Cliff Sings 6 Songs For Europe' - which as well as both sides of the hit single included the other four songs that were contenders to be Cliff's Eurovision song : "Wonderful World"  /  "Do You Remember"  /  "The Sound Of The Candyman's Trumpet"  /  and "Little Rag Doll".

   

Also in June 1968, he starred in the film Two a Penny - sponsored and financed by the sinister Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in which he played Jamie Hopkins, a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude.

   

The following month, the single "I'll Love You Forever Today" (b/w "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon"), taken from the film, reached #27 in the charts.

 


Though 'Congratulations' had bombed there, he doggedly spent some time attempting to crack the American market - but to little effect.

   

On a happier note, he released his own book, 'The Way I See It', and following unfounded rumors of his death, (having missed the Bratislava Song Festival due to having an upset tummy), his one man cabaret show "Cliff Richard at the Talk of the Town" was shown on TV.

     

"Marianne", (b/w "Mr. Nice"), reached #22 in October, and his final single with The Shadows, "Don't Forget To Catch Me" (b/w "What's More (I Don't Need Her)) reached #21 in December 1968.

     

Cliff played some Gospel concerts, including one at Coventry Cathedral and a special party was held to celebrate his 10th anniversary as a star.

   

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In July 1969, Cliff was part of the ITV line up of light entertainment, hosted by David Frost, to accompany the Moon Landings.



Cliff worked on a six-part Gospel series for Tyne Tees TV; sang in German when he appeared on a TV programme there; he visited Romania, Italy, Holland, and Israel where he made a documentary about the Holy Land. The Shadows re-formed and toured the U.K. and Japan with Cliff, before splitting again.

 

His 1969 singles included : "Good Times" (b/w "Occasional Rain")  - #12 in March  /  "Big Ship" (b/w "She's Leaving You") - #8 in June  /  and "With The Eyes Of A Child" (b/w "So Long") - #20 in December 1969.

   

He began 1970 by appearing live on the BBC's review of the sixties music scene, Pop Go The Sixties, which was broadcast across Britain and Europe on 31 December 1969. He performed "Bachelor Boy" with the Shadows and "Congratulations" solo.

Teaming up with Hank Marvin, he released two singles : "Throw Down A Line" (b/w "Reflections") - a Top 7 smash in September 1969, and "The Joy Of Living" (b/w "Leave My Woman Alone") - which reached #25 in February 1970.

   

His 1970 singles included the surprisingly progressive Trans-rights anthem "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha", (b/w "You Never Can Tell"), a Top 6 hit in June, and "I Ain't Got Time Any More", (b/w "Monday Comes Too Soon"), which reached #21 in September 1970.

     

He pursued his straight-acting career by appearing in Peter Shaffer's stage play "Five Finger Exercise", and continued to appear on many religious programmes. He was voted both "Mr. Valentine" and "Best Dressed Star" by readers of the music paper, Disc and Music Echo.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1971, thirteen years on from his debut, at the age of 31, he was still able to capture the votes of the NME's readers as "Top Male Singer" and "Top Vocal Personality". He toured in Europe and received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Services to British Music.

Slightly weirdly, his next two singles both contained three songs each : "Sunny Honey Girl", backed with "Don't Move Away" - a duet With Olivia Newton-John - plus "I Was Only Fooling Myself", reached #19 in January 1971, while "Silvery Rain", backed with "Annabella Umbrella" and "Time Flies", reached #27 in April 1971.

"Flying Machine" (b/w "Pigeon") reached #37 in July 1971, and "Sing A Song Of Freedom", (b/w "A Thousand Conversations"), was an unlucky #13 in November 1971. The single was banned in South Africa and Mozambique. In protest, Cliff grew a rather nice beard, and promptly scooped Billboard's Trendsetter Award for "Unpublicised good works among young people".

     

The inevitable "Jesus", (b/w "Mister Cloud"), reached #35 in March 1972, and "Living In Harmony", (b/w "Empty Chairs"), smashed in the back doors of the Top 12. But he would find himself touching bottom when his next single - "A Brand New Song", (b/w "The Old Accordion") - became his first single to miss the charts.

In 1972, he made a BBC television comedy film called The Case which included appearances from lovely Tim Brooke-Taylor, and a duet with Olivia Newton-John. He went on to release a double live album, Cliff Live in Japan 1972, which also featured Olivia Newton-John. That year he was refused admittance into Singapore because his hair was too long - the scruffy sod!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1973, Cliff again represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest with "Power To All Our Friends". Despite Cliff's incredible 'bandy-legs' dance, the song came third behind Luxembourg's "Tu Te Reconnaîtras" and Spain's "Eres Tú". This time, Richard took Valium to overcome his nerves, and his manager was almost unable to wake the dozy drug-fiend for the performance. The single "Power To All Our Friends", backed by "Come Back Billie Jo", reached #4 in March 1973.

