Blackberry Way

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"Blackberry Way"
Blackberry Way.jpg
German picture sleeve
Single by The Move
B-side "Something"
Released28 November 1968 (UK)
Recorded1968 at Olympic Studios, London
Genre Baroque pop [1]
Length3:38
Label Regal Zonophone (UK)
A&M (US)
Songwriter(s) Roy Wood
Producer(s) Jimmy Miller
The Move singles chronology
"Wild Tiger Woman"
(1968)
"Blackberry Way"
(1968)
"Curly"
(1969)

"Blackberry Way" is a 1968 single by British band The Move. Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1969. [2]

Contents

The Move vocalist Carl Wayne refused to sing on the song, so Wood handled the lead vocal. [3] Richard Tandy, who later played keyboards with Wood's next band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), played harpsichord on "Blackberry Way". Despite the success of the single, the style of psychedelia-tinged pop sat uneasily with guitarist Trevor Burton. He left the group shortly after.

The B-side, "Something", was specially written for the band by David Scott-Morgan.

Wood said in a 1994 interview that "Blackberry Way" is his favourite Move song of all time, commenting that it could have been performed in any era and still worked. [3]

Personnel

The Move
Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1968–1969)Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set) [5] 14
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [6] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [7] 13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [8] 20
Denmark (Salgshitlisterne Top 20) [9] 17
Denmark (Tipparaden) [10] 5
Finland (Soumen Virallinen) [11] 23
Ireland (IRMA) [12] 2
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [13] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [14] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [15] 14
New Zealand (Listener) [16] 10
Norway (VG-lista) [17] 3
Rhodesia ( Lyons Maid ) [18] 4
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [19] 7
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [20] 5
UK Singles (OCC) [21] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts) [22] 7

Cover versions

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References

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