"Earth Angel" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() One of side-B labels of original US single | ||||
Single by The Penguins | ||||
A-side | "Hey Señorita" | |||
Released | October 1954 [1] | |||
Recorded | c. August–September 1954 [2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:57 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Dootsie Williams | |||
The Penguins singles chronology | ||||
|
"Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the year prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Central Los Angeles. The song's origins lie in multiple different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page, and the Hollywood Flames. Its authorship was the subject of a bitter legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release.
Although the song was going to be overdubbed with additional instrumentation, the original demo version became an unexpected hit, quickly outstripping its A-side. The song grew out of Southern California and spread across the United States over the winter of 1954–55. "Earth Angel" became the first independent label release to appear on Billboard 's national pop charts, where it peaked within the top 10. It was a big hit on the magazine's R&B charts, where it remained number one for several weeks. A cover version by white vocal group the Crew-Cuts peaked higher on the pop charts, reaching number three. More cover versions followed, including recordings by Gloria Mann, Tiny Tim, and Johnny Tillotson.
The Penguins' only hit, it eventually sold in excess of ten million copies. The original recording of the song remained an enduring hit single for much of the 1950s, and it is now considered to be one of the definitive doo-wop songs. In 2005, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, deeming it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."
In 1998, the Penguins' 1954 recording of "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" on Dootone Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [3]
The Penguins—composed of lead vocalist Cleveland Duncan, bass Curtis Williams, tenor Dexter Tisby, and baritone Bruce Tate—formed at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, California in 1953. [2] The group named themselves after the Kool cigarette advertising mascot. [1] Williams and Gaynel Hodge were previously members of The Hollywood Flames, where they began writing "Earth Angel" with mentor Jesse Belvin, a Jefferson High graduate. Belvin had previously had a hit single in "Dream Girl", a 1952 ballad credited to Jesse & Marvin (saxophonist Marvin Phillips). The song echoes "Earth Angel" in its melodic refrain: "Dream girl, dream girl..." [4] Its "why-oh" hook was adapted as a background chant within "Earth Angel". [4] The "Will you be mine?" hook was borrowed from the R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows. [4] The Hollywood Flames were hired that year by Jessie Mae Robinson to record a demo of "I Went to Your Wedding", later recorded by Patti Page. Hodge later noted that the group lifted the bridge from that song for "Earth Angel". [5] The song also contains elements of the Flames' 1953 recording of "I Know" in its piano introduction and chord progressions, which were closely based on the Rodgers & Hart standard "Blue Moon". [4] [5] [6] Williams reportedly wrote the song for his wife, Marlene, and Duncan rewrote the melody, as he disliked the original. [6]
"Earth Angel" was recorded as a literal garage demo—it was recorded in a home garage at the Los Angeles home of Ted Brinson (a relative of Williams who had played bass for the Jimmie Lunceford and Andy Kirk bands). [2] [1] The home was located at 2190 West 30th Street in South Central Los Angeles. [7] The garage was used as the primary recording space of Dootsie Williams for all of his Dootone artists, and had been used to record demos for Jessie Mae Robinson. [2] It was recorded on a single-track Ampex tape recorder, owned by Brinson, who performs bass on the track. [2] The drums were muffled with pillows so as to not overwhelm the vocals. [2] A neighbor's pet dog stopped many takes by barking. "Every time the dog barked next door, I'd have to go out and shut him up, and then we'd do another take," remembered Williams. [1] Curtis Williams, in addition to singing, performed piano on the track, [2] with an unknown drummer. Preston Epps reportedly played bongos on “Hey Senorita” (though this is unconfirmed). The song is composed in the key of A-flat major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 76 beats per minute. Duncan's vocal range spans from F3 to G4. [8] The first five seconds of the intro are cut off of the recording by accident. [7]
