Washington Square (composition)

Last updated
"Washington Square"
Washington Square cover.jpg
Single by The Village Stompers
from the album The Original Washington Square
B-side "Turkish Delight"
Released23 August 1963 [1]
Recorded1963
Genre Pop, Dixieland jazz, instrumental
Length2:42
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Bobb Goldsteinn, David Shire
Producer(s) Joe Sherman
The Village Stompers singles chronology
"Washington Square"
(1963)
"The La-Dee Da Song"
(1964)

"Washington Square" is a popular instrumental from 1963 by the New York City-based jazz group The Village Stompers. The composition was written by Bobb Goldsteinn and David Shire. [2]

Contents

Background

The composition is named after the famous park in New York City. [3]

Chart performance

"Washington Square" was a hit single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the week ending 23 November 1963, [4] kept from the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 by Dale and Grace's hit song "I'm Leaving It Up to You". [5] "Washington Square" did, however, top the Billboard Easy Listening chart for three weeks that November [3] and made the top 30 on the Billboard R&B chart. [6]

Accolades

In addition, the instrumental was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Instrumental Theme.

Other recordings

Other artists have recorded the tune, sometimes with song lyrics. Among these acts are:

In Asia:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon River</span> Song from the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffanys"

"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only You (And You Alone)</span> Pop song composed by Buck Ram

"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.

"Bristol Stomp" is a song written in 1961 by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, two executives with the Cameo-Parkway record label, for The Dovells, a doo-wop singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who recorded it for Cameo-Parkway late that year. Appell also produced and arranged the track and his Cameo-Parkway's house band served as the studio musicians.

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main Billboard Hot 100. Chart rankings are based on radio airplay, sales, and streams. In its initial years, the chart listed 15 positions, but expanded to as many as 36 during the 1960s, particularly during years when over 700 singles made the Billboard Hot 100 chart. From 1974 to 1985, the chart consisted of 10 positions; since 1992, the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart has listed 25 positions.

"Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song. Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. The song was inspired by the "red sails" of Kitty of Coleraine, a yacht Kennedy often saw off the northern coast of Northern Ireland and by his adopted town Portstewart, a seaside resort in County Londonderry.

"The 'In' Crowd" is a 1964 song written by Billy Page and arranged by his brother Gene and originally performed by Dobie Gray on his album Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go". It appeared on an episode of Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember, featuring in the last week of November 1964, the month Gray's rendition was released.

The Village Stompers were an American dixieland jazz group during the 1950s and '60s. The group developed a folk-dixie style that began with the hit song "Washington Square".

"Calcutta" is a German pop song. An instrumental version by American bandleader and TV host Lawrence Welk on the 1961 Dot Records album Calcutta! was a Number One song in the United States, and the most successful hit of Welk's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Right In</span> 1962 single by the Rooftop Singers

"Walk Right In" is a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929 by RCA Victor. In 1959, it was included on the compilation album The Country Blues. Another version of the song by the Rooftop Singers, with the writing credits allocated to group members Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe, became an international hit in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What a Diff'rence a Day Makes</span> English version of song "Cuando vuelva a tu lado"

"What a Diff'rence a Day Made", also recorded as "What a Difference a Day Makes", is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Grever, a Mexican songwriter, in 1934 with the title "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" and first recorded by Orquesta Pedro Vía that same year. A popular version in Spanish was later recorded by trio Los Panchos with Eydie Gormé in 1964.

The Wonder Who? was a nom de disque of The Four Seasons for four single records released from 1965 to 1967. It was one of a handful of names used by the group at that time, including Frankie Valli and The Valli Boys. Wonder Who? recordings generally feature the falsetto singing by Valli, but with a softer falsetto than on "typical" Four Seasons recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Fell for You</span> Jazz and pop standard

"Since I Fell for You" is a blues ballad composed by Buddy Johnson in 1945 that was first popularized by his sister, Ella Johnson, with Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra.

"Walk, Don't Run" is an instrumental composition written and originally recorded by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954, which achieved worldwide fame when The Ventures recorded a cover version in 1960.

"Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" is a popular song published in 1944 by Jimmie Hodges. The song became a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers.

"Trust in Me" is a song written by Ned Wever, Milton Ager, and Jean Schwartz. Popular versions in 1937 were by Mildred Bailey and by Wayne King & his Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With You I'm Born Again</span> 1979 single by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright

"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet written by Carol Connors and David Shire that originated on the soundtrack of the 1979 motion picture Fast Break. It was performed by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright and became an international hit for the duo, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK singles chart.

"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. It exemplifies the "slip note" style of piano playing that Cramer made popular. It peaked at number 11 on the country chart and at number two on the Hot 100 behind "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley. Cramer's recording inspired a number of successful cover versions, including a vocal adaptation by Conway Twitty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Java (instrumental)</span> 1963 single by Al Hirt

"Java" is an instrumental adaptation from a 1958 LP of piano compositions, The Wild Sounds of New Orleans, by Tousan, also known as New Orleans producer/songwriter Allen Toussaint. As was the case of the rest of Toussaint's LP, "Java" was composed in studio, primarily by Toussaint.

"I Love You Because" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Leon Payne in 1949. The song has been covered by several artists throughout the years, including hit cover versions by Al Martino in 1963 and Jim Reeves in 1964.

"Tell Him" is an R&B song written by Carlton Black in 1963, and was sung by R&B artist Patti Drew, both of whom were residents of Evanston, Illinois. Black sings on the recording; his bass is heard singing "Bom-Bom-Bom-Do" at the start of the song.

References

  1. "The Village Stompers: Washington Square". www.45cat.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. "Song: Washington Square written by Bobb Goldstein, David Shire | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  3. 1 2 3 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  4. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  5. "Billboard Hot 100 (Week of November 23rd, 1963)". Billboard . 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 604.
  7. ASCAP. "ACE Title Search." http://www.ascap.com/index.aspx Note: must enter song info @ ASCAP site
  8. "정시스터즈 워싱턴광장 1965". YouTube.[ dead YouTube link ]
  9. "【一日一經典】廣東話歌神許冠傑:命裏有時終須有 - 明周娛樂". 明周娛樂 (in Chinese). 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2018-06-02.[ dead link ]