Every Breath I Take

Last updated
"Every Breath I Take"
Single by Gene Pitney
Released1961 (1961)
Recorded1961
Studio Bell Sound Studios, New York
Songwriters Gerry Goffin, Carole King
Producer Phil Spector
Gene Pitney singles chronology
"Louisiana Mama"
(1961)		"Every Breath I Take"
(1961)		"Town Without Pity"
(1961)

"Every Breath I Take" is a song by American singer Gene Pitney that was written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was produced by Phil Spector and released as a single in 1961, reaching number 42 on U.S. record charts.

Contents

Background and recording

"Every Breath I Take" was produced by Phil Spector at Bell Sound Studios in New York in June or July 1961, with the arrangement credited to Alan Lauber. [1] The arrangement, according to Spector biographer Mick Brown, was a "melodramatic" combination of doo-wop backing vocals, orchestral strings, and a march-like rhythmic foundation beneath Pitney’s nasal falsetto delivery. [2]

The recording drew an unusually large crowd all packed into the small control booth, leading Pitney to later call it "the most ridiculous session ever." [2] Pitney, battling a severe cold, sang the entire track in falsetto; additionally, he later said, "Phil wanted to experiment, [but] he didn’t have enough control – not to the extent he had later – and there were too many people at the session, making comments." [2] Attendees included Goffin, King, music publisher Don Kirshner, Leiber and Stoller, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, [2] and Burt Bacharach. [3]

Spector's insistence on completing the entire recording in a single session, despite union musicians' fees escalating from standard scale to time-and-a-half after three hours and double scale thereafter, forced the session into overtime. Ultimately, two usable takes were made. Pitney later recalled that the recording expenses totaled $14,000 (equivalent to $147,000 in 2024), an extraordinary sum when most pop recordings cost about $500 per song ($5,000). [2]

Reception

"Every Breath I Take" peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. [4] Spector biographer Dave Thompson opined that the single's commercial success was hindered by the arrangement and the faded mainstream appeal of doo-wop despite "a strident orchestral backdrop punctuated by illuminating squalling strings, and a drum beat (from Gary Chester) that echoed like a mellow jackhammer." [3] Writing in 2021, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the record as "one of the few early Spector productions to hint at the more-is-more Wall of Sound approach that would make him a legend." [5]

References

  1. ↑ Back to Mono (1958–1969) (liner notes). ABKCO Records / Phil Spector Records. 1991. Archived from the original on 2010-11-19 – via albumlinernotes.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown, Mick (2007) [2006]. Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector . London: Bloomsbury. pp. 92–93. ISBN   978-1-4000-4219-7.
  3. 1 2 Thompson, Dave (2003). Wall of Pain: The Biography of Phil Spector . London: Sanctuary. p. 57. ISBN   978-1-86074-543-0.
  4. ↑ Trust, Gary (January 17, 2021). "Phil Spector's Biggest Billboard Hits: 'To Know Him Is to Love Him,' 'Be My Baby,' 'Unchained Melody' & More". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (January 17, 2021). "Phil Spector brought joy to pop music - and misery to so many lives". The Guardian.
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