"Oh! Carol" | ||||
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Single by Neil Sedaka | ||||
from the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits | ||||
B-side | "One Way Ticket (To the Blues)" | |||
Released | 1959 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:15 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield | |||
Neil Sedaka singles chronology | ||||
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"Oh! Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1958, and recorded by Sedaka.
The song is noted for Sedaka's spoken recitation of the verse, the second time around. It was written explicitly as a sound-alike to other popular hit records of the era, after his previous single had sold so poorly that his record label threatened to drop him if his next record was not a hit. [1]
It spent 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 9 on December 6, 1959, [2] while reaching No. 3 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. [3] It also earned Sedaka his first No. 1 ranking when it went to No. 1 in the Netherlands and Wallonia. [4] After its release as a single, it was included in the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits .
"Carol" was a reference to Carol Klein, Sedaka's ex-girlfriend from high school and a fellow songwriter at the Brill Building. She had since married Gerry Goffin, who took the tune, and wrote the playful response "Oh! Neil", which she recorded and released as an unsuccessful single the same year (1959) under the stage name Carole King. [5] [6] [7] [8]
The B-side song, "One Way Ticket", also earned Sedaka a No. 1 ranking in Japan for several months in 1960.
Chart (1959-1960) | Peak position |
---|---|
Argentina | 1 |
Belgium (Flanders) [4] | 2 |
Belgium (Wallonia) [4] | 1 |
Brazil | 1 |
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) [9] | 4 |
France (IFOP) [10] | 34 |
Italy [11] | 2 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] | 1 |
Norway (VG-lista) [4] | 9 |
UK (New Musical Express) | 3 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
US Billboard Hot R&B Sides [13] | 27 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [14] | 5 |
West Germany [4] | 25 |
Region | Sales |
---|---|
Italy | 100,000 [15] |
Neil Sedaka is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Cody.
Gerald Goffin was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Take Good Care of My Baby", "The Loco-Motion", and "Go Away Little Girl". It was later said of Goffin that his gift was "to find words that expressed what many young people were feeling but were unable to articulate."
"You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, Tapestry (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians.
Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building. He is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and near-simultaneous songwriting partnerships with Jack Keller and Helen Miller throughout most of the 1960s.
"It's Too Late" is a song from American singer-songwriter Carole King's second studio album, Tapestry (1971). Toni Stern wrote the lyrics and King wrote the music. It was released as a single in April 1971 and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. Sales were later platinum-certified by the RIAA. Billboard ranked "It's Too Late" and its fellow A-side, "I Feel the Earth Move", as the No. 3 record for 1971.
"Dream Lover" is a song written by American musician Bobby Darin. Darin recorded his composition on March 5, 1959 and released it as a single the following month. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd.
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles; released as a single that November, it became the first song by an African-American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since been recorded by many other artists, including King on her 1971 album Tapestry.
"Laughter in the Rain" is a song composed and recorded by Neil Sedaka, with lyrics by Phil Cody. It includes a 20-second saxophone solo by Jim Horn. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1975.
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two significantly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature song. Between 1970 and 1975, it was a top-40 hit three separate times for three separate artists: Lenny Welch, The Partridge Family and Sedaka's second version. The song was also adapted into multiple languages, most notably in Italian and French.
"Son of My Father" is a song popularised in 1972 by Chicory Tip.
"My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000. After rejections by Capitol and Atlantic Records, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label, Larry Uttal, wanted only Valli's name on the label. It is from the album Closeup. The single was released in the US in November 1974 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. "My Eyes Adored You" also went to number 2 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1975.
"One Fine Day" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It first became a popular hit in the summer of 1963 for American girl group the Chiffons, who reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1980, King covered it herself and charted at No. 12 on the Hot 100 with her version, becoming her last top 40 hit. The song has subsequently been covered by numerous artists over the years.
"Venus in Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded that year by Jimmy Clanton and reached No. 7 on the Billboard charts, and No. 5 on the CHUM Chart in Canada.
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was released as a 45 rpm single and appeared on Sedaka's 1960 album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits.
"Crying My Heart Out for You" was the third single of Neil Sedaka immediately following the success of his debut single "The Diary" and follow-up single "I Go Ape." The hit written by Neil Sedaka was released in 1959 reaching No. 111 on the US Billboard Chart. It was more successful in Italy, where the record hit No. 6. The record's commercial failure nearly prompted RCA Records to drop Sedaka from its roster; after Sedaka begged the company for a second chance, he took the opportunity to analyze the popular music of the day and wrote "Oh! Carol," beginning a five-year string of hit singles that would continue until the British Invasion.
"Run Samson Run" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and sung by Neil Sedaka. It appears on his album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits. The song was included in Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits (1959–1963).
The following is a comprehensive discography of Neil Sedaka, the American singer.
"It Hurts to Be in Love" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Helen Miller which was a Top Ten hit in 1964 for Gene Pitney. It was one in a long line of successful "Brill Building Sound" hits created by composers and arrangers working in New York City's Brill Building at 1619 Broadway.
"I Can't Stay Mad at You" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was originally recorded by American country artist Skeeter Davis, becoming her second top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. "I Can't Stay Mad at You" followed on the popular success of Davis' earlier 1963 crossover hit "The End of the World". The song was one of the first Goffin-King compositions to be recorded by a country music performer.
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