This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2016) |
Town Without Pity is a song written by composer Dimitri Tiomkin and lyricist Ned Washington. The track, produced by Aaron Schroeder, [1] was originally recorded by Gene Pitney for the 1961 film of the same title. In the US, the Gene Pitney recording went to #13 on the Hot 100. [2]
This tragic song, in the key of B Minor, first ends the chorus in D Major, before going up a key in the refrain to C Minor, with the coda ending the song in the same minor key.
In 1962, the song received a Golden Globe Award for Best Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song (losing to "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's ).
Pitney also recorded versions in German (lyrics by Frank Zieboltz [3] ), entitled "Bleibe bei mir" ("Stay With Me") and Italian, entitled "Città Spietata". Many artists and bands have recorded cover versions over the years since its release, including:
Year | Performer | Album |
---|---|---|
1966 | Danny Williams | Only Love |
1967 | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Sounds Like... |
1978 | Ronnie Montrose | Open Fire |
1980 | Paul Warren & Explorer | Takin' Her Back |
1982 | The Nylons | One Size Fits All |
1987 | Mathilde Santing | Out Of This Dream |
1988 | Thin White Rope | Red Sun |
1989 | The Dickies | Second Coming |
1990 | The Stray Cats | Let's Go Faster! |
1992 | Zen for Primates | Albatross [4] |
1992 | Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords | Town Without Pity (single) |
1993 | Neil Zaza | Thrills & Chills |
1996 | Eddi Reader | Candyfloss and Medicine |
1996 | The Brian Setzer Orchestra | Guitar Slinger |
1999 | Mandy Barnett | A Walk on the Moon (film soundtrack) |
2001 | Snakeman Show | Radio Snakeman Show, Vol. 1 [5] |
2001 | The Quiets | Take a flight with The Quiets [6] |
2004 | Los Straitjackets | Play Favorites |
2006 | Richie Cole & The Alto Madness Orchestra | Risë's Rose Garden [7] |
2007 | Vidar Busk & The Voo Doodz | Jookbox Charade |
Gene Pitney also recorded a German version of the song entitled Bleibe bei mir (lyrics: Frank Zieboltz) and an Italian version entitled Città Spietata.
Rock Guitarist Ronnie Montrose released an instrumental cover of the song in 1978 with Edgar Winter producing. The American rock band Thin White Rope released the song on their 1988 album Red Sun. [10] John Travolta and Kirstie Alley say the song in the 1989 romantic comedy Look Who's Talking! The Dickies, an American punk band from California, also included the song in their program in 1989 [11] as did the band Stray Cats [12] in 1990. American melodic guitarist Neil Zaza covered the song in 1993. [13] Eddi Reader's version of Town Without Pity spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in 1996. She released the song on her album Candyfloss and Medicine. [14] Country singer Mandy Barnett also recorded the song in 1999. [15]
The American surf rock band Los Straitjackets from Nashville covered the song in 2004, [16] and modern jazz alto saxophonist Richie Cole included Town Without Pity in his program in 2006. [17] The Norwegian blues guitarist Vidar Busk also recorded the song in 2007. [18] Lilli Passero released the song on her eponymous album in 2017. [19]
Gene Francis Alan Pitney was an American singer, songwriter and musician.
Ned Washington was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 29, 1992. The third annual Treehouse of Horror episode, it features segments in which Homer buys Bart an evil talking doll, Homer is a giant ape which is captured by Mr. Burns in a parody of the 1933 version of King Kong, and Bart and Lisa inadvertently cause zombies to attack Springfield.
Beat-Club is a West German music programme that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, West Germany on Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen, the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its members, Radio Bremen, later co-produced by WDR following the 38th episode.
"Night Time Is the Right Time" or "The Right Time" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by American musician Nappy Brown in 1957. It draws on earlier blues songs and has inspired popular versions, including those by Ray Charles, Rufus and Carla, and James Brown, which reached the record charts. Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded a version of the song on their 1969 album, Green River. The Animals also included a version of the song on their debut album The Animals, released in 1964.
Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords were a 1990s British rock band, featuring The Damned's Dave Vanian on vocals. The band's style is a fusion of rockabilly and gothic rock, which has been classified as gothabilly. They performed a mixture of covers and new material.
Now is the third studio album released by The Tubes. It was produced by John Anthony. Fed up with constant meddling from Bud Scoppa and Don Wood under the direction of Bill Spooner including surreptitiously remixing a track when Anthony was not at the studio, Anthony was advised to leave the project by Jerry Moss. The head of A&M A&R Kip Cohen said that they took advantage of Anthony and believed that they overran the budget to increase their union fees. Bill Spooner took over and completed the project with the help of the engineer Wood and Scoppa.
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.
Town Without Pity is a 1961 American/Swiss/West German international co-production drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. Produced by The Mirisch Corporation, the film stars Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rütting, Christine Kaufmann, and E. G. Marshall.
Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack of the 1988 John Waters film, Hairspray.
Prentice John Delaney Jr., better known as Sean Delaney, was an American musician, producer, road manager and songwriter, best known for his work with the rock band KISS from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. He is largely credited with developing their choreography onstage, and co-wrote many songs with Paul Stanley, including "Mr. Speed", "Makin' Love", and "Take Me" from the 1976 album Rock and Roll Over, and "All American Man" from the studio side of the 1977 album Alive II.
Aaron Harold Schroeder was an American songwriter and music publisher.
"Black Is Black" is a song by the Spanish rock band Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group's debut single for Decca Records. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, it reached number two in the UK, number four in the US, and number one in Canada. With the recording's success, Los Bravos became the first Spanish rock band to have an international hit single. A dance remix was released as a single in 1986.
Open Fire is the debut studio album by American musician, guitarist and session musician Ronnie Montrose, released in 1978. The album contains jazz, rock and acoustic music concepts similar to those of Blow by Blow (1975) by Jeff Beck.
Second Coming is the fourth studio album by punk band The Dickies. The album contained covers of "Hair" and Gene Pitney's "Town Without Pity."
Lift Off with Ayshea is a British TV show, produced by Granada Television for the ITV network, and starring Ayshea Brough, which ran for 122 editions spanning eight series, between November 1969 and December 1974.
"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.
The Many Sides of Gene Pitney is the debut album of Gene Pitney, released on the Musicor label in 1962. It was mostly a collection of previously released singles. Among them was "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" which charted at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 4, 1961 and was on the charts for eight weeks. The song "Every Breath I Take" charted as high as #42 on September 16, 1961, and was on the charts for eight weeks. "Town Without Pity" rose as high as #13 on January 27, 1962 and was on the charts for 19 weeks. It also features two songs that Pitney had previously written for Ricky Nelson, "Hello Mary Lou" and "Today's Teardrops"; the latter also recorded by Roy Orbison.
Gene Italiano is American singer Gene Pitney's eighth album, and first foreign language album, released on the Musicor label in 1964. The album features a number of Pitney's biggest early hits recorded in Italian, including "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa", "Town Without Pity" and "Only Love Can Break a Heart".
"Lucky Star" is a 1961 song by Dave Burgess, first recorded as a B-side by Ricky Nelson but better known in the A-side version by Gene Vincent.