| "Calendar Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Neil Sedaka | ||||
| B-side | "The Same Old Fool" | |||
| Released | 1960 | |||
| Genre | Pop [1] | |||
| Length | 2:32 [1] | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Neil Sedaka singles chronology | ||||
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"Calendar Girl" is a song by Neil Sedaka. The music was composed by Sedaka and the lyrics by Howard Greenfield. [2] Released in December 1960 as a single, it was a hit single for Sedaka, peaking at No. 4 on the US charts, No. 3 in Australia, and No. 1 on the Canadian and Japanese charts. [3] [4]
Sedaka borrowed inspiration from multiple sources for the music, incorporating a shuffle beat after hearing "Personality" by Lloyd Price, a chord progression that was common in the music of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, along with another progression from the end of Ricky Nelson's hit record "Travelin' Man." [5]
Record producer Joe Viglione, writing for AllMusic, describes the song as a G-rated calendar of pin-ups such as Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe, [1] using verbal rather than visual imagery. Each month gives a different reason for the singer's affection for the titular character, and September—"I light the candles at your sweet sixteen"—was a lyrical motif that Howard Greenfield frequently used at the time, including "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," released later the same year. [1] Other months in the song reference Valentine's Day in February, the Easter Bunny in April, a junior prom in May and June. [1]
Instrumentation on the song was provided by Stan Applebaum and His Orchestra, with Gary Chester on drums. [1] [6]
The song was released to a 45 rpm single backed with a country-and-western song, "The Same Old Fool". Both songs were also released on a Compact 33 Single, a short-lived format that RCA Victor promoted in the early 1960s.
A Scopitone promotional clip for the song was filmed in color in 1966, several years after the song was a hit (and at a time when Sedaka's star power had faded). It consists of Neil Sedaka playing the piano and dancing alongside four models (including his wife Leba), on a mock stage made to resemble calendar themes. It was somewhat unusual among American Scopitones in that the film matched the content of the song; Scopitones of the mid-1960s were noted for their disjointedness.
"Calendar Girl" became Sedaka's sixth hit in two years, but was also his first top-five record. [1] The song peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard chart and No. 1 on the Canadian and Japanese chart in 1961. [7] In New Zealand, the song reached No. 7. [8] The recording peaked at number 8 in the UK, [9] as well as a top 5 in Australia.
Petula Clark recorded a French-language cover of this song, Tout Au Long Du Calendrier.
The Swedish group Sven-Ingvars—then called Sven-Ingvars Kvartett—recorded a version of Calendar Girl on their second EP "Pony Time" in 1961.
In 1963, Dee Dee Sharp recorded "Calendar Boy" published by Cameo Parkway Records.
In 1973, Tirso Cruz III under Vicor Music Philippines.
In 1977, Tina Arena and John Bowles recorded a version for their album "Tiny Tina and Little John".
In 1978, The Beach Boys recorded a version of "Calendar Girl" with Mike Love on lead. This version was never released by The Beach Boys but was re-recorded by Mike Love for his first solo album, Looking Back with Love . [14] [15]
In 1978, Purina Cat Chow also did a commercial using a track called "Calendar Cat", which sounds like Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl".
In 1991, Mexican pop band OV7 (then "La onda vaselina"") recorded a version in Spanish were entitled "Calendario de Amor".
Also in 1991, Neil Sedaka recorded a new version of "Calendar Girl", which was included as the B-side of his newly released single "The Miracle Song".
In 1998, Brazilian singer Eliana recorded the song on his sixth studio album, titled "Um Calendário do Amor". [16]
In 2012, J-Pop singer Aimer recorded the song on her cover album Bitter & Sweet.
In 2013, Shakey Graves (Alejandro Rose-Garcia) recorded a cover of "Calendar Girl" for his album Story Of My Life.
The personnel on the original recording include Al Caiola, Buck Pizzarelli, Art Ryerson and Bill Suyker on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, Ernie Hayes on piano, Jerome Richardson on sax, and David "Panama" Francis on drums.
