Foot Tapper

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"Foot Tapper"
The Shadows Foot Tapper.jpg
Single by The Shadows
from the album Summer Holiday
B-side "The Breeze and I"
Released22 February 1963 (1963-02-22)
Recorded8 January 1963 [1]
Studio EMI Studios, London
Genre Instrumental rock
Length2:34
Label Columbia
Songwriters
Producer Norrie Paramor [2]
The Shadows singles chronology
"Dance On!"
(1962)		"Foot Tapper"
(1963)		"Atlantis"
(1963)

"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]

Contents

Background and reception

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. Though officially issued as a double A-side, chart compilers elected to only give chart placement to "Foot Tapper". "The Breeze and I" did not chart in any country.

Reviewed in New Record Mirror , "Foot Tapper" 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]

Track listing

7": Columbia / DB 4984

  1. "Foot Tapper" – 2:34
  2. "The Breeze and I" – 2:47

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1963)Peak
position
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

References

  1. ↑ Koers, Ivo. "Instrumentation On Shadows Recordings II: The Primary Singles" (PDF). malcolmcampbell.me.uk. p. 13. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 70. ISBN   0-85112-250-7.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 148. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. 1 2 Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (26 May 2010). 1,000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. p. 232. ISBN   978-0-85712-360-2.
  5. ↑ "The Shadows – two top sides" (PDF). New Record Mirror . 23 February 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Disc Date" (PDF). Disc . 23 February 1963. p. 8. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.
  8. ↑ "danskehitlister.dk". 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Foot Tapper". Irish Singles Chart.
  10. ↑ "The Shadows – Foot Tapper" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  11. ↑ "Lever Hit Parade". flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "The Shadows – Foot Tapper". VG-lista.
  13. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 4 May 1963. p. 34. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Shadows". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "Shadows: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
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