As with his previous Eurovision excursion in 1968, the rejected 'Song For Europe' candidates were featured on their own "Eurovision Special" EP - which included : "Help It Along"  /  "Tomorrow Rising"  /  "Days Of Love"  /  "Ashes To Ashes" - which reached #29 in May 1973.

 

Sound News Productions released the flexi-disc "SPREE '73 (SPiritual REEmphasis)" issued in connection with a Christian festival. It featured the chart-bound sound of "Cliff Richard Talks To You" on one side, and the sure-fire smash hit "A Special Message To You From Billy Graham" on the other.

At the end of the year, he appeared in his final starring film role - the Birmingham based "Take Me High" - which documented his rib-tickling attempts to launch the 'Brumburger' - alongside Deborah Watling, Hugh Griffith and George Cole. The accompanying single, "Take Me High" (b/w "Celestial Houses") reached #27 in December 1973.

   

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1974 he starred in yet another BBC TV series "It's Cliff Richard", and denied that he had asked Olivia Newton-John to marry him. It was not a good year for his health and he suffered from bronchitis, laryngitis and back problems - probably not caused by enthusiastic attempts at auto-fellatio. There was another tour taking part in the UK and Japan, and also the inevitable Gospel tour.

 

Following the promo single "Nothing To Remind Me", (b/w "The Leaving"), he scored his only chart entry of 1974 with "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" (b/w "Love Is Here") - which reached #13 in May 1974.

While 1974 had served up some pretty thin gruel chart-wise, 1975 was even worse - as none of his singles entered the charts. His flops included "It's Only Me You've Left Behind" (b/w "You're The One") in March, and "Honky Tonk Angel", (b/w "(Wouldn't You Know It) Got Myself A Girl"), in September 1975.

 

Produced by Hank Marvin and John Farrar, Cliff was oblivious to any naughty connotations or hidden meanings contained in the song. As soon as he was notified that a 'honky-tonk angel' was southern US slang for a prostitute, the horrified prude ordered EMI to withdraw it and refused to promote it, despite making a video for it and performing it on the ITV pop show Supersonic. EMI agreed to his demand despite the fact the single was expected to sell well. Only around a thousand copies are known to exist on vinyl.

     

The Single :

"Congratulations" was written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, and performed by Cliff Richard.  Phil Coulter originally wrote the song as "I Think I Love You", but was unsure of the lyrics and got together with his songwriting partner Bill Martin, who changed it to "Congratulations".



The song was arranged, conducted and produced by Norrie Paramor who was also musical director for the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The song was immediately popular in the UK and became a number one single. On the day of the contest, it was the favourite to win, so much so that the British press were posing the question: "What will come second to 'Congratulations'?"

     

During the voting, "Congratulations" was leading for much of the way until the penultimate vote when Germany, the bastards, gave Spain six points, putting them one point ahead of 'Le Royaume-Uni'.  It finished second - losing to Massiel singing Spain's entry "La, La, La" by just one point.

   

However, needless to say, "Congratulations" had the last laugh, by going on to become a far more successful song and a huge hit throughout Europe - though The Allisons thought that they could have done better . . .

 

George Harrison's song "It's Johnny's Birthday" from his 1970 album All Things Must Pass was based on 'Congratulations'. The writers Martin and Coulter filed a claim in December 1970 against Harrison for royalties, and subsequent pressings of the album credit their contribution.

Other Versions include :   The Californians (1968)  /  Marilyn Maye (1968)  /  "Jak se tak dívám" by Václav Neckář (1968)  /  "Ønsk mig tillykke" by Gitte Hænning (1968)  /  "Ah! Quelle histoire" by Cliff Richard (1968)  /  Mario Guarnera (1968)  /  "Vi gratulerer" by Kirsti, Oddvar og Arne (1968)  /  Los Mismos (1968)  /  Betina (1968)  /  Los Beta (1968)  /  Horst Jankowski (1968)  /  Milan Bláha (1969)  /  The 1970 England Football Squad (1970)  /  Danny McEvoy (2011)  /  a robot (2019)

On This Day  :

7 April : Jim Clark, Scottish racing driver, dies in race accident at Hockenheim, Germany aged 32
8 April : 40th Academy Awards postponed due to death of Martin Luther King Jr.
8 April : Patricia Arquette, actress, born in Chicago, Illinois
9 April : Martin Luther King Jr., buried in Atlanta
10 April : "George M!" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 435 performances
11 April : US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs 1968 Civil Rights Act
13 April : A total lunar eclipse visible over nearly all of the Western Hemisphere.
15 April : Ed O'Brien, guitarist (Radiohead), born Edward John O'Brien in Oxford
17 April : "Fade Out-Fade In" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 72 performances
18 April : London Bridge is sold to US oil company - to be re-erected in Arizona.
18 April : "Boys in the Band" premieres in NYC
20 April : Racist British politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech

Extra! Extra!

