| "Storm in a Teacup" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Fortunes | ||||
| from the album Storm in a Teacup | ||||
| B-side | "I'm Not Following You" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Capitol Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lyndsey Rubin and Ron Roker | |||
| The Fortunes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| Storm in a Teacup on YouTube | ||||
"Storm in a Teacup" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul (credited as Lynsey Rubin) and Ron Roker, [1] recorded by the British group The Fortunes and released as a single in 1972.
The recording was arranged by Lew Warburton and produced by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Rod Allen (The Fortunes bassist and vocalist) later spoke about De Paul and recalled "She was great. She kept popping into Cook's and Greenaway's office loaded with songs. One day she walked in with 'Storm' and Roger was knocked out." [2] Indeed, Cook was so knocked out that he recommended that The Fortunes record the song, with him and Greenway as the producers and an arrangement by Lew Warburton. [3]
Upon release the single reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 9 on the Irish Singles Chart (IRMA), [4] No.15 on the New Zealand singles chart [5] and No. 65 on the Australian Kent Music Report in 1972. It also spent two weeks in the Dutch Tipparade. [6] De Paul revealed to OK! magazine in a 1996 interview that it sold three million copies. [7] The song peaked at No. 11 on the Adelaide, Australia 5AD Official Top 40 on 12 May 1972. It was the 84th best selling single in the UK in 1972 [8] and ranked number 496 on the Radio Luxembourg Top 500 of the 1970s. [9]
The song is often played on BBC Radio, most recently on the BBC Radio 2 programme The Great British Songbook. [10] In his autobiography, John Lydon states that he loves "Storm in a Teacup", [11] actor and singer Bradley Walsh told NME it was the first song he remembers hearing and buying, [12] and actor John Challis stated that it was one of his favourite songs. [13] Scottish journalist Alastair McKay describes the song as "an extraordinary thing, a swirl of pop soul". [14] Storm in a Teacup was the name of The Fortunes album, also released in 1972 on the Capitol label. [15] Classic Rock History ranked it the best Fortunes song in their Top 10 Songs By The Fortunes, stating "This soulful pop-rock favorite would see The Fortunes record updated versions, first in 1979, then again in 1982, and yet again in 1994. Although nothing beats the original, “Storm in a Teacup” remains The Fortunes’ signature song." [16]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 9 |
| New Zealand [5] | 15 |
| UK [4] | 7 |
| Australia | 65 |
De Paul recorded her own version of the song as the B-side to her first single "Sugar Me" on the MAM record label a few months later. [17] The single was a hit in the UK, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Australia. This version has been included on a number of her compilation albums, starting with The World of Lynsey de Paul [18] and most recently on the CD Sugar and Beyond. [19] De Paul's version was also featured on the soundtrack of an episode of the German TV series Der Kommissar , entitled "Ein Mädchen nachts auf der Straße". [20] De Paul also performed a live version of the song on the prime time BBC TV show "The Two Ronnies". [21]
"Storm in a Teacup" has been covered by other artists, notably Springfield Revival on their 1973 album, Highlights, [22] the Tremeloes, [23] Tony Hatch and His Orchestra, [24] Alan Caddy Orchestra And Singers, [25] Steven Smith and Father, [26] Bob Rowe, [27] The Mike Morton Congregation, [28] Orchester Konrad Grewe, [29] Cliff Carpenter, [30] folk group "Just Us" on their self-titled album, [31] and also Manchester United F.C. in 1972, [32] (and in 1995 on the CD album Glory! Glory! Man. United). [33] Two Brazilian groups "The Futures" [34] and "Spirit Of Freedom", [35] recorded versions of the song. Danish singer Vojo released his version on his 1976 Polydor album "What a Difference a Day Makes" [36] and as the B-side to his single "Dear Son! Come Home For Christmas". [37]
Engelbert Humperdinck, de Paul's erstwhile label mate, performed his version of "Storm in a Teacup" on his show Engelbert with The Young Generation in 1972. [38] It was also performed by Cliff Richard on episode 13 of his "It's Cliff Richard" BBC TV show. [39]
A French language version of the song, entitled "Dans La Vie, Tout S'Arrange", [40] was recorded by Ginette Reno and released as a single in Canada in 1972, [41] where it peaked at #2 on the French-Canadian Top Ten. It was re-released as a single a second time in 1978 [42] and has been included on a number of Reno compilation albums. [43] The song is included in a listing of Quebec's best and most popular songs from the 1970's. [44] More recently, a version of "Dans La Vie, Tout S'Arrange" by Vanessa Duchel/Maxime L was featured on the album Star Académie 2009, from the Canadian reality TV series Star Académie . [45] [46] The album reached No.1 on the Billboard Canadian albums chart in April 2009. [47] On 18 April 2022, Roaddust Records announced the world-wide release of "Storm In a Teacup" by Thomas Engström as a single, [48] which was also included on his 2023 album, Pure Pop. [49]
In 1979 The Fortunes released the EP single "Movin' Out", written by Billy Joel, which featured a new version of "Storm in a Teacup" as the second track on the B-side. [50] This was followed by the 1982 release by The Fortunes of a new and updated version of the song, taken from their album Their Golden Hits, as a single on the Phillips. [51] [52] [53] [54] De Paul also recorded an updated version of the song as a track on her 1994 album, Just a Little Time . [55]
Lynsey de Paul was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song. She represented the UK in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second and scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland, and had a successful career as a songwriter, record producer, actress and television celebrity.
