Playground in My Mind

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"Playground in My Mind"
Playground in My Mind - Clint Holmes.jpg
Single by Clint Holmes
B-side "There's No Future in My Future"
Released21 June 1972 [1]
Recorded1972
Genre Pop [2] [3]
Length2:55
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss
Producer(s) Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss

"Playground in My Mind" is a 1972 single by Clint Holmes. It was written by Paul Vance with Lee Pockriss, and is a nursery rhyme-styled song which features a duet with record producer Vance's seven-year-old son Philip, who sang on the chorus, as Michael. [4] [5]

Contents

Background

"Playground in My Mind" had first been recorded by Billy Lawrence (II) in 1971 as "Playground In My Mind (Mama, Je T'aime)" on Atlantic Records, but failed to chart. Holmes' better known version was released in the U.S. in June 1972 but did not reach the Hot 100 chart until 24 March 1973, whereupon it rose to #2 on 16–23 June 1973, behind "My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings. [6] The single stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. [7] The song was granted gold disc status by the R.I.A.A. on 3 July 1973. [7]

The release went one better in Canada, topping the RPM 100 national singles charts there for three consecutive weeks in the same year (23 June - 7 July). [8] On the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, "Playground in My Mind" reached #1.

The following account was given in the autobiography, Johnny Holliday: From Rock to Jock: [9]

I also helped break a record at WWDC. It was a tune called "Playground of My Mind," written by Paul Vance, whom I had known from my WINS days in the Big Apple. Clint Holmes, an excellent talent just waiting to be discovered, recorded it. Clint had found his local audience at Mr. Day's in Georgetown and various other D.C. nightspots. When Clint's record promoter dropped the single off at WWDC, we just jumped all over it. It became a hit overnight.

Chart history

Cover versions

See also

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References

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  2. Pitzonka, Bill (2001). "The Cuff Links and Street People". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 61–62.
  3. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1996). "Jiffy Pop: Novelty Records". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 117. ISBN   031214704X.
  4. "Obituaries for famous (and not so famous) musicians". Maximumink.com. January 2010. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  5. "Philip Vance Obituary - Legacy.com". Legacy.com. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  6. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.  314. ISBN   0-214-20512-6.
  8. 1 2 "Archived copy". Library and Archives Canada . Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2017-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Holliday, Johnny (2002). Johnny Holliday: From Rock to Jock. Sports Publishing LLC. p.  92. ISBN   158261461X.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 141. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. "Archived copy". Library and Archives Canada . Archived from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2017-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Flavour of New Zealand, 27 August 1973
  13. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 111.
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  15. "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. February 8, 2017.
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  17. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2017.