     

Read all about it! :

                                           

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Previously :
88.    Living Doll
92.    Travelling Light
104.  Please Don't Tease
110.  I Love You
132.  The Young Ones
144.  Bachelor Boy
148.  Summer Holiday
192.  The Minute You're Gone
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[purlieu]

Fucking abominable.

[famethrowa]

There's a lot to dislike in all that, one of the things I hate most is how Cliff's god-finding promoted this eternal idea that Christianity is about making rules and judgements against anything you want: sex is bad, rock is bad, naked ladies are bad, etc etc. The Honky Tonk Angel episode shows Cliff at his most shit-headed, why be such a baby about it? Fuck off.

[Jollity]

I could say "this song should have placed much lower than second", but tbh, it is difficult to judge the song like I've never heard it before to compare it to all the other entries when (like everyone else in this country) I've heard it eleventy billion times. It's weird to occasionally see young Eurovision fans from other countries say they think it should have won, like if someone thinks your embarrassing relative is cool.

But anyway, Yugoslavia should have won.

[daf]

That link didn't work for me - hopefully, this is the same one : Yugoslavia

[Jockice]

Well, I like it. Another of the first songs I can remember. It's 'good going' as my mum used to say.

[Jollity]

That link didn't work for me - hopefully, this is the same one : Yugoslavia

That's right. I've no idea why my YouTube links aren't working. Possibly because they're mobile links.

Anyway, Congratulations is kind of a dumb song.

[gilbertharding]

While skimming (sorry dafposter) the above, my eyes alighted on this

His 1970 singles included the surprisingly progressive Trans-rights anthem "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha", (b/w "You Never Can Tell"), a Top 6 hit in June, and "I Ain't Got Time Any More", (b/w "Monday Comes Too Soon"), which reached #21 in September 1970.

Excited to hear Sir Queef belt out a Chuck Berry number , I clicked on the youtube to hear just about the most awful, AWFUL load of old pony I ever encountered.

I urge you all to do the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q1hn7wvwfM

"I was talking to my milkman about the world the other day, when he told me the strangest thing that happened down the way... a customer, the quietest man you'd ever wish to meet suddenly dragged out his wife and beat her in the street..."

I can't bear to listen any further.

[famethrowa]

While skimming (sorry dafposter) the above, my eyes alighted on this

Excited to hear Sir Queef belt out a Chuck Berry number , I clicked on the youtube to hear just about the most awful, AWFUL load of old pony I ever encountered.

I urge you all to do the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q1hn7wvwfM

I can't bear to listen any further.

Those drums are really good! I wonder if it was anyone notable on the kit? I was able to ignore everything else.

[daf]

Might be Brian Bennett from the Shadows?

Fun Fact : The song was written by Hank Marvin, who recorded his own shit version with John Farrar in 1973.

[Glitch King]

Glitch King!

[Satchmo Distel]

Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha is on "Cliff Live In Japan, '72"

https://www.amazon.com/Cliff-Live-Japan-CLIFF-RICHARD/dp/B0039SFKXC

[Satchmo Distel]

Marvin, Welch and Farrar are supposed to have made a couple of good albums. Anyone heard them?

[Keebleman]

(I know this from my deadpooling research. Haven't had him on my team yet, but I've preemptively pencilled him in for his second heart attack in 2020. Hopefully the 'Tell Laura I Love Her' hitmaker doesn't have a problem with ghoulish death voyeurism.)

You got the year right, if not the cause.

[daf]

Swiss Kriss, Bang-Bang, it's . . .

249.  Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World



From : 21 April – 18 May 1968
Weeks : 4
Flip side : Cabaret
Bonus 1 : TV Performance
Bonus 2 : Spoken Intro Version

The Story So Far : 

Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on 4 August 1901 in New Orleans to Mary Albert when she was about sixteen. His father, William Armstrong, abandoned the family shortly after. He was raised by his grandmother until the age of five when he was returned to his mother. At six he attended the Fisk School for Boys, a school that accepted black children in the racially segregated system of New Orleans.

He did odd jobs for the Karnoffskys, a family of Lithuanian Jews. While selling coal in Storyville, he heard the early sounds of jazz from bands that played in brothels and dance halls. The Karnoffskys took him in and treated him like family. Knowing he lived without a father, they fed and nurtured him. In his memoir,  Armstrong described his discovery that this family was also subject to discrimination by "other white folks"  who felt that they were better than Jews: "I was only seven years old but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the white folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for." He wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life.