Ginette Reno is a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician.
Thunderthighs were a British backing vocal group, who released records in their own right.
Ronald Ernest Alfred Roker is an English songwriter, singer and record producer.
"Rock Bottom" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in English by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran. It was also written and produced by de Paul and Moran and released on the Polydor record label. Originally it was written for the group Blue Mink; and submitted unbeknown to de Paul and Moran as an entry for A Song For Europe by the publishers; when it was selected, de Paul agreed to perform the song if Moran would join her. On 9 March 1977, "Rock Bottom" was selected to represent the UK at the A Song for Europe 1977 event held at the New London Theatre, presented by Terry Wogan.
"No, Honestly" is a song written, performed and produced by Lynsey de Paul, that was the theme for London Weekend Television's comedy series of the same name, although the single release was a slightly different version from that used for the TV theme.
"My Man and Me" is a song written, recorded and produced by the British female singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul for her second album, Taste Me... Don't Waste Me, and released as a single backed with de Paul's smoochy version of "Dancing on a Saturday Night" on 21 February 1975.
"Strange Changes" is a song that was co-written by Lynsey de Paul and Sue Shifrin, the former wife of David Cassidy and that is listed in the ACE database of ASCAP songs and also in the MusicBrainz database.
"School Love" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, which was recorded by Blue and released as his third single on Bell Records in 1974. It reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 3 on the Danish charts, No. 9 on the Rhodesian charts No. 24 on the Australian GoSet chart and No. 31 in the Australian Kent Music Report chart, making it Blue's last international hit, although he would go on to have another two UK hit singles later that year. It also reached No. 4 on the Radio Northsea Toppers 20 on 15 March 1974 and No. 5 on the Hessische Rundfunk Hitparade International chart.
"All I Am" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Susan Sheridan. It was first released as an album track on Candles, the 1980 Billboard charting album from the soul group, Heatwave. Band member Johnnie Wilder, Jr. revealed that he invited de Paul to contribute the track. It was also released as the B-side to the Heatwave single "Dreamin' You" released in 1980 in Australia. This version has also been released on the Heatwave compilation album Maximum Heat, as well as on the compilation albums The Love Box II: 75 Love Song Sensations, "Hits of the Year 3", "Greatest Slow Legendary" and "Do You Remember This". In 2010, it was released as a track on the expanded and remastered CD version of Candles. It ranked number 7 in the Indonesian top 100 "JazzyTunes songs" chart.
Surprise is the first album released by Lynsey de Paul on the MAM record label in 1973. In Australia, the album name was changed to Sugar Me, after de Paul's first hit single. All of the songs on the album were written or co-written by de Paul. On the album, de Paul was accompanied by some of the UK's leading session musicians including Terry Cox, Ralph McTell, Ray Cooper, Jeff Daly, John Gustafson, Chris Rae, Danny Thompson, Gary Boyle, Barry de Souza, Dick Katz, Robert Kirby, Francis Monkman, John Richardson and violinist Johnny Van Derrick. The album front cover is a portrait photo of de Paul photographed by Clive Arrowsmith, and a gatefold sleeve with illustrations provided by de Paul, a nod to her previous career of designing album sleeves and song lyrics.
