Winchester Cathedral (song)
| "Winchester Cathedral" | |
|---|---|
 American issue of "Winchester Cathedral" | |
| Single by The New Vaudeville Band | |
| B-side | Wait For Me Baby |
| Released | October 4, 1966 |
| Recorded | July 1966 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:20 |
| Label | Fontana Records |
| Writer(s) | Geoff Stephens |
| Producer(s) | Geoff Stephens |
"Winchester Cathedral" is a song released in late 1966 by Fontana Records, whereupon it shot to the #1 spot in Canada on the RPM 100 national singles charts[1] and shortly thereafter in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was released by The New Vaudeville Band, a British novelty group established by the song's composer, Geoff Stephens. Stephens was a big fan of tunes from the British music hall era (or what Americans would call "vaudeville"), so he wrote "Winchester Cathedral" in that vein, complete with a Rudy Vallée soundalike[2] (John Carter) singing through his hands to imitate a megaphone sound.[3] Although recorded entirely by session musicians, when the song became an international hit, an actual band had to be assembled, which toured extensively under the tutelage of Peter Grant, who later went on to manage The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.[3]
The tune went to No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart.[4] It went all the way to the top in the U.S., however, displacing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes on December 3, 1966. After a one-week run at No. 1, "Winchester Cathedral" was knocked off the summit by the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations", only to rebound to the top spot the following week. After two additional weeks, it was knocked off the top for good by "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees.
"Winchester Cathedral" topped the Billboard Easy Listening chart for four weeks.[5] Cover records by Dana Rollin and The New Happiness reached no higher than No. 70.The Shadows recorded an instrumental version of this song on their album Jigsaw.
Global sales of the single were over three million, with the RIAA certification of gold disc status.[6]
The song won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Recording,[7] despite not being a rock and roll song. An initial long-playing album including the song was issued in late 1966 by Fontana Records, also titled Winchester Cathedral.
References
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 38 - The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance. [Part 4]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Biography by Steve Huey". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 392. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 178.
- ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 209. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ↑ "Winchester Cathedral by New Vaudeville Band Songfacts". Songfacts.com. 1966-12-03. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
| Preceded by "Poor Side of Town" by Johnny Rivers |
Canadian RPM 100 number-one single November 28 – December 5, 1966 |
Succeeded by "Lady Godiva" by Peter & Gordon |
| Preceded by "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes |
US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single December 3, 1966 December 17–24, 1966 |
Succeeded by "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys |
| Preceded by "The Wheel of Hurt" by Margaret Whiting |
US Billboard Easy Listening Singles number-one single December 3, 1966 |
Succeeded by "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra |