| "Distant Drums" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Roy Orbison | |
| B-side | "Falling" |
| Released | 1963 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:11 |
| Label | Monument |
| Writer(s) | Cindy Walker |
| "Distant Drums" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jim Reeves | ||||
| from the album Distant Drums | ||||
| B-side | "Old Tige" | |||
| Released | March 8, 1966 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | Chet Atkins | |||
| Jim Reeves singles chronology | ||||
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"Distant Drums" is the title of a song which provided US singer Jim Reeves with his only UK number one hit – albeit posthumously – in the United Kingdom in 1966, some two years after his death in a plane crash on 31 July 1964. The song remained in the UK charts for 45 weeks. The single also topped the US country chart for four weeks, becoming his most successful posthumous single.[1]
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Although Roy Orbison had recorded the song in 1963, it is Reeves' version of "Distant Drums" which has endured over the years.
During its time at the top of the UK charts the song beat off stiff competition from several major (and living) artists of the day including The Beatles and the Small Faces. This was an unexpected achievement for a song which Reeves had recorded for its composer, Cindy Walker, under the impression it was for her private use only and had been earlier dismissed by both the RCA record company and Chet Atkins (a noted guitarist and record producer who worked with Reeves) as unsuitable for wider public release. This may have explained the lower than usual sound quality heard on the original recording of the song. However, following Reeves' death, the track was overdubbed with an orchestral backing and released to the general public as the version which later climbed up the music charts in both the United States and the UK.
It is now generally accepted that the song began attracting attention around 1966 due to the continuation of hostilities in the Vietnam War and an increased public awareness (both in the UK and the US) of the difficult conditions faced by U.S. armed personnel fighting in that particular conflict. This is due to the lyrics implying the wishes of a soldier who wants to marry his beloved (called "Mary" in the song) before he answers the call of battle in some far away land; the "Distant Drums" which make up the song's title.
"Distant Drums" first entered the UK Singles Chart during the summer of 1966 before reaching the number-one position on 22 September, where it remained for five weeks.[2] It was named the UK's "song of the year" and Reeves became the first overseas performer to receive this special award.
The song features prominently on several of Reeves' albums which have been released down the years.
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Chart | 3 |
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 45 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 27 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norway Singles Chart | 2 |
| Preceded by "I Want to Go with You" by Eddy Arnold |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single May 21, 1966 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Take Good Care of Her" by Sonny James |
| Preceded by "All or Nothing"/"Understanding" Small Faces |
UK Singles Chart number-one single September 22, 1966 (5 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Reach Out I'll Be There" by The Four Tops |