Juliet (The Four Pennies song)

"Juliet"
Single by The Four Pennies
B-side "Tell Me Girl"
Released February 1964
Recorded 1964
Genre Pop music
Length 2:18
Label Philips - BF 1322
Writer(s) Lionel Morton, Fritz Fryer, Mike Wilsh
Producer(s) Johnny Franz
The Four Pennies singles chronology
"Do You Want Me To"
(1964)
"Juliet"
(1964)
"I Found Out The Hard Way"
(1964)

"Juliet" is a pop song made famous by the band The Four Pennies. The track was recorded in 1964.[1]

History

The tune had been written by Mike Wilsh and he and Lionel Morton and Fritz Fryer developed it into a song, named after Fryer's 2 year old niece.[2] It was performed by the band in 1963 as their winning entry in a talent contest, leading to a recording session for Philips Records.[3]

The ballad was originally released as the B-side to "Tell Me Girl", but after receiving airplay the single was reissued with the sides flipped.[1][3] "Juliet" was released as a single in the UK in February 1964 on the Philips label. Produced by Johnny Franz,[1] "Juliet" was the Four Pennies' second hit single.[4] It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 21 May 1964, stayed there for one week, but spent fifteen weeks in the chart.[4]

"Juliet" was the only 1964 number one by a UK group not to chart in the United States.[5]

"Juliet" proved to be the group's only Top 10 hit.[1] The Four Pennies reached the Top 20 three more times after this, but never had another really successful single. The group folded in the autumn of 1966, after their last single release, written by the ex-Springfields member Tom Springfield — "No More Sad Songs for Me" — failed to chart.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  2. Kutner, Jon & Leigh, Spencer (2005) 1000 UK Number One Hits, Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-1844492831
  3. 3.0 3.1 Dunsbee, Tony (2015) Gathered From Coincidence: A singular history of Sixties' Pop, M-Y Books Limited
  4. 4.0 4.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 210. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 36. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
  6. "Biography by Linda Seida". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2008-11-15.

External links

Preceded by
"Don't Throw Your Love Away" by The Searchers
UK number-one single
21 May 1964
Succeeded by
"You're My World" by Cilla Black