His first musical performance may have been at the side of the Karnoffsky's junk wagon. To distinguish them from other hawkers, he tried playing a tin horn to attract customers. Morris Karnoffsky gave Armstrong an advance toward the purchase of a cornet from a pawn shop.

When Armstrong was eleven, he dropped out of school, and joined a quartet of boys who sang in the streets for money. Cornetist Bunk Johnson claimed to have taught the eleven-year-old to play by ear at Dago Tony's honky tonk.

On January 1, 1913, Armstrong attended a New Year's Eve parade and shot six blanks from his stepfather's .38 revolver. A policeman arrested him on the spot. Later that day, Judge Andrew Wilson sentenced the young boy to the Colored Waif's Home, a reform school on the outskirts of New Orleans. Despite the grim situation, Armstrong decided to make the most of his stay - which lasted for a year and a half - as the Home ran a music program, and he was able to develop his cornet skills by playing in the band - result!

 

Released from the home, he found a job at a dance hall owned by Henry Ponce, who had connections to organized crime, and met the six-foot tall drummer Black Benny, who became his guide and bodyguard, and soon came to the attention of Kid Ory.

Armstrong played in brass bands and riverboats in New Orleans, first on an excursion boat in September 1918. He traveled with the band of Fate Marable, which toured on the steamboat Sidney with the Streckfus Steamers line up and down the Mississippi River. Marable insisted that all the musicians in his band learn sight reading. Armstrong described his time with Marable as "going to the University", since it gave him a wider experience working with written arrangements. Throughout his riverboat experience, Armstrong's musicianship began to mature and expand. He became one of the first jazz musicians to be featured on extended trumpet solos, injecting his own personality and style.

In 1919, King Oliver decided to go north and resigned his position in Kid Ory's band; Armstrong replaced him. He also became second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band.

 

Armstrong was performing at the Brick House in Gretna, Louisiana, when he met Daisy Parker, a local prostitute. He started the affair as a client. He returned to Gretna on several occasions to visit her. He found the courage to look for her home to see her away from work. It was on this occasion that he found out that she had a common-law husband. Not long after this fiasco, Parker traveled to Armstrong's home on Perdido Street. They checked into Kid Green's hotel that evening. On the next day, March 19, 1919, Armstrong and Parker married at City Hall.

They adopted a three-year-old boy, Clarence, whose mother, Armstrong's cousin Flora, had died soon after giving birth. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled as the result of a head injury at an early age, and Armstrong spent the rest of his life taking care of him. His marriage to Parker ended when they separated in 1923.

In 1922, he moved to Chicago at the invitation of King Oliver. With King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band he could make enough money to quit his day jobs. Armstrong lived luxuriously in his own apartment with his first private bath.

His first studio recordings were with Oliver for Gennett Records in April 1923. They endured several hours on the train to remote Richmond, Indiana, and the band was paid little. The quality of the performances was affected by lack of rehearsal, crude recording equipment, bad acoustics, and a cramped studio. The songs included : "Froggie Moore"  /  "Chimes Blues"  /  "Mandy Lee Blues"  /  "I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind"  /  "Riverside Blues"  /  and "Mabel's Dream"

 

Lil Hardin, a pianist with King Oliver's Band, who would become Armstrong's second wife in 1924, urged him to seek more prominent billing and develop his style apart from the influence of Oliver. She encouraged him to play classical music in church concerts to broaden his skills. She prodded him into wearing more stylish attire to offset his girth. Her influence eventually undermined Armstrong's relationship with his mentor, especially concerning his salary and additional money that Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members.

In 1924, Armstrong received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. He switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section, and appeared on the single : "Prince of Wails" / "Mandy Make Up Your Mind".

Armstrong adapted to the tightly controlled style of Henderson, playing trumpet and experimenting with the trombone. The other members were affected by Armstrong's emotional style. His act included singing, preaching, and telling tales of New Orleans characters. During this time, Armstrong recorded with Clarence Williams Blue Five, Sidney Bechet, and blues singers Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago largely at the insistence of Lil, who wanted to expand his career and his income. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as "the World's Greatest Trumpet Player".

In 1925, he formed Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, which included Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lil Armstrong on piano, and usually no drummer. Armstrong's band leading style was easygoing -

Johnny St. Cyr : "One felt so relaxed working with him, and he was very broad-minded ... always did his best to feature each individual."

 

Over a twelve-month period starting in November 1925, this quintet produced twenty-four records, including : "My Heart" /  "Muskrat Ramble"  /  "Cornet Chop Suey"  /  "Gut Bucket Blues"  /  "Yes! I'm In The Barrel"  and  "Big Butter and Egg Man".

