Goin' Out of My Head

Last updated
"Goin' Out of My Head"
Goin' Out of My Head - Little Anthony & the Imperials.jpg
Single by Little Anthony and the Imperials
from the album Goin' Out of My Head
B-side "Make It Easy on Yourself"
ReleasedOctober 13, 1964 (1964-10-13) [1]
Genre Pop
Length2:50
Label DCP
Songwriter(s) Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein
Producer(s) Teddy Randazzo, Don Costa
Little Anthony and the Imperials singles chronology
"I'm on the Outside (Looking In)"
(1964)		"Goin' Out of My Head"
(1964)		"Hurt So Bad"
(1965)

"Goin' Out of My Head" is a song written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein, initially recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964. Randazzo, a childhood friend of the group, wrote the song especially for them, having also supplied the group with their previous Top 20 Hit "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)". [2] Their original version of the song was a Billboard Top 10 Pop smash, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, [3] and No. 1 in the Canadian RPM-list in 1965. The song peaked at No. 8 on Cashbox magazine's R&B chart (Billboard was in a chart recess for R&B listings at that time). The Little Anthony and the Imperials original recording is the best-known version of the song, although it has since been covered by many other artists, including the Zombies, who released a rendition as their last single on Decca Records.

Contents

Credits – The Imperials

Charts

Chart (1964–65)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM )1
US Billboard Hot 100 6
US Cash Box R&B8

The Zombies rendition

"Goin' Out Of My Head"
The-zombies-goin-out-of-my-head-decca-3.jpg
Swedish picture sleeve
Single by the Zombies
B-side "She Does Everything for Me"
Released17 March 1967
Recorded23 October 1966
Studio Kingsway, London
Genre
Length3:05
Label Decca
Songwriter(s)
  • Randazzo
  • Weinstein
Producer(s) Ken Jones
The Zombies UKsingles chronology
"Gotta Get a Hold of Myself"
(1966)		"Goin' Out Of My Head"
(1967)		"Friends Of Mine"
(1967)

Background and recording

In 1967, the English rock band the Zombies recorded the song as a single. It was the group's final Decca Records single. [4] Throughout 1965 and 1966, their commercial success had been declining in the US, [5] while they had completely failed to reach the Record Retailer chart since 1965's "Tell Her No". [6] Decca primarily put this fault on the group's keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White, who composed virtually all of the group's music. [7] According to Decca, their own compositions were "too uncommercial", including "I Want You Back Again", which Decca cited among their least commercial singles. [8] Therefore, Decca chose covers for the band to record. [9] The first cover song the group released as a single in the UK was "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself", which was a chart failure, not being noted on the chart at all. [6]

The group also suffered the issue of finding suitable material to cover, "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself" happened by chance. [9] However, also by a stroke of luck, the band remember hearing Little Anthony and the Imperials perform alongside them on the Dick Clark tour, which they embarked on in April 1965. [10] One of the tracks on their setlist was "Goin' Out Of My Head", which the Zombies then promptly picked up and incorporated into their own setlist. [11] Decca then wanted the band to record it as a follow-up to "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself", which the band, initially reluctant, did not want to do. [11] This was because the band at the time once again wanted to record original material, which was turned down by Decca. [11] The band eventually had to accept the offer after the record company threatened to drop the act from their label. [11]

For the first time since around May or June 1966, the Zombies returned to a studio to record in October of that year. [12] As the group did not want to record at Decca Studios, Kingsway Studios (later De Lane Lea Studios) was booked on 23 October, something Argent recalls quite clearly. [4] He states that the band met guitarist Jimi Hendrix on his way out of the studio before they entered. [4] Hendrix had just recorded his debut single "Hey Joe" at the studio. [4] The Zombies rendition was, although slightly different to the original, apparently a homage to Little Anthony. [4] Producer Ken Jones, who had been the group's standard producer for their Decca material, [7] was also present during recording. [4] Lead vocalist Colin Blunstone was overdubbed at Advision Studios in order to give the single "extra-kick.", since Jones felt that the vocals "weren't strong enough" [4]

Release and reception

The release of "Goin' Out Of My Head" was a highlight in the Zombies career, as they had gotten incredibly popular in the Philippines. [13] This meant that they had started earning money as well as their commercial success once again started increasing. [13] In hearing this, Decca, who had been keeping "Goin' Out Of My Head" in their vaults for around half a year, decided to release it. [14] So on 17 March 1967, "Goin' Out Of My Head" was released in the UK. [15] As their contract with Parrot Records had expired, the song never got a release in the US. [15] It was backed by "She Does Everything For Me", which was a song Argent had composed. [12] Like all singles by the Zombies after "Tell Her No", it failed to reach Record Retailer. [6] This was to the disappointment of Decca, who thought it would become a big hit, while the Zombies did not attempt to promote it. [9]

