"Foot Tapper" | ||||
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Single by The Shadows | ||||
from the album Summer Holiday | ||||
B-side | "The Breeze and I" | |||
Released | 22 February 1963 | |||
Recorded | 8 January 1963 [1] | |||
Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
Length | 2:34 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor [2] | |||
The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
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"Foot Tapper" is an instrumental by British guitar group the Shadows, released as a single in February 1963. [2] It went to number one in the UK Singles Chart, [2] and was the Shadows' last UK number-one hit (not including those where they performed as Cliff Richard's backing group). [3]
Filmmaker Jacques Tati went to see the Shadows at the Olympia in Paris in 1961 and asked them to write a song for his next film. So, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch wrote "Foot Tapper". However, Tati had funding difficulties and his next film, Playtime , did not appear until 1967. Instead, in 1963, the Shadows had a small role in the film Summer Holiday and its producer Peter Yates needed some music for the radio in the bus scene, so they offered up "Foot Tapper". [4] It was released in February as a re-recorded double A-sided single with the pop standard "The Breeze and I" a week earlier than planned.
Reviewed in New Record Mirror , it was described as "a beautifully balanced bit of recording with a compelling theme. Hank, Licorice and Bruce are in precise, driving form – but the side showcases Brian's forceful but controlled drumming, notably on cymbals. Just try and stop your foot tapping. It'll fair hurtle into the charts – and is probably even better than "Dance On". [5] Reviewing for Disc , Don Nicholl described "Foot Tapper" as a "light-hearted modern dancer which will pull in as many customers as the other side – maybe more". [6]
It is also known for being the signature tune and closing theme for the BBC Radio 2 programme Sounds of the 60s , from when it started in 1983 until Brian Matthew left the show in 2017. [4]
7": Columbia / DB 4984
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] | 2 |
Denmark (Danmarks Radio) [8] | 13 |
Ireland (IRMA) [9] | 2 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [10] | 7 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [11] | 2 |
Norway (VG-lista) [12] | 5 |
South Africa (SARMDA) [13] | 4 |
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [14] | 3 |
UK Singles (OCC) [15] | 1 |