At a recording session for Okeh Records in 1926, when the sheet music for "Heebie Jeebies" supposedly fell on the floor and the music began before he could pick up the pages, Armstrong simply started singing nonsense syllables while Okeh president E.A. Fearn, who was at the session, kept telling him to continue. Armstrong did, thinking the track would be discarded, but that was the version that was pressed to disc, sold, and became an unexpected hit. Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it with this recording.

 

In the early 1950's, during the burgeoning 'Trad Jazz' scene, the Hot Five recordings were issued in the UK by Columbia, including the singles : "King Of The Zulus" (b/w "Lonesome Blues") - originally recorded in 1925-26,  and "I'm Not Rough" (b/w "Put 'Em Down Blues") - originally recorded in 1927.

Armstrong also played with Erskine Tate's Little Symphony, which provided music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical music, which gave Armstrong experience with longer forms of music and with performing before a large audience.

After separating from Lil, Armstrong started to play at the Sunset Café for Al Capone's associate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, with Earl Hines on piano, which was renamed Louis Armstrong and his Stompers. It was at the Sunset Café that Armstrong accompanied singer Adelaide Hall, who developed and expanded her use and art of Scat with Armstrong's guidance and encouragement - I bet he did, the dirty old bollocks!

 

In the first half of 1927, Armstrong assembled his Hot Seven group, which added drummer Al "Baby" Dodds and tuba player, Pete Briggs, while preserving most of his original Hot Five lineup. John Thomas replaced Kid Ory on trombone. Songs recorded by this band included : "Twelfth Street Rag"  /  "Potato Head Blues"  /  "Wild Man Blues" and "Struttin' With Some Barbecue"

His recordings soon after with pianist Earl Hines on their 1928 "Weather Bird" duet, and Armstrong's trumpet introduction to and solo in "West End Blues" remain some of the most famous and influential improvisations in jazz history.

In 1928 "Hotter Than that" / "Savoy Blues", the first single released under his own name (and recorded with the Hot Five), was released by OKeh Records. Other songs recorded by the Hot Five in 1928 included : "Two Deuces" / "Knee Drops"  /  "Skip The Gutter"  /  and "Fireworks".

In 1928, Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five released the single "Tight Like This" (b/w "Hear Me Talking To Ya"), followed by "St. James Infirmary Blues" (b/w "Save It, Pretty Mama") in 1929, and "Song of the Island" (b/w "Blue Turning Grey Over You" in 1930.

     

Armstrong returned to New York in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra for the musical Hot Chocolates, an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and pianist Fats Waller. He also made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of "Ain't Misbehavin'" - which became his biggest selling record to date.

 

Armstrong started to work at Connie's Inn in Harlem, chief rival to the Cotton Club, a venue for elaborately staged floor shows, and a front for gangster Dutch Schultz. Armstrong also had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of famous songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael. Armstrong's interpretation of Carmichael's "Stardust" became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong's unique vocal style. Armstrong's radical re-working of "Lazy River", recorded in 1931, encapsulated many features of his groundbreaking approach to melody and phrasing. His resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as Bing Crosby.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In 1930, OKeh records released the single "I Ain't Got Nobody (And Nobody Cares for Me)" / "Rockin' Chair", while Odeon released "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy" / "I'm in the Market for You".

The Great Depression of the early 1930s was especially hard on the jazz scene. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles to seek new opportunities. He played at the New Cotton Club in Los Angeles with Lionel Hampton on drums.

Armstrong appeared in his first movie, 'Ex-Flame' and was also convicted of marijuana possession, but received a suspended sentence. He returned to Chicago in late 1931 and played in bands more in the Guy Lombardo vein and he recorded more standards. When the mob insisted that he get out of town, Armstrong visited New Orleans, had a hero's welcome, and saw old friends. After a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, he fled to Europe.

   

After returning to the United States, he undertook several exhausting tours. His agent Johnny Collins' erratic behavior and his own spending ways left Armstrong short of cash. Breach of contract violations plagued him. He hired Joe Glaser as his new manager, a tough mob-connected wheeler-dealer, who began to straighten out his legal mess, his mob troubles, and his debts. Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style.

The trumpet is a notoriously hard instrument on the lips, and Armstrong suffered from lip damage over much of his life due to his aggressive style of playing and preference for narrow mouthpieces that would stay in place easier, but which tended to dig into the soft flesh of his inner lip. During his 1930s European tour, he suffered an ulceration so severe that he had to stop playing entirely for a year. Eventually he took to using salves and creams on his lips and also cutting off scar tissue with a razor blade.

After spending many years on the road, Armstrong settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of Tin Pan Alley and the gangster-ridden music business, as well as anti-black prejudice, he continued to develop his playing.

In 1946, RCA released "Endie" / "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans".

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Armstrong usually played over 300 performances a year, but bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public tastes: ballrooms closed, and there was competition from television and from other types of music becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible under such circumstances to finance a 16-piece touring band.

