Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)

Last updated
"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"
Single by Haircut One Hundred
from the album Pelican West [1]
B-side "Boat Party"
ReleasedOctober 1981
Genre
Length3:02
Label Arista
Songwriter(s) Nick Heyward
Producer(s) Bob Sargeant
Haircut One Hundred singles chronology
"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"
(1981)
"Love Plus One"
(1982)

"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" is the debut single by British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released in October 1981 by Arista Records. It is from their debut album Pelican West , released in 1982. The song reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1981 [3] and was certified silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 200,000 copies. [4]

Contents

Composition

The song was written by group vocalist Nick Heyward. The writing credits of the B-side, "Boat Party", are attributed to Haircut One Hundred, although the song features guitar riff patterns similar to "Favourite Shirts". Both tracks were recorded at the Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, London, soon after the band had signed to Arista. These recordings are the only ones with Pat Hunt, later replaced by Blair Cunningham, on drums. [5]

Release and reception

"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" was released in October 1981 on 7" and 12" formats. Writing in the October 1981 issue of Smash Hits , critic Fred Dellar described the single as doing "for jazz-funk what Dexy's once did for R&B". He described it as a "slight" song, although "the musicianship is both impeccable and exciting." [6]

Track listing

  1. "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"
  2. "Boat Party"
  1. "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" – 6:25
  2. "Boat Party" – 5:10

This original 12" mix is different to the one later released on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred (1989), Pelican West Plus (1992) and The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred (1996), which featured longer 12" mixes.

Chart performance

The single initially entered the UK top 40 at No. 40 at the end of October 1981. It then reached its peak position of No. 4 within three weeks, remaining at the same position for a further week, kept off the top spot by such artists as Queen and David Bowie, Julio Iglesias, the Police and Earth, Wind & Fire. The single spent a total of eight weeks in the top 40 and 14 in the top 100. [3] The group appeared on Top of the Pops for the first time to perform the song on 29 October 1981, when the single had reached No. 40 in the UK charts. They performed the song on the show for the second and final time on 12 November 1981, when it was at the No. 9 position.[ citation needed ] It reached its peak of No. 4 on 15 November 1981. [7]

Charts

Chart (1981–82)Peak
position
United Kingdom (OCC)4
Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] 97
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 50
US Billboard Disco Top 80 [9] 41

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Brown</span> 1982 single by the Stranglers

"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band the Stranglers released as a 7-inch single on EMI's Liberty label in 1982, noted for its distinctive harpsichord instrumentation. It was the second single released from the band's sixth studio album La folie (1981) and peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest ever placing in that chart. It has also been recorded by many other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haircut One Hundred</span> British new wave/jazz-funk group

Haircut One Hundred are a British pop group formed in 1980 in Beckenham, London, by Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones. In 1981 and 1982, the band scored four UK top-10 singles: "Favourite Shirts ", "Love Plus One", "Nobody's Fool", and "Fantastic Day".

Boogie Box High is an English pop supergroup formed musical project headed by Andros Georgiou in the late 1980s that featured a range of collaborators, including Georgiou's second cousin George Michael, guitarist Nick Heyward, keyboardist Mick Talbot, guitarist–songwriter David Austin, bassist Deon Estus, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thank God I'm a Country Boy</span> 1975 single by John Denver

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy", also known as "Country Boy", is a song written by John Martin Sommers and recorded by American singer/songwriter John Denver. The song was originally included on Denver's 1974 album Back Home Again. A version recorded live on August 26, 1974, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles was included on his 1975 album An Evening with John Denver. The live version was released as a single and went to No. 1 on both the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song topped both charts for one week each, first the country chart, and the Hot 100 chart a week later. Thank God I'm a Country Boy also became the name of a variety special show hosted by Denver in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm a Believer</span> Neil Diamond song made famous by the Monkees

"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967. Billboard ranked the record as the number-five song for 1967. While originally published by Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI), it is now published by Stonebridge Music/EMI Foray Music (SESAC), with administration passed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiting for a Star to Fall</span> 1988 single by Boy Meets Girl

