Johnny Remember Me
| Johnny Remember Me | |
|---|---|
| John Leyton | |
| publication | July 1961 |
| length | 2:41 |
| Genre (s) | pop |
| text | Geoff Goddard |
| music | Geoff Goddard |
| Cover versions | |
| 1983 | The Meteors |
| 1983 | John Spencer |
| 1990 | The Phantom Chords |
| 1993 | Spell |
Johnny Remember Me is a song by the English singer and actor John Leyton , which reached number 1 in the British charts in 1961 and has been covered several times . Text and music are by Geoff Goddard , John Leyton was accompanied by the band The Outlaws . It was the first number one hit for producer Joe Meek . The song, which tells the story of the visitation of a young man by his deceased lover, is one of the most famous death ditties that were popular in English-speaking countries in the early and mid-1960s. The song is characterized by its “eerie”, echoing sound (typical of Joe Meek's production style) and the ghostly female accompaniment vocals by Lissa Gray . The recording was arranged by Charles Blackwell . The BBC initially refused to broadcast Johnny Remember Me as well as other songs with a similar theme.
history
John Leyton had received the role of rock star Johnny Saint-Cyr for an episode of the television series Harpers West One and was supposed to sing Johnny's "latest song" in this role. Geoff Goddard, who worked for Leyton's producer Joe Meek, said he woke up inspired one morning and spontaneously sang the whole song in a row without having worked on it. He recorded it with a tape recorder that was always ready by his bed. The song quickly became known through its television broadcast. In the BBC television program Juke Box Jury on July 29, 1961, the jury consisting of Spike Milligan , Benny Green , Pat Moss and Eira Hughes gave a negative verdict on the song, which nonetheless quickly rose in the UK charts. Johnny Remember Me stayed in the charts for 15 weeks from August to November 1961 and took first place in four weeks.
Cover versions
A single with a cover version of the British psychobilly band The Meteors was in the British charts for five weeks in 1983, where it reached 66th place. In the same year, the Dutch singer John Spencer covered the song - in Dutch under the title Johnny, vergeet me niet . In 1990 a cover by The Phantom Chords reached number 83 and 80 in the British charts for two weeks. Other covers come from Bronski Beat and Marc Almond (1985 in a medley ), Showaddywaddy , Spell and other bands.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 16 songs banned by the BBC. BBC Four, accessed December 14, 2016 .
- ↑ Gordon Thompson: Please please me. Sixties British pop, inside out . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-533318-3 , pp. 78 .
- ↑ John Leyton: Memories of Johnny Remember Me. 2011, accessed December 14, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c Johnny Remember Me. In: Official Charts. Accessed December 14, 2016 .
- ↑ John Spencer - Johnny, don't forget me. In: Discogs. Retrieved December 14, 2016 .
- ^ A b Alan Clayson: Geoff Goddard. In: The Guardian. May 25, 2000, accessed December 14, 2016 .
- ↑ Spell - Seasons In The Sun. In: Discogs. Retrieved December 14, 2016 .