During the 1940s, a widespread revival of interest in the traditional jazz of the 1920s made it possible for Armstrong to consider a return to the small-group musical style of his youth. In 1947, following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall, Armstrong's manager, Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band, and established a six-piece traditional jazz group featuring top swing and Dixieland musicians, most of whom were previously leaders of big bands.

This group was called Louis Armstrong and His All Stars and included at various times Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Edmond Hall, Jack Teagarden, Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw, Billy Kyle, Marty Napoleon, Big Sid "Buddy" Catlett, Cozy Cole, Tyree Glenn, Barrett Deems, Mort Herbert, Joe Darensbourg, Eddie Shu, Joe Muranyi and percussionist Danny Barcelona.

     

On February 21, 1949, he was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time magazine. During this period, Armstrong appeared in films and made many recordings, including "Blueberry Hill" / "That Lucky Old Sun" - issued by Decca in 1949, and "La Vie en rose" / "C'est si bon" in 1950 .

Further singles included : "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" / "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" in 1951 - and "It Takes Two to Tango" / "I Laughed at Love" - which reached #6 in the brand new UK pop charts in December 1952.

In 1955 he released "Trees" (b/w "Spooks") with Gordon Jenkins' Chorus And Orchestra in January  /  "Pledging My Love" (b/w "Sincerely") in April  / "Pretty Little Missy" (b/w "Bye And Bye") in August  /   and "Christmas Night In Harlem"  (b/w "Christmas In New Orleans") in December 1955.

   

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the 1950s, Armstrong was a widely beloved American icon and cultural ambassador who commanded an international fanbase. However, a growing generation gap became apparent between him and the young jazz musicians who emerged in the postwar era such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins. The postwar 'Cool Jazz' generation regarded their music as abstract art and considered Armstrong's vaudevillian style, half-musician and half-stage entertainer, outmoded and 'Uncle Tom-ism', while he called 'Bebop' "Chinese music".

"Mack the Knife" by Louis Armstrong and his All Stars - reached #8 in the UK April 1956. The song was also featured on the "Take It Satch" EP which reached #26 in June 1956, which included : "Tiger Rag" / "Back O' Town Blues"  / and "The Faithful Hussar".

He continued an intense international touring schedule, but in 1959 he suffered a heart attack in Italy and had to rest.

   

Armstrong was concerned with his health. He used laxatives to control his weight, a practice he advocated both to acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title Lose Weight the Satchmo Way.  Armstrong's laxative of preference in his younger days was Pluto Water, but when he discovered the herbal remedy Swiss Kriss, he became an enthusiastic convert, extolling its virtues to anyone who would listen and passing out packets to everyone he encountered, including members of the British Royal Family.

Armstrong also appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, cards that he had printed to send out to friends; the cards bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet—as viewed through a keyhole—with the slogan "'Leave it all behind ya!'"

     

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After over two years without setting foot in a studio, he recorded his biggest-selling record, "Hello, Dolly!" (b/w "A Lot of Livin' To Do"), a song by Jerry Herman, originally sung by Carol Channing. Armstrong's version went to No. 1 in the US and #4 in the UK in June 1964. An album of the same title was quickly created around the song, and also shot to number one, knocking The Beatles off the top of the chart. His performance of "Hello Dolly" won the 'best male pop vocal performance' at the 1964 Grammy Awards.

 

Armstrong had nineteen US Top Ten records including "When The Saints Go Marching In", "You Rascal You", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", and "Stompin' at the Savoy" - with Ella Fitzgerald.

Armstrong performed in Italy at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival where he sang "Mi Va di Cantare"  alongside his friend, the Eritrean-born Italian singer Lara Saint Paul. He also appeared with Lara Saint Paul on Italian TV performing "Grassa e Bella".

In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the United Kingdom with "What a Wonderful World", which topped the UK charts for a month.

   

In April 1968 he released "Bare Necessities", and in August two more Disney songs were paired on a single : "When You Wish Upon A Star" (b/w "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"), and were featured on the album 'Disney Songs The Satchmo Way'.

   

In May 1968 London Records released "The Life Of The Party" (b/w "You Are Woman, I Am Man"), and "Wilkommen" (b/w "The Happy Time") was released by Brunswick.

     

"The Sunshine Of Love", (b/w "Hellzapoppin'"), reached #41 in the UK in July 1968 - released by Stateside Records. Further singles included : "I Will Wait for You", (b/w ""Talk to the Animals", in July 1968, and "Hello Brother" (b/w "Give Me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart)") in November 1968.

     

Following his recent chart success, in June 1968, Armstrong visited the UK with his All Stars - playing his first British 'club dates' at the Batley Variety Club.




