Hole in My Shoe

Last updated
"Hole in My Shoe"
Single by Traffic
B-side "Smiling Phases" (Capaldi, Winwood, Wood)
ReleasedAugust 1967
Genre
Length2:52
Label Island WIP 6017
United Artists UA 50218
Songwriter(s) Dave Mason
Producer(s) Jimmy Miller
Traffic singles chronology
"Paper Sun"
(1967)
"Hole in My Shoe"
(1967)
"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"
(1967)

"Hole in My Shoe" is a song by English rock band Traffic featuring a spoken-word midsection by Chris Blackwell's stepdaughter, Francine Heimann, in which she tells a little story about a giant albatross. It was released as a single in 1967 and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, [3] number 22 in the German charts, [4] and number 4 in Canada. [5] Composed by guitarist Dave Mason, it was disliked by the other three members of the group who felt that it did not represent the band's musical or lyrical style. [6]

Contents

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Cover version

In July 1984, Nigel Planer, who played Neil in the BBC sitcom The Young Ones , recorded a cover version of the song, which reached the same number 2 peak as the original. [7] It also peaked at number 29 in Australia. [8] His version featured Barbara Gaskin on backing vocals and was produced by Dave Stewart. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic (band)</span> English rock band

Traffic were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. They began as a psychedelic rock group and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards, sitar, and various reed instruments, and by incorporating jazz and improvisational techniques in their music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Winwood</span> English musician and songwriter (born 1948)

Stephen Lawrence Winwood is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist, prominent for his distinctive soulful high tenor voice, Winwood plays other instruments proficiently, including drums, mandolin, bass and saxophone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Capaldi</span> English musician and songwriter (1944–2005)

Nicola James Capaldi was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co-wrote the majority of the band's material. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of Traffic's original lineup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Mason</span> British singer-songwriter and guitarist

David Thomas Mason is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic. Over the course of his career, Mason has played and recorded with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and Cass Elliot. One of Mason's best known songs is "Feelin' Alright", recorded by Traffic in 1968 and later by many other performers, including Joe Cocker, whose version of the song was a hit in 1969. For Traffic, he also wrote "Hole in My Shoe", a psychedelic pop song that became a hit in its own right. "We Just Disagree", Mason's 1977 solo U.S. hit, written by Jim Krueger, has become a staple of U.S. classic hits and adult contemporary radio playlists.

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References

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