Are you sure

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Fontana 294.jpg

Are You Sure is the title of an English-language pop song that was sung by the Allisons , became a number one hit in Great Britain in 1961 and finished second in the 1961 Eurovision Grand Prix .

history

The authors of the song Are You Sure are the British John Alford (music) and Colin Day (text), who founded the singing duo The Allisons in 1959 under the pseudonym John and Bob Allison. The text is a farewell song that addresses the question:

“Are you sure you won't be sorry? Comes tomorrow, you won't want me back again to hold you tightly? "

“Are you sure you won't regret it? Will you no longer like me tomorrow, will you no longer want to hold onto me? "

Are You Sure was slated for the Allison's first record release. In early 1961, the authors sent the Fontana record company a demo tape of their title, which immediately agreed to publish Are You Sure on a single . The single was released in Great Britain in February 1961 under catalog number 294. On February 24, the British music newspaper New Musical Express reported that Are You Sure had achieved a new sales record and included the title in its Top 30 chart. On April 7th and 21st, the Allisons conquered number one on the NME charts, where they managed to oust Elvis Presley with Wooden Heart . The Allisons had previously won the British elimination for the Grand Prix Eurovision in 1961 with Are You Sure, where they finished second.

Due to its success in Great Britain and at the Grand Prix, the song Are You Sure found worldwide distribution. Singles appeared almost everywhere in Europe, but also in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. In the hit lists of Norway and New Zealand the title was number one, in the Netherlands it was number seven, and in Germany, where the song was also published by Fontana, it was number eleven.

Cover versions

The success of the Are You Sure melody prompted several performers to release their own version as late as 1961. In the UK it was the duo Don Duke & Bobby Stevens. Richard Anthony and Franck & Johnny sang a French text entitled Soeur Anne . In Norway, Carl Christian Bøyesen had rewritten Are You Sure as Er du sikker , and RCA Norway published the title with the duo Kurt Foss & Reidar Bøe.

The German-language cover version with the title Ahoi - Ohé was created by Klaus Munro . He converted the original into a song of longing: "The wide seas are calling us, we are going out, because nothing keeps us at home." The lyrics were sung by the Blue Diamonds , Will Brandes & Hans Lucas and the Continentals. Only the Blue Diamonds made it into the charts and made it to eleventh place in the Top 50.

Discography (vinyl singles)

Performers title Catalog no. released
The Allisons Are you sure Fontana 294 Great Britain 2/1961
The Allisons Are you sure London 1977 USA 3/1961
The Allisons Are you sure Fontana 267139 Germany 5/1961
Don Duke & Bobby Stevens Are you sure Embassy 439 UK 3/1961
Blue diamonds Ahoy - Ohé Fontana 266226 Germany 5/1961
Will Brandes & Hans Lucas Ahoy - Ohé Columbia 21822 Germany 5/1961
Continentals Ahoy - Ohé Decca 19211 Germany 6/1961
Franck & Johnny Soer Anne Bel Air 111030 Belgium x / 1961
Richard Antony Soeur Anne Columbia 478 France x / 1961
Kurt Foss & Reidar Bøe He you sikker RCA 1041 Norway x / 1961

literature

  • Angelika and Lothar Binding: The large Binding Single Catalog . Volume 2. Self-published, 1996, ISBN 3-9804710-1-2 , p. 11
  • Günter Ehnert (Ed.): Hit Records British Chart Singles 1950–1965 Taurus Press, 1995, ISBN 3-922542-32-8 .
  • Günter Ehnert (Ed.): Hit balance sheet German chart singles 1956–1980. Taurus Press, 1987, ISBN 3-922542-24-7 .

Web links