| "Kon-Tiki" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Shadows | ||||
| B-side | "36-24-36" | |||
| Released | 1 September 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 27 January 1961 [1] | |||
| Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Instrumental surf | |||
| Length | 1:51 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Carr [2] | |||
| Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor [2] | |||
| The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Kon-Tiki" is an instrumental tune by British group the Shadows, released as a single in September 1961. It was the group's fifth hit and their second to top the UK Singles Chart. [3]
"Kon-Tiki" was written by Michael Carr, who had previously written "Man of Mystery" for the group. It refers to the raft used by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on his 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. [4] It was released with the B-side "36-24-36", which was written by the four Shadows members. [5]
7": Columbia / DB 4698
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [7] | 35 |
| France [8] | 7 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) [9] | 29 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [10] | 5 |
| Norway (VG-lista) [11] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [3] | 1 |
The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre-Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.
"Blue Turns to Grey" is a song that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The song first appeared in February 1965 when both Dick and Dee Dee and The Mighty Avengers released versions of it as singles. Another version was released shortly thereafter by Tracey Dey on Amy Records. On Dey's single, the label credits the song to "K. Richard-A. Oldham"—Oldham being the surname of the Rolling Stones' then-manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham. It was released by The Rolling Stones on their 1965 US-only album December's Children later that year. On this album, "Blue Turns to Grey" as well as "The Singer Not the Song" features Brian Jones on a 12-string electric guitar and Keith on a 6-string. It did not see a UK release until the 1971 compilation album Stone Age.
"Travellin' Light" is a UK No. 1 single recorded by Cliff Richard and The Shadows and released in 1959. It was the follow-up single to Richard's first No. 1, "Living Doll" and remained at No. 1 for five weeks. "Travellin' Light" was also a Number 1 hit in Ireland and Norway, selling 1.59 million copies worldwide. It was Richard's last single of the 1950s and his first release after the Shadows had changed their name from the Drifters.
"The Young Ones" is a single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. The song, written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, is the title song to the 1961 film The Young Ones and its soundtrack album.
"Foot Tapper" is an instrumental by British guitar group the Shadows, released as a single in February 1963. It went to number one in the UK Singles Chart, and was the Shadows' last UK number-one hit.
"Dance On!" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in December 1962. It went to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. A vocal version, with lyrics by Marcel Stellman, was recorded by British female vocalist Kathy Kirby, whose version reached number 11 on the UK chart in September 1963.
"I Love You" is the fourth UK number-one hit single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. It was written by the Shadows' rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch. Released in November 1960, it was a Christmas No. 1 and stayed at the chart summit for two weeks, although it did not carry a traditional holiday theme. The song also reached No. 1 in New Zealand. and also India.
"Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded and released as a single by The Shadows in February 1962. It stayed at number one for eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, a feat only Elvis Presley, the Shadows and the Archies managed in the whole of the 1960s.
"Diamonds" is an instrumental composed by Jerry Lordan and first released as a single by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan in January 1963. It became a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top of the chart.
"F.B.I." is an instrumental rock tune recorded by the British group the Shadows and released as a single in February 1961. It spent 19 weeks in the UK Singles Chart reaching number 6 in mid-February and mid-March 1961.
The solo discography of British rock group the Shadows consists of 21 studio albums, five live albums, 25 EPs and 67 singles. They are known for having been the backing group for Cliff Richard in the 1950s and 1960s; however, they were also extremely successful without Richard, and had several number-one hits, notably their first "Apache" in 1960.
Spotlight on The Shadows is an EP by The Shadows, released in February 1962. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number Columbia SEG 8135. Spotlight on The Shadows was the UK number-one EP for 8 weeks, having two separate stints at the top of the chart from March to May 1962.
"Theme for Young Lovers" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in February 1964. It peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Atlantis" is a rock music instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in May 1963. It spent 17 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two for two weeks.
"The War Lord" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in November 1965. It peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Savage" is an instrumental track by British group the Shadows, released as a single in November 1961. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Man of Mystery" is an instrumental rock piece by the Shadows, released as a single in November 1960. It peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Guitar Tango" is a song originally recorded in French in 1961 as "Guitare-Tango". It was written by Georges Liferman, Norman Maine and Jacques Plaint and there were versions recorded by Dario Moreno, Tino Rossi and Maya Casabianca. However, the song is best known for the instrumental version released the following year by British group the Shadows which peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Shindig" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in September 1963. It peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Geronimo" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in November 1963. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.