The single received generally favourable reviews in the British press. In a review for Disc and Music Echo , critic Penny Valentine called the song "splendid treatment" of the original, [16] hoping it would reach the charts. [16] According to author Claes Johansen, this was expected, as she loved the Zombies music. [17] Derek Johnson of New Musical Express also praised the single, calling it an "exceptionally good tune." [18] He does however, state that it was "too recent" to the original for making the charts. [18] Other than that, he writes that song is "well worth hearing", noting the "colourful" harmonies and its "big-bash treatment". [18] He ends the review by stating that their rendition is "highly creditable." [18] Peter Jones of Record Mirror called the song their "best, performance wise." [19] He notes the vocal arrangement, but just like Johnson, negatively notes the song for being "too early." [19] All in all it was ranked four stars. [19]

The band members put the blame of the lack of chart success on producer Jones. [4] Without the band's consent, Jones dubbed over horns which in turn muddied out some of the vocals. [4] This was disliked by the band, even though they could not do anything against it. [4] As a result, some of the vocal harmonies on the record were also removed, which was another problem for some band members. [4] Argent stated that the demo version of the song they recorded weeks prior sounded better because the "harmonies were massive." [4] Decca's Tony Hall thought that Blunstone was low in the mix, which led to him forcefully having to overdub the vocals. [4] This, combined with the brass track, is largely the biggest contributor to the muddy vocals on the track. [4] Soon after the single, Decca dropped the act, which led to them signing CBS Records later on. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Zombies</span> English rock band

The Zombies are an English rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful.

<i>Odessey and Oracle</i> 1968 studio album by the Zombies

Odessey and Oracle is the second studio album by the English rock band the Zombies. It was released in the UK on 19 April 1968 by CBS Records and in the US on 15 July by Date Records. The album was recorded primarily between June and August 1967 at EMI and Olympic Studios in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Argent</span> British rock musician

Rodney Terence Argent is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the rock band the Zombies, and went on to form the band Argent after the first break-up of the Zombies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Blunstone</span> British singer

Colin Edward Michael Blunstone is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the rock band the Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home" and "Time of the Season". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He was also a recurring guest vocalist with the Alan Parsons Project, appearing on four of their albums between 1978 and 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">See You Later, Alligator</span> 1956 single by Bill Haley & His Comets

"See You Later, Alligator" is a 1950s rock and roll song written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Bobby Charles. The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956 in the United States, reaching no. 6 on Billboard and CashBox. In the UK, the single peaked at no. 7.

<i>Begin Here</i> 1965 studio album by the Zombies

Begin Here is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Zombies, released in April 1965 by Decca Records. The American version repeated many of the tracks from it, but, as was common at the time, deleted some and substituted others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's Not There</span> 1964 single by the Zombies

"She's Not There" is the debut single by the English rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of December 1964. In Canada, it reached No. 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris White (musician)</span> British bassist

Christopher Taylor White is an English musician. He came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the bass guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band The Zombies. White is one of the main composers of the Zombies' music, and made major lyrical contributions to the band's songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of the Zombies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Atkinson (guitarist)</span> British musician (1946–2004)

Paul Ashley Warren Atkinson was a British guitarist and record company executive, best known as a founding member of the pop/rock band The Zombies. Atkinson was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Love You (The Zombies song)</span> 1965 song

"I Love You" is a 1965 song by the Zombies, written by their bassist Chris White. Written during a tour of France, the song was written at a time the Zombies' mainstream popularity was slowly fading. The song was released as the B-side of Rod Argent's "Whenever You're Ready" to both commercial and critical indifference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why Baby Why</span> 1955 single by George Jones

"Why Baby Why" is a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones' manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at 4 on the Billboard country charts that year. It was Jones' first chart single, following several unsuccessful singles released during the prior year on Starday.

<i>Somethings Goin On</i> 2004 studio album by Cliff Richard

'Something's Goin' On' is the 32nd studio album by British singer Cliff Richard, released by Decca on 25 October 2004 in the UK. The album reached #7 in the UK Albums Chart and was certified "Gold" by the BPI.

