| "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnnie & Joe | ||||
| B-side | "My Baby's Gone, On, On" | |||
| Released | April 1957 | |||
| Genre | R&B, doo wop | |||
| Length | 2:15 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rex Garvin | |||
| Johnnie & Joe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Over the Mountain; Across the Sea" is a song written by Rex Garvin. [1] The song was a hit for Johnnie & Joe in 1957 and Bobby Vinton in 1963.
"Over the Mountain; Across the Sea" was originally released by Johnnie & Joe in 1957. Johnnie & Joe's version reached No. 8 on Billboard 's "Top 100 Sides" chart, [2] No. 3 on Billboard's chart of "R&B Best Sellers in Stores", [3] and No. 6 on Billboard 's chart of "Most Played R&B by Jockeys". [4]
Bobby Vinton released a cover of the song in 1963. Vinton's version spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 21, [5] while reaching No. 8 on Billboard 's Middle-Road Singles chart, [6] [7] and No. 2 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade. [8]
Other versionsSkip & Flip released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1962 single "One More Drink for Julie". [9]
In popular cultureThe song was briefly played at the ending of La Bamba, just before the radio announced the death of Ritchie Valens. The Bobby Vinton cover of the song features at the beginning of the 2021 film, Godzilla vs. Kong. In a Volkswagen commercial, a lighthouse keeper while getting his mail plays the song while driving to and from the mailbox. Related Research Articles Stanley Robert Vinton is an American singer, celebrity, and actor, who hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One of his most popular songs is "Blue Velvet" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, No. 1 in Canada, and number 2 in the UK in 1990.  "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. "Tell Me Why" is a popular song written by Marty Gold with the lyrics by Al Alberts. The song was published in 1951.  "Diana" is a song written and first performed by Paul Anka, who recorded it in May 1957 at Don Costa’s studio in New York City. Anka stated in his autobiography that the song was inspired by a girl named Diana Ayoub, whom he had met at his church and community events, and had developed a crush on. Session musicians on the record included George Barnes playing lead guitar, Bucky Pizzarelli playing the "Calypso" riff on guitar, Irving Wexler on piano, Jerry Bruno on bass, and Panama Francis on drums. The song was recorded in May 1957 at RCA Victor Studios in New York. Backup singers included Artie Ripp. "Blue Velvet" is a popular song written and composed in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. A top 20 hit for Tony Bennett in its original 1951 version, the song has since been re-recorded many times, with a 1963 version by Bobby Vinton reaching No. 1.  "Sealed with a Kiss" is a song written and composed by Peter Udell and Gary Geld. The original recording of "Sealed with a Kiss" was by the Four Voices which was released as a single in May 1960 without becoming a hit. It first became a hit in 1962 for Brian Hyland. Jason Donovan later had an international number one hit with the song in 1989.  "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.  "My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957. Johnnie & Joe were an American R&B vocal duo from The Bronx, New York, United States, who were best known for their 1957 hit "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea."  "Roses Are Red (My Love)" is a popular song composed by Al Byron and Paul Evans. It was recorded by Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra, in New York City in February 1962, and released in April 1962, and the song was his first hit. "There! I've Said It Again" is a popular song written and published by Redd Evans and David Mann in 1941. In early 1945, Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra released Victor 20-1637, which reached the number one position on the Billboard's National Radio Airplay chart for five straight weeks, then no.2 for six more weeks, and a total run of 29 weeks. It finished 1945 as the no. 4 record of the year.  The Greatest Hits of the Golden Groups: Bobby Vinton Sings the Goodies! is Bobby Vinton's fifth studio album, released in 1963. This album contains cover songs that were hits during the 1950s for the following artists: the Rays, the Penguins, the Platters, the Five Satins, Bobby Helms, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Moonglows, Lee Andrews & the Hearts, the Heartbeats and Jesse Belvin. All of the tracks on this album were recorded in Nashville. "Over the Mountain " is the album's only single. All of the songs on this album were later include in the collection Bobby Vinton Sings the Golden Decade of Love.  "Hurt" is a 1954 song by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs. "Hurt" was originally performed by Roy Hamilton, whose version peaked at number eight on the R&B Best Seller chart and spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. A version by Ricky Denell also received considerable radio airplay in 1954 on pop radio stations. The song is considered to be the signature hit of Timi Yuro, whose version went to number four on the Billboard pop chart in 1961. Elvis Presley’s 1976 version reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. Juice Newton's 1985 version scored number one on Billboard's Country chart. Rex Garvin was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, keyboard player and arranger. His writing credits include the 1957 US chart hit "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea", by Johnnie and Joe, and his own 1966 recording "Sock It To 'Em J.B.", later recorded by The Specials. "Lonely Street" is a 1956 song written by Carl Belew, Kenny Sowder, and W.S. Stevenson, originally performed by Belew, and later by Dave Rich. "Please Love Me Forever" is a song written by John Malone and Ollie Blanchard. The song was originally released by Tommy Edwards in 1958. Hit versions were later released by Cathy Jean and the Roommates in 1960 and Bobby Vinton in 1967. "My Heart Belongs to Only You" is a song written by Frank Daniels & Dorothy Daniels. Bette McLaurin and June Christy both released versions of the song in 1952. In 1953, the song reached No. 27 on Cash Box's chart of "The Nation's Top 50 Best Selling Records", in a tandem ranking of June Christy, Bette McLaurin, these versions were marked as bestsellers. "Long Lonely Nights" is a song that was originally released by Lee Andrews & the Hearts in 1957. Hit versions were also released by Clyde McPhatter, later in 1957, and Bobby Vinton in 1965. The song was written by Lee Andrews, though Larry Brown, Doug Henderson, and Mimi Uniman were given songwriter credit as well, in a practice that was common at the time. "He Understands Me" is a song released in 1963 by Teresa Brewer. The song was a hit single for Johnny Tillotson in 1964, retitled "She Understands Me", and Bobby Vinton in 1966, retitled "Dum-De-Da". "The Wah-Watusi" is a song written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell and performed by The Orlons. It reached No.2 on the U.S. pop chart behind Bobby Vinton's "Roses Are Red ", No.5 on the U.S. R&B chart, and No. 12 in Canada in 1962. It was featured on their 1962 album The Wah-Watusi. References
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