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" is a song by American pop music duo Boy Meets Girl in 1988, written by the duo's members, Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill. They wrote the song after witnessing a falling star at a Whitney Houston concert and originally offered the song to Houston, but Arista Records CEO Clive Davis rejected it. American singer Belinda Carlisle then recorded the song but denied its inclusion on her 1987 album Heaven on Earth, so Rubicam and Merrill decided to record and release the song themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise (song)</span> 1963 song

"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", hit 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Heyward</span> English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Nicholas Heyward is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He came to international attention in the early 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter for Haircut One Hundred. He and the band parted ways after their first album, after which he continued as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I've Got You Under My Skin</span> 1936 song by Cole Porter

"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film Born to Dance in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year but lost out to The Way You Look Tonight. Popular recordings in 1936 were by Ray Noble and his Orchestra and by Hal Kemp and his Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Different Drum</span> 1967 single by The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt

"Different Drum" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith in 1964. It was first recorded by the northern bluegrass band The Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album Better Late than Never! Nesmith offered it to the Monkees, but the producers of the TV show, who had wide control over the group's musical output early on, turned him down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldier of Love (Donny Osmond song)</span> 1988 single by Donny Osmond

"Soldier of Love" is a 1988 song by American singer Donny Osmond, which became his comeback hit. It first was a Top 30 hit in the UK in 1988 and "Soldier of Love" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, behind Michael Damian's "Rock On", becoming his sixth and last top-10 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Step Further</span> 1982 single by Bardo

"One Step Further", written by Simon Jefferis, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed by the duo Bardo, comprising Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who's Zoomin' Who</span> 1985 single by Aretha Franklin

"Who's Zoomin' Who" is a song performed by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was written by Franklin, Preston Glass, and Narada Michael Walden for her thirtieth studio album of the same name (1985), with production overseen by Walden. The hit song was released as the album's second single on August 27, 1985, by Arista Records. It serves as the follow-up single to Franklin's chart-topping smash "Freeway of Love", reaching number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year, and at the same time spending four weeks at the number-two spot on the Hot Black Singles chart. Elsewhere, the dance pop song entered the top twenty in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Plus One</span> 1982 single by Haircut One Hundred

"Love Plus One" is a 1982 single by the British new wave band Haircut One Hundred from their debut album Pelican West. It was the band's biggest hit in their native UK, where it reached No. 3 and was certified gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 400,000 copies.

<i>Pelican West</i> 1982 studio album by Haircut One Hundred

Pelican West is the debut studio album by the British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released on 26 February 1982 by Arista Records. It peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 31 on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

"Fantastic Day" is a song by British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released as the third and final single from their debut album Pelican West. The song reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobody's Fool (Haircut One Hundred song)</span> 1982 single by Haircut One Hundred

"Nobody's Fool" is a song by British new wave band Haircut One Hundred, released on 13 August 1982 as the band's fourth single. It reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. It is the first single of the band to not appear on any U.S. Billboard chart. The song did not initially appear on any album, but was later included as a bonus track on the 1992 reissue of Pelican West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The War Song</span> 1984 single by Culture Club

"The War Song" is a song by British band Culture Club, featuring background vocals from Clare Torry. It was released as the lead single from the band's third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984), in September 1984. The song became the group's seventh top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Elsewhere, it reached the top 10 in several countries, including Australia, Canada, and Ireland, peaking at number one in the latter country.

"Whistle Down the Wind" is the debut solo single by English musician Nick Heyward, from his debut solo album North of a Miracle. Released in March 1983, it was his first release after leaving Haircut One Hundred. The song peaked at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as reaching No. 20 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in February 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summerlove Sensation</span>

"Summerlove Sensation" is a song originally recorded by the Bay City Rollers. It was part of their 1974 album Rollin'. In the same year it was also released as a single. The single peaked at no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

  1. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Here Comes That Feeling: New Pop". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 534. ISBN   978-0-571-28198-5.
  3. 1 2 "HAIRCUT 100 Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  4. BPI database Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. 'Pelican West' Deluxe edition, 2016 - sleevenotes
  6. Singles reviewed by Fred Dellar, Smash Hits, October 15, 1981 - p.23
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 | Official Charts Company".
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 131. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 115.