Concrete and Clay

Last updated

"Concrete and Clay"
Single by Unit 4 + 2
B-side "When I Fall in Love"
ReleasedFebruary 1965
Studio Recorded Sounds, London [1]
Genre
Length2:20
Label Decca F12071 (UK), [3] London (US and Canada)
Songwriter(s) Tommy Moeller, Brian Parker [3]
Producer(s) John L. Barker [1] [3]
Unit 4 + 2 singles chronology
"Sorrow and Pain"
(1964)
"Concrete and Clay"
(1965)
"(You've) Never Been in Love Like This Before"
(1965)

"Concrete and Clay" is a 1965 hit single recorded by the UK pop group Unit 4 + 2. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1965. [4] The song was written by group members Tommy Moeller and Brian Parker. [3] It was also a top 40 hit for Eddie Rambeau in 1965.

Contents

Background

Recorded with the help of session musicians and featuring ("+2") Russ Ballard and Bob Henrit, [5] the lyrics detail the indestructible love of the singer and his lover. The arrangement has a pronounced Latin influence, using acoustic guitars and a baião beat. These distinctive elements helped boost "Concrete and Clay" to the No. 1 position on the UK Singles Chart in April 1965. [3]

Chart performance

American record producer Bob Crewe, best known for his work with the Four Seasons, had heard the Unit 4 + 2 hit version of "Concrete and Clay" while on a trip to the UK. As a result, Crewe had a cover version of "Concrete and Clay" cut by Eddie Rambeau, a staff writer at Crewe's music publishing firm, which was the inaugural release for Crewe's own DynoVoice Records. Although the Rambeau version's release pre-dated the US release of the Unit 4 + 2 version by one week, both singles debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 8 May 1965; Unit 4 + 2 at No. 96 and Rambeau at No. 98, with both singles making a similar chart ascent over the next four weeks. The original eventually peaked at No. 28 while Rambeau's version reached No. 35. [3] In Canada's RPM Magazine the two versions were co-charted, both reaching number 1 on May 17, 1965. [6]

Unit 4 + 2

Chart (1965)Peak
position
U.K. Singles Chart1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 28
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening [7] 9

Eddie Rambeau

Chart (1965)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 35
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening [8] 13

Other cover versions

International cover versions

The success of "Concrete and Clay" in 1965 resulted in international cover versions that same year, with renderings in:

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "Concrete Success" (PDF). Beat Instrumental (3): 38. March 1965.
  2. "Spike Milligan". Gramophone: 34. June 1965. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 91. ISBN   0-85112-250-7.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 176. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. "Concrete and Clay: Song review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  6. "RPM Playsheet - May 17, 1965" (PDF).
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 247.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 200.
  9. "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  10. "RPM Pop Music Playlist - April 17, 1976" (PDF).
  11. "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report . No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023 via Imgur.