Hugh Birch Grundy is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Grundy came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the drummer of the English rock band the Zombies. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Care of Cell 44</span> 1967 single by the Zombies

"Care of Cell 44" is a single by the Zombies, released as the lead single from their album Odessey and Oracle in November 1967. It was featured on Pitchfork's "200 Best Songs of the 1960s" list, and has been covered by modern artists including Elliott Smith and Of Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Out of Reach (song)</span> 1965 single by the Zombies

"Just Out of Reach" is a song written by singer Colin Blunstone, first recorded by his band the Zombies in 1965. In 1965, it was clear that the Zombies were going to be featured in Otto Preminger's 1966 movie Bunny Lake Is Missing. Therefore, the band had struck a deal with Preminger; he wanted three new songs by the group, recorded in the span of only ten days. During this time, the band's primary songwriters, keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White suffered somewhat from writer's block. Although White had already managed to come up with two songs, "Remember You" and "Nothing's Changed", the third song was still missing, much to the group's disappointment. Therefore, Blunstone was tasked with the final song.

<i>The Zombies</i> (EP) 1965 EP by the Zombies

The Zombies is an extended play 45 rpm record released by the English beat group the Zombies in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leave Me Be</span> 1964 single by the Zombies

"Leave Me Be" is a song by the English rock band the Zombies. Written by Chris White, the band's bass guitarist, "Leave Me Be" was released on a non-album single in October 1964. Following the release of the band's debut single "She's Not There" in July 1964, White wrote a handful of songs in between performances during the band's heavy schedule. Most of the work on the song occurred in August 1964, when the Zombies recorded both a demo and the backing track for it. The instrumentation largely differs from both earlier and later Zombies records; it features electric organ played by Rod Argent, compared to his previous usage of the electric piano. Together with record producer Ken Jones, they returned in September to finish the vocal track, which was disliked by most band members for its similarity to "She's Not There"; the vocals would eventually be re-recorded a few months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's Coming Home</span> 1965 single by the Zombies

"She's Coming Home" is a song written by keyboardist Rod Argent recorded by his band the Zombies. The song has early origins in Argent's life; he lifted segments from the 1946 song "Magnificat and Nunc dimittis" which he had heard in boy choir. Characterized by its unusual chord progression, the song was recorded on 2 March 1965 during a three-hour session held at Decca Studios along with several other tracks, all of whom were by their standard producer Ken Jones, who knew what Argent had looked for in the song and attempted to produce it in that style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want You Back Again</span> 1965 single by the Zombies

"I Want You Back Again" is a song written by keyboardist Rod Argent and originally recorded by his band the Zombies. Initially laid down during a session at Decca Studios on 25 November 1964, the group was unsatisfied with the result and the song was not re-recorded until 2 March 1965, together with several other songs. The song largely departs from the soft rock sound of their earlier singles and ventures into jazz rock. Characterized by an unusual rhythmic melody, the song was liked by lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, who didn't like the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whenever You're Ready (The Zombies song)</span> 1965 single by the Zombies

"Whenever You're Ready" is a song written by English keyboardist Rod Argent, first recorded by his band the Zombies. Following an American tour in April 1965 supporting their then single "She's Coming Home", the band were disappointed in finding out it had been a chart failure. After the follow-up "I Want You Back Again" was an even less commercial song, pressure from the group's management came forward in order for them to write a commercial song in the style of their earlier singles, which had been hits.

References

  1. ↑ "Little Anthony and the Imperials - Goin' Out of My Head".
  2. ↑ "Goin' out of My Head" song article, AllMusic
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 372.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Zombie Heaven (liner notes pg. 48). Alec Palao. Zombies. Big Beat Records. 1997.
  5. ↑ Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 93. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  6. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 618. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  7. 1 2 Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 92. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  8. ↑ Greenwald, Matthew. "The Zombies – I Want You Back Again – Song Review by Matthew Greenwald". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Zombie Heaven (liner notes pg. 47). Alec Palao. Zombies. Big Beat Records. 1997.
  10. ↑ Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 128. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 151. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  12. 1 2 Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 152. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  13. 1 2 Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 153. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  14. ↑ Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 154. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  15. 1 2 Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 209. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  16. 1 2 Valentine, Penny. "Quick Spins" (PDF). Disc & Music Echo (18 March 1967): 15.
  17. ↑ Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 160. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Derek. "Singles Reviewed By Derek Johnson" (PDF). New Musical Express (18 March 1967): 6.
  19. 1 2 3 Jones, Peter. "New Singles Reviewed by Peter Jones" (PDF). Record Mirror (18 March 1967): 9.
  20. ↑ Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream: a Biography. SAF Publishing. p. 136. ISBN   978-094-671-93-41.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.