Jesamine

Last updated
"Jesamine"
The Casuals - Jesamine.jpg
Single by The Casuals
B-side "I've Got Something Too"
ReleasedAugust 1968
Genre
Length3:30
Label Decca
Songwriter(s) Frere Manston, Jack Gellar

"Jesamine" is a song written by Marty Wilde and Ronnie Scott, published under the pseudonyms Frere Manston and Jack Gellar. Initially recorded by Welsh band the Bystanders as "When Jezamine Goes", the version by English band the Casuals became a hit when it was released as a single in August 1968. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in October 1968. [2]

Contents

Background

Marty Wilde and Ronnie Scott wrote "Jesamine" in January 1968. [3] Scott initially conceived "when Rosemary goes" as the first line of the chorus; Wilde suggested the name be changed to Jesamine, the name of a cafe in Huyton, Merseyside, where his mother-in-law lived. [3] The songwriters used the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar. [4] Wilde, who had been a teen idol, was keen to "know what reaction there was to the song" before disclosing his identity. [3]

The song was originally recorded by the Bystanders, a band managed by Scott, and released under the title "When Jezamine Goes" on Pye Records. [5] [6] The song, however, failed to make any impact on the chart. A version of the song was then recorded by the Casuals based largely on the Bystanders' arrangement. This version was successful in many countries; in the UK it reached number two, kept off the number one spot by Mary Hopkin's "Those Were The Days". [7] A recording by Wilde appears on his album Diversions (1969). [8]

Reception

Paul Weller has described "Jesamine" as one of his favourite records. [7] It was one of the songs in his record collection that he discussed on the 8 February 1998 BBC Radio One edition of All Back to Mine, describing it as "a beautiful record", that he loved the melody, and found it "sad", "nostalgic" but "really inspiring". [9] He included it in the 2003 compilation of songs that influenced him, Under the Influence . [10]

Robin Carmody of Freaky Trigger praised the song's "charming, sun-kissed flight" and grouped it among other early British bubblegum pop songs, like the Love Affair's "Everlasting Love" (1967) and the Tremeloes' "Suddenly You Love Me" (1968) for their emerging sense of optimism, "not in a cloying or false way, but appealingly (and unreachably) pre-ironic." [1]

In 1969, "Jesamine" received the Ivor Novello Award for Most Romantic Song of the Year. [11]

Charts

Chart (196869)Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set) [12] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [13] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [14] 28
France [15] 62
Ireland (IRMA) [16] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] 8
New Zealand ( Listener Chart) [18] 1
Norway (VG-lista) [19] 6
UK Singles (OCC) [2] 2
West Germany (Official German Charts) [20] 9

Related Research Articles

Bubblegum is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, that evolved from garage rock, novelty songs, and the Brill Building sound, and which was also defined by its target demographic of preteens and young teenagers. The Archies' 1969 hit "Sugar, Sugar" was a representative example that led to cartoon rock, a short-lived trend of Saturday-morning cartoon series that heavily featured pop rock songs in the bubblegum vein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickie Most</span> English record producer and musician (1938–2003)

Michael Peter Hayes, known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate, Arrows, Racey and the Jeff Beck Group, often issued on his own RAK Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Hayward</span> British musician, lead singer and guitarist of the Moody Blues

David Justin Hayward is an English musician. He was the guitarist and frontman of the rock band the Moody Blues from 1966 until that group's dissolution in 2018. He became the group's principal vocalist and its most prolific songwriter over the 1967–1974 period, and composed several international hit singles for the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Wilde</span> British rock and roll singer (born 1939)

Marty Wilde, is a British singer and actor. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s and 1960s hit singles including "Endless Sleep", "Sea of Love" and "Bad Boy". During the late 1960s to early 1980s, Wilde continued to record and, with Ronnie Scott, co-wrote hit singles for others including the Casuals' "Jesamine" and Status Quo's "Ice in the Sun". He is the father of pop singer Kim Wilde and co-wrote many of her hit singles including "Kids in America" with his son Ricky. He continues to perform and record.

John Godfrey Owen "Paddy" Roberts was a British songwriter and singer who lived in Devon, England having previously been a lawyer and a pilot. He then joined BOAC and flew Lockheed Constellations for that airline in the late 1940s/1950s.

Man are a rock band from Wales.