Neil Sedaka is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Cody.
Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building. He is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and near-simultaneous songwriting partnerships with Jack Keller and Helen Miller throughout most of the 1960s.
"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is a pop song released in 1961 by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka wrote the music and performed the song, while the lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield. The song is noted for being similar in musical structure to Take Good Care of My Baby by Bobby Vee, and additionally for its resemblance to the melody of the Chiffons' subsequent 1963 hit "One Fine Day". Both of these songs exhibiting similarity to "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" were penned by the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song with words by Gerry Goffin and music composed by Carole King. It was recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was the first by an African-American all-girl group to reach number one in the United States. It has since been recorded by many other artists, including a version by co-writer King released on her 1971 album Tapestry.
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two significantly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature song. Between 1970 and 1975, it was a top-40 hit three separate times for three separate artists: Lenny Welch, The Partridge Family and Sedaka's second version.
"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies, and also reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing "Clair").
"Rhythm of the Rain" is a song performed by The Cascades, released in November 1962. It was written by Cascades band member John Claude Gummoe. On March 9, 1963, it rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at number 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked the record as the number 4 song of 1963.
"Don't Hide Your Love" is a song released by American singer-actress Cher as the second single released from the album Foxy Lady. The song was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It hit number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Love Will Keep Us Together" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was first recorded by Sedaka in 1973. The brother-sister duo Mac and Katie Kissoon recorded their version in 1973. American pop duo Captain & Tennille covered it in 1975, with instrumental backing almost entirely by “Captain” Daryl Dragon, with the exception of drums played by Hal Blaine; their version became a worldwide hit.
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a hit song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and released by Herb Alpert in May, 1968. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, which was arranged by Bacharach. An earlier recording of the song by British singer Danny Williams with different lyrics, titled "That Guy's in Love", appeared on Williams' 1968 self-titled album.
"Travelin' Man" is an American popular song, best known as a 1961 hit single sung by Ricky Nelson. Singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller wrote it with Sam Cooke in mind, but Cooke's manager was unimpressed and did not keep the demo, which eventually wound up being passed along to Nelson. His version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released as a double A-side with "Hello Mary Lou", which reached No. 9 on the same chart. In the United Kingdom, "Travelin' Man", coupled with "Hello Mary Lou", reached No. 2, becoming Nelson's biggest UK hit. Nelson is accompanied on the recording by the vocal quartet, The Jordanaires.
"Lonely Night (Angel Face)" is a song written by Neil Sedaka. The song was first recorded by Sedaka and appeared as a track on his 1975 studio album, The Hungry Years. The following year the song was made popular when covered by the pop music duo Captain & Tennille, who took their version to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"The Diary" is a song by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was released in 1958 as Sedaka's debut single.
Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits is a solo album by Neil Sedaka released in 1961 immediately after the cover versions of earlier hits in Circulate.
The Many Sides Of Neil Sedaka is a 1978 compilation album released by RCA Victor Records containing the works of pop singer Neil Sedaka. The album contains some of Sedaka's lesser-known works in the period from 1958-1965, although three of the songs on the album were charting hits at the time of their original release.
"Where the Boys Are" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield for, and first recorded by, Connie Francis as the title track of the 1960 movie by the same name in which she was co-starring.
"It Hurts to Be in Love" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Helen Miller which was a Top Ten hit in 1964 for Gene Pitney. It was one in a long line of successful "Brill Building Sound" hits created by composers and arrangers working in New York City's Brill Building at 1619 Broadway.
In the Pocket is a 1980 studio album by American pop singer Neil Sedaka. In America, it marked his third album on the Elektra label. Elsewhere around the world, it was released on the Polydor label. The first single issued was "Letting Go," in the autumn of 1979, but the single did not manage to reach the Hot 100.
The Very Best of Neil Sedaka is a 2001 compilation album issued by RCA Records as part of their commemorative "100th Anniversary" series of albums celebrating their biggest stars. The album features some of Sedaka's best-known hits during his days with RCA, recorded from 1958 to 1963.