A second trip over to play some more dates was planned, but these were cancelled due to Armstrong's ill health.

 

In 1969 United Artists released "All The Time In The World", (b/w "Pretty Little Missy"), which was featured in the best James Bond film - On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Though not a hit at the time, the song would finally chart when it reached #3 in the UK in November 1994, after it's appearance on a Guinness advert.

 

In 1971 Phillips released "We Shall Overcome", and, improbably, a version of John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance"!

Against his doctor's advice, Armstrong played a two-week engagement in March 1971 at the Waldorf-Astoria's Empire Room. At the end of it, he was hospitalized for a heart attack. He was released from the hospital in May, and quickly resumed practicing his trumpet playing.

Still hoping to get back on the road, Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep on 6 July, 1971, a month before his 70th birthday. He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City. His honorary pallbearers included Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Alan King, Johnny Carson and David Frost.

The Single :

"What a Wonderful World" was written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. There was a rumour that song was first offered to Tony Bennett (who allegedly turned it down) - but George Weiss recounts that he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong - inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring people of different races together.



Armstrong recorded the song in Las Vegas at Bill Porter's United Recording studio. The session was scheduled to follow Armstrong's midnight show, and by 2 am the musicians were settled and tape was rolling. ABC Records president Larry Newton showed up to photograph his new signing. Newton was hoping for another upbeat number like "Hello, Dolly!", so when Newton heard the slow pace of "What a Wonderful World", he tried to stop the session. Newton was locked out of the studio for his disruption.

Following this, a second problem arose when nearby freight train whistles interrupted the session, forcing the recording to start over. The session ended around 6 am, going longer than expected. To make sure the orchestra members were paid extra for their overtime, Armstrong accepted only $250 musicians union scale for his work.

The song was not initially a hit in the United States, where it sold fewer than 1,000 copies, possibly due to lack of promotion by the record company following Newton's distaste for the track, but it was a major success in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart.

   

It was the biggest-selling single of 1968 in the UK where it was among the last pop singles issued by HMV Records before becoming a classical music only label. The song made Armstrong, at 66, the oldest male to top the UK Singles Charts up to that point.

 

In 1978, the song was featured in the closing scenes of BBC radio's, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and on the 1981 TV adaptation of the series.

Other Versions include :   Jerry Vale (1967)  /  Eddy Arnold (1968)  /  Frankie Laine (1968)  /  Dingledonk Bumbleshoe (1968)  /  Robert Goulet (1968)  /  Roger Whittaker (1968)  /  "Que le monde est beau" by Michel Pagliaro (1968)  /  "Un mondo su misura" Paolo e I Crazy Boys (1968)  /  I Trolls (1968)  /  Bobby Goldsboro (1969)  /  Ed Ames (1969)  /  Vera Lynn (1970)  /  Harry Secombe (1970)  /  Tony Bennett (1970)  /  Ken Dodd (1970)  /  Lena Zavaroni (1974)  /  Lovely boys Windsor Davies & Don Estelle (. . . SHAAAAT AAAAP!!!) (1976)  /  BMX Bandits (1986)  /  Willie Nelson (1988)  /  Tracy Huang (1989)  /  Joe Longthorne (1989)  /  The Flaming Lips (1990)  /  Nick Cave & Shane MacGowan (1992)  /  Eva Cassidy (1996)  /  Daniel O'Donnell (1997)  /  Alison Moyet (1999)  /  Glen Campbell (1999)  /  Aled Jones (2000)  /  Tony Bennett & k.d. lang (2002)  /  Joey Ramone (2002)  /  B.B. King (2003)  /  Sarah Brightman (2003)  /  Sacha Distel (2003)  /  LeAnn Rimes (2004)  /  Ray Quinn (2007)  /  Katie Melua & Eva Cassidy (2007)  /  Frankie Valli (2007)  /  Paolo Nutini (2007)  /  Ziggy Marley (2010)  /  Richie Havens (2013)  /  Susan Boyle (2016)  /  Danny McEvoy (2016)  /  Walter Rodrigues Jr (2017)  /  Angry Groceries 8-bit (2019)  /  Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (2019)  /  a robot (2020)

On This Day  :