<i>Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo</i> 1968 studio album by The Status Quo

Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo is the debut studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in September 1968. It features several covers, including "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Bloe</span>

Mr. Bloe was the name given to the musicians who performed the single "Groovin' with Mr. Bloe", which was a hit in 1970 in the UK for Dick James Music (DJM). These included Harry Pitch on harmonica, and Zack Laurence on piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids in America</span> 1981 single by Kim Wilde

"Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. Largely inspired by the synth-pop style of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and number one in Finland and South Africa, and charted in the top 10 of many European charts as well as Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached the top 40 in Canada and the United States. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Sweden; and has sold over three million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by many artists from different genres.

The Casuals were a British pop group from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. They are best known for their 1968 No. 2 UK hit song, "Jesamine".

<i>The Most of Lulu</i> 1971 compilation album by Lulu

The Most of Lulu is a compilation album by British pop singer Lulu, released in 1971. It was the first of Lulu's albums to chart in the UK, reaching No.15. It was released on the MfP budget record label, which the following year followed this up with The Most of Lulu Volume 2 - a re-release of 1969's Lulu's Album with one extra track. This compilation featured Lulu's hits from the late 1960s which had been released on the EMI label, therefore missing out her most well-known song "Shout".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach Baby</span> 1974 single by The First Class

"Beach Baby" is a song by the British band The First Class. Written by John Carter and his wife, Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare, the song became the band's only substantial hit. The subject of the lyrics is not holiday love, but a broken love relationship between two high school students in Los Angeles in the 1950s.

"Ice in the Sun" is a song by the band Status Quo. The track was recorded in 1968, and appeared on Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo, an album by Status Quo that was released in August that year.

Ronnie Scott was a British pop music promoter, group manager and songwriter; known primarily for hit songs co-written with Marty Wilde in the 1960s, and Steve Wolfe in the 1970s.

<i>Help Yourself</i> (Tom Jones album) 1968 studio album by Tom Jones

Help Yourself is the twelfth studio album by Welsh singer Tom Jones, released in November 1968 on Decca Records. The album included the title track which reached number 5 in the UK. The track topped the charts in Ireland, Germany, and spent three weeks at number on the Australian chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uno tranquillo</span> 1967 single by Riccardo Del Turco

"Uno tranquillo" is a song by Italian singer Riccardo Del Turco, released as a single in 1967. The song is notable for being covered in English as "Suddenly You Love Me" by the Tremeloes and in French as "Siffler sur la colline" by Joe Dassin.

This article is the discography of English rock and roll singer Marty Wilde, including releases with the Wildcats, as part of the Wilde Three and under various pseudonyms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow (The Marmalade song)</span> 1970 single by the Marmalade

"Rainbow" is a song by Scottish rock band the Marmalade, released as a single in June 1970. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Funny, Funny" is a song by British band the Sweet released in January 1971. It was the first single from their debut album Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be and became their first chart hit, peaking at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

"The Banner Man" is a 1971 song by the British pop band Blue Mink. The song managed to reach the top ten on the UK charts peaking at #3 in May 1971. It was released as a single with the B-side "Mind Your Business". The single was written by Blue Mink founders Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway.

References

  1. 1 2 Carmody, Robin (1 January 2002). "The Cottage Industry of Moments". Freaky Trigger. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 "The Casuals: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  3. 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (19 October 1968). "Marty is back, as songsmith". Evening Sentinel: 4. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. Carlin, Marcello (2011). The Blue in the Air. Zero Books. ISBN   9781846945960.
  5. "The BystandersWhen Jezamine Goes / Cave Of Clear Light". Discogs .
  6. Driver, Jim (2010). The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN   9781849014618.
  7. 1 2 Dunbavan, Peter (2017). An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters. ISBN   9781524633455.
  8. Diversion (liner). Marty Wilde. Philips. 1969.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. "All Back to Mine: Paul Weller". BBC Genome. 5 February 1998. Event occurs at 29'55"34'05". p. 114. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  10. "Track listing of Under the Influence". Amazon UK. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  11. "The Ivors 1969". The Ivors. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  12. "Go-Set Australian charts - 1 January 1969". Poparchives.com.au.
  13. "The Casuals – Jesamine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. "The Casuals – Jesamine" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  15. "Les Compagnons de la chanson". infordisc. Select "Casuals" from list
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Jesamine". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. "The Casuals – Jesamine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. "The Casuals (search)". Flavour of New Zealand.
  19. "The Casuals – Jesamine". VG-lista.
  20. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Casuals – Jesamine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.