"I Will Follow Him" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Little Peggy March | ||||
from the album I Will Follow Him | ||||
B-side | "Wind Up Doll" | |||
Released | January 22, 1963 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1962 | |||
Studio | RCA Victor, New York City | |||
Genre | Pop [2] | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Hugo & Luigi | |||
Little Peggy March singles chronology | ||||
|
"I Will Follow Him" is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental titled "Chariot". The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics in 1963. The music was written by Franck Pourcel (using the pseudonym J.W. Stole) and Paul Mauriat (using the pseudonym Del Roma). [3] It was adapted by Arthur Altman. The completely new English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel. [4]
The song was first recorded by Franck Pourcel as an instrumental, and was released in 1961 on the European LP Amour, Danse, Et Violons. No.17 and on an EP on the La Voix de son Maître label. Pourcel co-wrote the song with his friend and fellow French bandleader Paul Mauriat. [3] Mauriat later recorded an instrumental version, which he released on his album Paul Mauriat Plays the Hits of 1976. [5]
In 1963, Percy Faith released an instrumental version, re-titled "I Will Follow You", as the lead song on side 1 of his album titled Themes for Young Lovers. [6] [7] [8] The album spent 28 weeks on Billboard 's chart of Top LPs, reaching No. 32, and earned Percy Faith a gold record. [9] [10] [11]
In 1962, Petula Clark released a French-language version of the song, titled "Chariot" (lyrics by Jacques Plante), [3] which reached No. 1 in Wallonia, [12] [13] No. 2 in France, [14] and No. 8 in Flanders, [15] [16] and earned Clark a gold record. [17] Her English version (the first recording to be titled "I Will Follow Him") reached No. 4 in Denmark, where it was released by Vogue, [18] but failed to chart in the UK and the US, where it was released by Pye and Laurie respectively. Clark also recorded Italian and German versions of the song, with her Italian version, "Sul mio carro", reaching No. 4 in Italy, [19] and her German version, "Cheerio", reaching No. 6 in West Germany. [20]
On January 22, 1963, Little Peggy March's version of "I Will Follow Him", backed with "Wind Up Doll", conducted by Sammy Lowe, in RCA Victor Studio A, New York City on January 7, 1963, after running take 9, was released by RCA Victor. [1] [21] March's version spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on April 27, 1963 and spending three weeks in this position, [22] making 15-year-old March the youngest female artist to have a U.S. chart-topping single. [1] [23] Her version also reached No. 1 in Australia, [24] Hong Kong, [25] Israel, [26] South Africa, [18] Uruguay, [27] Canada's CHUM Hit Parade, [28] New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade", [29] and Billboard 's Hot R&B Singles chart. [30] [31]
The song also reached No. 1 on the Cash Box Top 100, in a tandem ranking of Little Peggy March, Franck Pourcel, Petula Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Curtis, Jackie Kannon, Joe Sentieri, and Georgia Gibbs' versions, with March's version marked as a bestseller. [32] It was one of the nominees for the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording. [33]
In 2011, Peggy March re-recorded "I Will Follow Him" with Dutch singer José Hoebee (who covered this song and reached the number-one spot in the Netherlands and Belgium in 1982). However, it took another year for the release of this new version song, which was eventually released on the German version of March's album Always and Forever. [34]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
In Italy three versions of the song were in the charts in 1963 (translated/adapted by Vito Pallavicini and Bruno Pallesi): One recorded by Betty Curtis (highest position: No. 3), another version by Petula Clark ("Sul mio carro"; No. 4) and the Franck Pourcel version (No. 5). [19] The song reached No. 1 in Italy's Musica e dischi , in a tandem ranking of these three versions. [44] Curtis's version was also a top 10 hit in Uruguay. [45]
In 1963, Italian singer Ennio Sangiusto released a version of the song titled "Chariot (La Tierra)", which reached No. 1 in Spain. [26] Also in 1963, Italian singer Joe Sentieri released a version of the song titled "La Tierra", which reached No. 3 in Argentina. [46]
In 1963, Argentine singer Alberto Cortez released a version of the song titled "La Tierra (Chariot)", which reached No. 2 in Spain. [47] Also in 1963, Argentine singer Violeta Rivas released a version titled "La Tierra", which reached No. 1 in Uruguay. [48]
Dee Dee Sharp released a version of the song on her 1963 album Do the Bird. [49] Sharp's version reached No. 1 in Hong Kong. [37]
Ricky Nelson recorded a cover for his 1963 album For Your Sweet Love, changing the title and lyrics to "I Will Follow You". [50]
In 1982, Dutch singer José Hoebee (former member of the girl band Luv') released a hit cover of the song, which reached No. 1 in Flanders, [51] No. 1 on the Dutch Top 40, [52] and No. 2 on the Dutch Nationale Hitparade. [53] A 2005 remix reached No. 90 on the Dutch Single Top 100 in early 2006. [54] In 2011, she re-recorded "I Will Follow Him" with Peggy March. This duet appeared on the German edition of March's album Always and Forever. [34]
The Norwegian comedian Lars Mjøen wrote comedic Norwegian lyrics, «Torsken kommer!» (translates to «The cod is coming»). The song was published by the comedy troupe KLM as Brødrene Dal as the B-side of "Gaus, Roms Og Brumund" (PolyGram 2052 206) [55] [56] and on the LP record Spektralplate (Polydor 2382 135) in 1982. A music video remake was released by Norges Bank in 2017 to mark the introduction of the new 200 krone banknote that features a cod on the obverse side. [57]
The song is featured at the end of the 1992 film Sister Act , where it was performed by the nuns' chorus for the Pope with Whoopi Goldberg's character as the lead singer. [23] The song peaked at number 53 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. [58]
In 2000, Cynthia Patag, Nanette Inventor, Malou de Guzman, Beverly Salviejo and Pinky Marquez performed the interactive version of the song at the end of the musical episode of Wansapanataym , "Bata-Okey".