Although it was an unfinished demo, "Earth Angel" began to see immediate success. Williams carried a rough acetate dub with him to Dolphin's of Hollywood All Night Record Shop, a local record store, to gauge shop owner John Dolphin's opinion. [7] Dolphin broadcast a late-night rhythm and blues broadcast from his store, and KGFJ disc jockey Dick Hugg was sitting in. [7] Hugg played both sides of the single, and by the next morning, requests began coming in for the song. [2] [7] As a result, Williams abandoned an idea to overdub additional instrumentation and began immediate manufacturing of the 7" single to issue it as soon as possible. [2] Still convinced "Hey Señorita" would be the hit, it was pressed to the A-side; [7] disc jockeys soon began flipping the record in favor of "Earth Angel". [1] [9] The demand for "Earth Angel" nearly bankrupted Dootone; producer Walter Williams ran out of label paper, leading the single to be pressed on multiple colored labels. [1] It made its first appearance in Billboard as a territorial hit for Los Angeles, becoming the second best-selling R&B single in Los Angeles for the second week of October 1954. [10] It climbed to number one for the city by November 13, after which it began to grow in popularity in New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Nashville. [11]
"Earth Angel" became the first independent label release to appear on Billboard's national pop charts. [2] Billboard called the record a "Best Buy" for the R&B charts, and Cashbox in Canada gave it its "Award o' the Week". [12] It hit number one in New York on November 27, [13] and by Christmas Day the song was placing on the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart for both R&B and pop, where it debuted at number 25. [14] [15] By January 15, 1955, the single had advanced to the top 20 of the overall Best Sellers in Stores chart, resulting in its addition to the "Honor Roll of Hits" chart. [16] It also reached number one on the "Most Played in Jukeboxes" R&B chart. [17] After seven weeks on the chart, it peaked at number eight on the overall Best Sellers in Stores chart, [18] and by February 19 had hit number one on all the major R&B charts. [19] It remained a number one R&B hit for three weeks, before being dethroned by Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love". [7]
At the time, it was a rare achievement for an R&B song to chart within the top echelons of the pop chart. [9] The Penguins were the first West Coast R&B group to dent the pop top ten. [7] In May 1955, Dootsie Williams was presented with a gold record to celebrate the record selling 1 million copies (it was reported that nearly 200,000 copies of "Earth Angel" were sold in Southern California alone). [2] With the popularity of the song "The Flying Saucer", the single saw revived sales in summer 1956. [20] When the Penguins switched to Mercury Records, the label reissued "Earth Angel" in September 1956 with string accompaniment. [2] [7] The following July, Billboard reported that the single was again breaking out in certain markets, remarking, "This wax breaks out every summer." [2] It made another appearance at #101 in late December 1959. [21] Indeed, Billboard confirmed the single's enduring popularity in 1960: "The original version of 'Earth Angel,' for example, is still known to be a heavy traffic item in many areas." [22] By 1963, Williams had told Billboard the single had passed the 2,000,000 mark, and it was reported to be the top-selling single of Dootone Records (at this period renamed Dooto). [23] The same year, it was reported that thousands of bogus copies of "Earth Angel" were attempted to be sold by an unidentified counterfeiter. [24]
The song has continued to sell multiple decades after its release; [25] in 1983, for example, it was still selling thousands of copies per week around the world. [7] According to The New York Times, the Penguins' recording of "Earth Angel" has sold over 10 million copies. [9] Its exact figures are uncertain; the Honolulu Star-Bulletin wrote that the single has sold "perhaps as many as 20 million records, remaining one of the more popular records of all time." [6]
Group members later engaged in a dispute with Dootsie Williams regarding royalties. [5] By mid-January 1955, the Penguins reportedly did not receive advances from Dootone, and problems began to arise. [7] They hired Buck Ram, a big band-era veteran, to manage the group; he later took partial credit for the song's success despite that he only began managing the group after its release. [2] On April 9, 1955, the Penguins signed with Mercury Records. Ram had directed the group to Mercury, slyly using his power as a representative to get the Platters, another L.A.-based vocal group, signed as well. [26] Dootone had previously confirmed to trades that their recording contract with the Penguins spanned three years. A court decision found this contract was invalid as three of the four members of the group were minors at the time of their signing. [7] Curtis Williams sued Dootone for $100,000, claiming damages as a result of his underage signing. Dootone countersued, claiming Mercury induced the group to break their Dootone contract and for taking the publishing rights of "Earth Angel". [7] Jesse Belvin and supposed co-writer Johnny Green sued the group the same week for not receiving credit for writing the song; [7] all early versions of "Earth Angel" (including the covers by the Crew Cuts and others) showed Curtis Williams as the sole author.