"Sugar Me" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Green. The first version of this song to be released was recorded by de Paul as her first single on MAM Records in 1972. It was produced by Gordon Mills and the B-side was de Paul's version of "Storm in a Teacup", a song she had co-written and had been a hit for the Fortunes earlier that year.
"Papa Do" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, who are credited as Rubin and Green. The song was released as a single performed by Barry Green in February 1972 backed with "Boomerang" on the Decca label and had a modicum of chart success in Spain, France and Sweden. It received a number of favourable reviews, including one from the BBC DJ Alan Freeman on his Sunday radio show Pick of the Pops. The Dutch group, Cardinal Point, recorded a version which was similar in style to that recorded by Green, as a track on their self-named album, and the Greek group, The Daltons, also released a version of the song as a single. The song was re-titled "Mama Do" and the text slightly modified for de Paul's own jazzed up version, that served as the opening track for her debut album, Surprise, which was released in 1973. In January 1974, Decca Records re-released the single to capitalize on Barry Blue's chart success and it again received positive reviews.
"Hollywood Romance" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and David Jordan. It was released as a single on Polydor Records on 20 October 1978 in a picture sleeve, almost six years to the day after the release of their last hit collaboration "Getting a Drag", and it was play-listed on BBC Radio 1. The record label for this single was unusual in that it was printed in silver instead of the usual Polydor red label. The release was announced in a full page advert "Hollywood Romance - a new single from a very special lady" published in Music Week. In Japan, it was released in February 1979 in the same picture sleeve cover with the title in Japanese added, plus the lyrics were included on the back cover. It was listed as a major release in Hong Kong. It was also released as a track on the 1978 BBC transcription album Servicio Latinoamericano de la BBC vol. 44 together with "Don't Take Love for Granted" by Lulu and "Got to Get You into My Life" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
"House of Cards" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue and is one of their most covered songs. It was first released as a single by Chris Kelly on the CBS label on 7 April 1972, credited as being written by Rubin and Green (Blue). The song was a radio hit in Italy, receiving multiple plays on national radio stations.
"So Good to You" is a song that was written by Lynsey de Paul, and first released by Zakatek as the B-side to his 1973 single, "I Gotcha Now", which also penned by de Paul. The single was released on 2 March 1973 and both songs were produced and arranged by de Paul. Her own version appeared in October 1973 as the B-side to her award-winning single "Won't Somebody Dance with Me", which was arranged by Christopher Gunning and produced by de Paul. In Japan and some South American countries, however, "So Good to You" was released as the A-side of the single release with "Won't Somebody Dance with Me" being relegated to the B-side on its release in 1974. AllMusic lists "So Good to You" as one of De Paul's song highlights. It was also a radio hit in Italy and ranks as one of de Paul's biggest songs there according to Radiocorriere magazine. It is still played on radio stations around the world.
Love Bomb is the fourth album released in 1975 by the British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul, and her second album released on Jet Records in the UK and Polydor in Germany, Australia and Japan. In the US and Canada, it was released in January 1976 on Mercury Records. The album was recorded at the Marquee Studios, London, England, produced by de Paul and arranged by Tony Hymas, with Terry Cox playing drums, John Dean percussion, Chris Rea guitar and Frank McDonald bass. The striking sleeve cover photo of de Paul in U.S. military style clothing was taken by Brian Aris.
Just a Little Time is an album by Lynsey de Paul. It was originally released on 30 September 1994 on the Music Deluxe label but has since been released on the Tring International PLC label and on Arc Records/The Magic Collection. All of the songs on the album are written or co-written by de Paul.
"All Night" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker. De Paul released her version of the song on 27 April 1973 as her third single released on MAM Records, with arrangements by Martyn Ford and John Bell and produced by de Paul. The song is listed in the U.S. Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries and in "The Directory of American 45 R.p.m. Records". It features an uncredited male vocal. A slinky, sexy song, it compares a love relationship to that of the spider and a fly. The single is backed by the more socially aware song "Blind Leading the Blind", composed and produced by de Paul. The song was an unusual release since neither the A-side or the B-side featured as tracks on her debut album. Surprise had been released a little more than a month earlier - presumably it was not included since "All Night" has a very different style than the tracks on Surprise.
"Taking It On" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Ron Roker, and originally published by ATV Music. Although de Paul recorded her own demo version of the song in 1972, her version of the song was not released until 2013 on her Anthology CD album Sugar and Beyond. De Paul also arranged and produced this recording.