Petula Clark CBE is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child performer and has had one of the longest careers of any British entertainer, spanning more than eight decades.
"Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon.
Paul Julien André Mauriat was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his million-selling remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue", which was number 1 for 5 weeks in 1968. Other recordings for which he is known include "El Bimbo", "Toccata", "Love in Every Room/Même si tu revenais", and "Penelope". He co-wrote the song Chariot with Franck Pourcel. Pourcel and Mauriat.
"Downtown" is a song written and produced by English composer Tony Hatch. The 1964 version recorded by British singer Petula Clark became an international hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. Hatch received the 1981 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
"This Is My Song" is a song written by Charlie Chaplin in 1966, and performed by Petula Clark.
"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.
"Answer Me" is a popular song, originally titled "Mütterlein", with German lyrics by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. "Mütterlein" was published on 19 April 1952. English lyrics were written by Carl Sigman, and the song was published as "Answer Me" in New York on 13 October 1953. Contemporary recordings of the English lyric by Frankie Laine and David Whitfield both topped the UK Singles Chart in 1953.
"Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song about nostalgia, written in 1955 by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller. They were the members of a three-pieced group called "The Easy Riders", who served as a backing band for Dean Martin's version of this song, also released in 1955.
"Ramblin' Rose" is a 1962 popular torch song written by brothers Noel Sherman (words) and Joe Sherman (music) and popularized by Nat King Cole. The recording by Nat King Cole reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962.
Franck Pourcel was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music.
"For All We Know" is a soft rock song written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, with music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by Robb Wilson and Arthur James. Both Royer and Griffin were founding members of the soft rock group Bread. It was originally performed, for the film's soundtrack, by Larry Meredith. The best known version of the song is by American pop duo the Carpenters which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1971. The song was also a hit for Shirley Bassey at the same time in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by various artists, including Petula Clark.
Peggy March is an American pop singer. In the United States, she is primarily known for her 1963 million-selling song "I Will Follow Him". Although she is sometimes remembered as a one-hit wonder, she continued to have success in Europe well into the 1970s.
"My Love" is a 1965 single release by Petula Clark which, in early 1966, became an international hit, reaching No. 1 in the US; the track continued Clark's collaboration with songwriter and record producer Tony Hatch.
"L'amour est bleu" is a song whose music was composed by André Popp, and whose lyrics were written by Pierre Cour, in 1967. Bryan Blackburn later wrote English-language lyrics for it. First performed in French by Greek singer Vicky Leandros as the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, it has since been recorded by many other musicians, most notably French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat, whose familiar instrumental version became the first number-one hit by a French lead artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in America.
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), a torch ballad sung by the character of Mary Magdalene. In the opera she is presented as bearing an unrequited love for the title character. The song has been much recorded, with "I Don't Know How to Love Him" being one of the rare songs to have had two concurrent recordings reach the top 40 of the Hot 100 chart in Billboard magazine, specifically those by Helen Reddy and Yvonne Elliman, since the 1950s when multi-version chartings were common.
"Calcutta" is a German pop song. An instrumental version by American bandleader and TV host Lawrence Welk on the 1961 Dot Records album Calcutta! was a Number One song in the United States, and the most successful hit of Welk's career.
"Wedding Song (There Is Love)" is a title of a 1971 hit single by Paul Stookey: the song—which Stookey credits to divine inspiration— has since been recorded by many singers (with versions by Petula Clark and Mary MacGregor returning it to the Billboard Hot 100)—and remains a popular choice for performance at weddings.
"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later had hits with the song, with its title and lyrics changed to "To Know You Is to Love You". In 1987, the song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the U.S. country singles chart.
"Soul Coaxing" or "Âme câline", written in 1967 by French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff, provided Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra with a 1968 instrumental hit.
"Like I Do" is a song that was first released in 1962 by Nancy Sinatra. The melody is an adaptation, by Dick Manning, of Amilcare Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda. The song reached No. 2 in Italy, No. 4 in the Netherlands, No. 6 in Japan, and No. 8 in South Africa.
If you hear "I Will Follow Him" when you're in the wrong mood, it is instant headache material...yet it is undeniably effective pop music.