Dootsie Williams sued and was awarded the rights to the song in 1957 by the Los Angeles Superior Court "on the ground that Belvin and Hodge had written most of it." [2] BMI officially lists the writers of "Earth Angel" as Jesse Belvin, Gaynel Hodge and Curtis Williams. [27]
"Earth Angel" repeatedly has been covered in popular culture. [25] As was a common occurrence at the time, [9] there were a number of cover versions released upon the record's immediate success. [1] Many white artists covered the song, including Gloria Mann, Pat O'Day, and Les Baxter. [5] The most notable of these was performed by a vocal group from Canada named the Crew-Cuts, signed to Mercury Records. Their version peaked at number three on the pop charts, higher than the original. [9] Their version also reached British charts, a feat the original was unable to achieve. [1] Elvis Presley recorded an informal cover during an army stint in Goethestrasse, Germany. [5] "The Flying Saucer" (1956), widely considered one of the early mashup songs, [28] [29] sampled the song without permission. [20] Other cover versions include those by The Southlanders, Johnny Tillotson, the Cleftones, the Vogues, New Edition, the Temptations, Joan Baez, Bella Morte, Johnny Preston, and Death Cab for Cutie. [6] In Sri Lanka, the popular FM radio channel Shree FM made a cover version titled "Yanna oba yanna", sung by Samitha Mudunkotuwa in the early 2000s. American rock band the Wallies released a version in 2013. Australian group Human Nature covered the song on their 2014 album Jukebox .
In addition to cover versions, the song has been employed in various film and television soundtracks. [25] The 1991 film Earth Angel was named after the song. [6] The song has been used in the television series Happy Days . [6] It was featured prominently in the film Back to the Future (performed by Harry Waters Jr. as Marvin Berry & the Starlighters) as well as Superman III and The Karate Kid Part II . [30] It is used in the jukebox musical Jersey Boys and also briefly in the film version. The 3rd act of the Family Guy episode "Meet the Quagmires" has Brian playing guitar and the rest of the band performing the song, which Lois really enjoys stating "Oh, I love this song". After the song ends, the dancers all applaud the band.
Although the Penguins never matched the success of their debut single, the song has continued to see popularity and acclaim. Cleveland Duncan, the song's lead vocalist, remarked "I never get tired of singing it, as long as people never get tired of hearing it." [9] The song became a staple of oldies radio in the late 20th century. [25]
An appraisal in the book Singles dubs the song "a simple but elegant recording now judged by many to be one of the finest examples of what would become doo-wop". [1] Despite the higher success of the cover by the Crew-Cuts, the original amateur recording by the Penguins is now considered definitive. [1] Steve Sullivan, author of the Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, writes that the track "possesses virtually all of the qualities cherished by doo-wop lovers: melodic beauty, a shimmering earnest lead vocal, stripped-to-the-bone simplicity, and a pristine romantic innocence." [2] The New York Times wrote that "For many the song evokes a glittering, timeless vision of proms, sock hops and impossibly young love", [9] and the Los Angeles Times concurred, calling it a "nostalgic evocation of post-World War II youth culture." [25] Steve Propes, an author and music historian, remarked that "It was the first of the ultra-romantic ballads that hit the nerve of teens at the time ... It stood out because of the sincerity of the delivery." [25]
The Penguins' version was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981). [31] Rolling Stone later placed it at number 152 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and called it "a pivotal record in the early development of rock & roll. The artless, unaffected vocals of the Penguins, four black high schoolers from L.A., defined the street-corner elegance of doo-wop." [32]
A 1997 listener poll by New York radio station WCBS placed "Earth Angel" just behind the Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night" in a list of most enduring doo-wop songs. [2] In 1973, Billboard reported that many considered "Earth Angel" among the early rock and roll hits, [33] and The New York Times stated that "its rhythmic, wailing plea to an idealized young woman captured the spirit of the just-emerging rock generation." [9] In 2005, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, deeming it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important". [34]
In July 2016, British rock band Coldplay played the song in concert in New Jersey with Michael J. Fox, star of Back to the Future , on guitar, in a tribute to the film. [35]
Weekly charts
|
|
The Penguins were an American doo-wop group from Los Angeles, California, that were active during the 1950s and early 1960s. They are known for their 1954 hit song, "Earth Angel", which was one of the first rhythm and blues songs to cross over to the pop charts. The song would ultimately prove to be their only success. The song peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores pop chart but had a three-week run at No. 1 on the R&B chart.
