Telstar (song)
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| “Telstar” | |||||
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German picture sleeve
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| Single by The Tornados | |||||
| B-side | "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) | ||||
| Released | 17 August 1962 (UK) 1962 (USA) |
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| Format | vinyl record (7") | ||||
| Recorded | 1962 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:15 | ||||
| Label | Decca Records (UK) London Records (USA) |
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| Writer(s) | Joe Meek | ||||
| Producer | Joe Meek | ||||
| The Tornados singles chronology | |||||
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| Music sample | |||||
Telstar - clip - is a 1962 instrumental record performed by The Tornados. It was the first single by a British band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was also a number one hit in the UK. The record was named after the AT&T communications satellite Telstar, which went into orbit in July 1962. The song was released five weeks later on 17 August 1962. It was written and produced by Joe Meek, and featured a clavioline, a keyboard instrument with a distinctive electronic sound.
This novelty record was intended to evoke the dawn of the space age, complete with sound effects that were meant to sound "space-like". A popular story at the time of the record's release was that the weird distortions and background noise came from sending the signal up to the Telstar satellite and re-recording it back on Earth. However, is more likely that the effects were created in Meek's recording studio, which was a small flat above a shop in London. It has been claimed that the sounds intended to symbolize radio signals were produced by Meek running a pen around the rim of an ashtray, and that the "rocket blastoff" at the start of the record was actually a flushing toilet, with the recordings made to sound exotic by playing the tape in reverse at various speeds.
The record was an immediate hit after its release on August 17, 1962, remaining in the UK pop charts for twenty-five weeks, five of them at number one, and in the American charts for sixteen weeks.
A French composer, Jean Ledrut, dubiously accused Joe Meek of plagiarism, claiming that the tune of Telstar had been copied from Le Marche d'Austerlitz, a piece from a score that Ledrut had written for the 1960 film Austerlitz. This led to a lawsuit that prevented Meek from receiving royalties from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in Meek's favour until a year after his death in 1967. It is unlikely that Meek was aware of Austerlitz, as it had been released only in France at the time. Telstar won an Ivor Novello Award and is estimated to have sold at least five million copies worldwide.
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[edit] Production details
- Joe Meek: composer, producer
- The Tornados: Clem Cattini (drums), Alan Caddy (lead guitar), Roger LaVern (additional keyboards), George Bellamy (rhythm guitar), Heinz Burt (bass)
- Geoff Goddard: Clavioline (on both sides), plus subtle vocals towards the end of Telstar
- Dave Adams: transcription of Meek's composition recording
Studio: RGM Sound, 304 Holloway Road, London, England
[edit] "Magic Star" - the vocal version
"Magic Star" (Meek) / "The Wonderful Story Of Love" (Goddard) by Kenny Hollywood (Decca F11546 7" single, musical director: Ivor Raymonde), released in later in 1962, was Joe Meek's vocal version of his international hit "Telstar"[1]
This song was covered by Margie Singleton in January 1963 ("Magic Star" b/w "Only Your Shadow Knows" (Mercury 72079).
Two spanish vocal versions were released by Alberto Cortez and The Latin Quartet, titled "Magica Estrella."
[edit] Firsts
"Telstar" was the first U.S. Number One by a British group. Up to that point, and since World War II, there had only been three British names that topped the U.S. chart: In May of 1962 "Stranger on the Shore" by clarinetist Mr. Acker Bilk; the second was "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London (1958), whilst the first was "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn (1952). See list below:
[edit] Additional information
- In the movie The Prophecy 3: The Ascent, the angel Gabriel, played by Christopher Walken, plays trumpet to this song while driving on the highway.
- The WFMU Radio Show Seven Second Delay used this song as a theme song. It was picked by a listener who won a contest to pick the theme song during one of WFMU's pledge drives in 2001. They used it as a theme for one year, up through early 2002.
- A "sound-alike" of this song appears in Strangers with Candy (film). According to the Audio commentary for the film, they were unsuccessful in getting the rights to the actual song.
- This song was utilised as ongoing theme music for Mr. Mike's Mondo Video in the same vein as the song "More" was used in this film's inspiration, Mondo Cane.
- The Finnish rock band Eppu Normaali borrowed the opening of Telstar as the guitar solo for their song Science Fiction.
- A number of football teams, such as East Fife walk out on to the field of play to this song.
- The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher named Telstar as one of her favourite pop songs, and chose it as one of her records on Desert Island Discs. [2] [3]
[edit] Cover versions
There were numerous other artists who recorded "Telstar".
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[edit] Original editions
- UK: "Telstar" (Meek) b/w "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) (Decca F11494, August 17, 1962)
- USA: The Tornadoes: "Telstar" (Meek) b/w "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) (London Lon 9561, 1962)
- France: "Telstar" (Meek) b/w "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) (Decca 72.009 Simple, 1962)
- West Germany: "Telstar" (Meek) b/w "Jungle Fever" (Goddard) (London 20654, 1962)
| Preceded by "She's Not You" by Elvis Presley |
UK number one single October 4, 1962 (5 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Lovesick Blues" by Frank Ifield |
| Preceded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by The Four Seasons |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 22, 1962 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Go Away Little Girl" by Steve Lawrence |
[edit] References
- ^ Kenny Hollywood. www.coda-uk.co.uk. Retrieved on February 13, 2007.
- ^ BBC NEWS - Ifans to play '60s pop mogul Meek. www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on March 4, 2008.
- ^ Letter from Margaret Thatcher to Roger LaVern of the Tornados. Retrieved on March 4, 2008.
- ^ Bitch Boys' "...In Heat" album reviews and audio samples. The Guitar Nine. Retrieved on February 4, 2008.
- ^ http://www.compagnonsdelachanson.com/ Les Compagnons de la chanson
- ^ Twangin' n' A-Traddin'