21 April : Racist politician Enoch Powell dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet by Opposition leader Edward Heath 
23 April : "I'm Solomon" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 7 performances
23 April : 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 new pence, replacing shilling and two-shilling pieces)
25 April : "Half a Sixpence" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 512 performances
27 April : "Education of Hyman Kaplan" closes at Alvin NYC after 28 performances
29 April : "Hair" opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 1750 performances
28 April : Howard Donald, (Take That), born Howard Paul Donald in Droylsden, Lancashire
29 April : Carnie Wilson, (Wilson Phillips), born in Bel Air, California
1 May : "Ben Franklin in Paris" closes at Lunt Fontanne NYC after 215 performances
1 May : Harold Nicolson, English diplomat and author, dies at 71
2 May : Israeli television begins transmitting with live coverage of the independence day military parade in Jerusalem
2 May : Student protests led to temporarily shut down of Paris University at Nanterre
3 May : Jay Darlington, keyboardist (Kula Shaker), born Jay Peter Darlington in London
3 May : Holland Pirate Radio Station VRON becomes Radio Veronica Intl
4 May : Julian Barratt, comedian (The Mighty Boosh), born Julian Barratt Pettifer in Leeds, England
5 May : The May Offensive was launched after midnight by North Vietnamese forces
6 May : Spain closes border to Gibraltar except to Spaniards
7 May : Traci Lords, actress, born Traci Elizabeth Lords in Steubenville, Ohio
7 May : Eagle Eye Cherry, musician, born Eagle-Eye Lanoo Cherry in Stockholm, Sweden
9 May : Harold Gray, American comic strip artist (Little Orphan Annie), dies at 74
10 May : Al Murray, comedian (The Pub Landlord), born Alastair James Hay Murray in Stewkley, Buckinghamshire.
10 May : Vietnam peace talks began in Paris between the US and North Vietnam
11 May : Students & police battle in Paris, 100s injured
12 May : Catherine Tate, comic actress (Doctor Who), born Catherine Jane Ford in Bloomsbury, London
12 May : Reginald Dwight, comes up with the stage name 'Eton John' while on a flight back to London after his final concert with Bluesology in Edinburgh
14 May : Beatles announce formation of Apple Corps
14 May : Czech government announces liberal reforms under Alexander Dubček
15 May : "Wonderwall" with George Harrison premieres at Cannes Film Festival
16 May : Ronan Point, a 23-storey tower block in East London, partially collapses after a gas explosion, killing five people.
18 May : Miami Pop Festival staged at the Gulfstream Park horseracing track at Hallandale, Florida.

Extra! Extra!

               

Read all about it! :

               

[famethrowa]

A mushy old tune but Satchmo makes it bearable. What a good chap he was. I like Taylor Parkes' interpretation, that it's the final thoughts of a man on his deathbed.... But the 2 settings that stick in my mind are the Hitchhiker's Guide ending with Arthur and Ford wandering off in a prehistoric earth, and a montage from a Michael Moore film (Columbine?) featuring US-led executions, bombings, invasions, culminating in the planes hitting the WTC as Louis intones "ooooh yeah..."

[DrGreggles]

Can't hear his name without thinking of Adam Buxton describing him as "a jazz Boggins" on his and Joe's 6Music show.

[kalowski]

Some of that early Hot Fives and Sevens stuff is spellbinding. I need to delve further into his work.

[daf]

here you go - fill your boots!

Hot Fives and Sevens (4xCD) - £15.40  |  Track listing & Info

Probably one of the most important documents in modern music. Collected here are the complete recordings of Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens. The 89 tracks are presented in chronological order across 4 CDs. There are liner notes with each CD, with an informative essay, and detailed personnel and recording date listings.

The real joy of the set though is the remastering. John RT Davies has taken infinite care over each track, clearing out much of the noise and crackle, and running them at the correct speed thus removing the slight sharps, flats and wowing that I have heard on other editions. There is still a bit of hiss and crackle, but bearing in mind the recordings were made between 1925-30, on old fashioned 78s, an amazing job has been done. For the first time I can clearly hear the contribution of each musician, it was a real treat for my ears.

[daf]

As a side note, working out the correct discography for this one was pretty much impossible without a proper reference book - as early stuff was regularly re-issued and mixed in with the newer releases - with no way of telling what was what.

I used Wikipedia, 45cat and discogs to try and triangulate the correct sequence of releases - (to catch most of the main ones) - but there was so much stuff, my brain got a bit scrambled & I'm sure I've left loads out and probably got stuff in the wrong order too!

[purlieu]

A gorgeous song. Satchmo's croon is almost as beautiful as Wayne Coyne's cracked nasal whine on the Flaming Lips cover.

[daf]

Just ordered two Cliff blu-rays - 'Summer Holiday' & 'Take Me High'.

Can't wait to see "sex mad" Cliff in action! :D

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Can't hear his name without thinking of Adam Buxton describing him as "a jazz Boggins" on his and Joe's 6Music show.

Also, from The Day Today, "justice".

That's such a beautiful song and Armstrong sells it perfectly. Despite its positive sentiments, it's always struck me as terribly sad, like Armstrong knows it isn't a wonderful world at all, he just desperately wishes it was. He's aware of the bitter irony.

[shagatha crustie]

'Bright blessed day' / 'dark sacred night' is an ace pairing, thought that even as a kid when we all had to sing it in assembly.