Delores LaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer who had several hit records on the pop charts in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958).
The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s. They had a top 30 US hit in 1959 with the Leiber and Stoller song "Love Potion No. 9".
"Denise" is a song written by Neil Levenson that was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. In 1963, it became a popular top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, when recorded by the American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows. A cover version by the American new wave group Blondie, re-titled "Denis", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978. Dutch actress and singer Georgina Verbaan covered "Denis" in 2002 and reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927—first by Charles Hart, with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950, the Blue Barron Orchestra version reached the top twenty on the Billboard's Pop Singles chart.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill from her debut solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
"Lovesick Blues" is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It first appeared in the 1922 musical "Oh, Ernest", and was recorded that year by Elsie Clark and Jack Shea. Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1928, followed by country music singer Rex Griffin in 1939. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose and his band.
"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States Billboard Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. Cliff Richard and the Shadows' version of the song reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in 1962, despite being a B-side. The Beach Boys notably covered the song in 1965 for their album The Beach Boys Today!; retitled "Do You Wanna Dance?", their version reached No. 12 in the United States. A 1972 cover by Bette Midler with the original title restored reached No. 17.
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is a romantic love song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written for the film Dames (1934) when Dick Powell introduced it. Several successful recordings of the song were made in 1934; later, there were charted versions by the Flamingos (1959) and Art Garfunkel (1975).
"Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.
"September" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire released as a single in 1978 on ARC/Columbia Records. Initially included as a track for The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, "September" was very successful commercially and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song remains a staple of the band's body of work and has been sampled, covered, remixed, and re-recorded numerous times.
"The Next Time" backed with "Bachelor Boy" was the first of three number one hit singles from the Cliff Richard musical, Summer Holiday. Both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, and the release is viewed retroactively as a double A-side single. However, technically double A-sides were not regarded as such until 1965, so "The Next Time" was pressed as the A-side, with "Bachelor Boy" the B-side. The song was succeeded at number one by The Shadows' "Dance On!".
Jesse Lorenzo Belvin was an American singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s. Belvin co-wrote the 1954 Penguins' doo-wop classic "Earth Angel", which sold more than 10 million copies, while his top recording was the 1956 single "Goodnight My Love", a song that reached No. 7 on Billboard's R&B chart.
Gerald Granahan was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work in the 1950s and 1960s.
"I'm a Survivor" is a song recorded by American country music singer Reba McEntire for her third compilation album Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor (2001). The song was written by Shelby Kennedy and Philip White and produced by McEntire and Tony Brown. "I'm a Survivor" is a country pop song with lyrics that tell the story of a premature baby, who later becomes a single parent. It was released as the album's first single on July 5, 2001, through MCA Nashville. The song garnered a positive reception from contemporary music critics, who found McEntire fitting to perform the song. The track experienced moderate success in the United States, where it peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as No. 3 on the Billboard' Hot Country Songs. An altered version of the song was later used as the theme song for McEntire's The WB sitcom Reba (2001).
Lucky Lips is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by Ruth Brown in 1956 and was successfully covered by Cliff Richard in 1963.
"Oh, Pretty Woman", or simply "Pretty Woman", is a song recorded by Roy Orbison, written by Orbison and Bill Dees. It was released as a single in August 1964 on Monument Records and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 from September 26, 1964, the second and final single by Orbison (after "Running Scared" to top the US charts. It was also Orbison's third single to top the UK Singles Chart.
"L'edera" is an Italian language song, written by Saverio Seracini and Vincenzo D'Acquisto. The song premiered at the 8th Sanremo Music Festival in January 1958, being performed first by Nilla Pizzi and then Tonina Torrielli, with separate performances, and placing second in the competition, behind "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" by Domenico Modugno and Johnny Dorelli. "L'edera" was later recorded by several Italian artists, including Claudio Villa.
"It'll Be Me" is a song written by Jack Clement, first released in April 1957 by Jerry Lee Lewis, as B-side to his single "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On".
Charles Williams Wright is an American singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. He has been a member of various doo wop groups in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as a solo artist in his own right. He is also the former leader and writer of hits for the group, Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.