Oh, What a Night (The Dells song)
| "Oh, What a Night" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Dells | ||||
| from the album Love Is Blue | ||||
| B-side | Believe Me | |||
| Released | August 1969 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop,[1] soul | |||
| Length | 6:09 | |||
| Label | Cadet Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Marvin Junior, Johnny Funches | |||
| Producer(s) | Bobby Miller | |||
| Certification | Gold | |||
| The Dells singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Oh, What a Night" is a song first recorded by the doo-wop group the Dells[1] and released in 1956, originally under the title "Oh What a Nite". The song is said to have been inspired by a party, which had been held in the Dells' honor by some female friends of the group.[2]
Reception
The Dells' original recording on the Vee Jay label peaked at number four on the R&B singles chart. In 1969, they refashioned it as a soul song on the Cadet label. The new "Oh, What a Night" was notably different from its original counterpart with an altered arrangement and tempo, and included a spoken recitation, in the introduction, from the bass member of the group. This new version reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number one on the Best Selling Soul singles chart.[3]
The 1969 version was ranked #260 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4]
"Oh, What a Night" has been covered by Sly Stone & the Biscaynes (1978), Tracey Ullman (1983), Lester Bowie (1986), the Moonlighters (1988), Nick Kamen (1988), Barbara Jones (1995), Donnie & the Del Chords (1999), Unisoghn (2001) and John Barrowman (2010).
Personnel
1950s version
- Lead vocals by Johnny Funches and Marvin Junior
- Background vocals by Johnny Funches, Marvin Junior, Michael McGill, Chuck Barksdale and Verne Allison
1960s version
- Lead vocals by Junior Marvin (Marvin Junior) and Johnny Carter
- Background vocals by Johnny Carter, Michael McGill, Chuck Barksdale and Verne Allison
- Spoken intro by Chuck Barksdale
- Produced by Bobby Miller
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 11 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Early rock 'n' roll vocal groups & Frank Zappa" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. Track 5.
- ↑ The Dells
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 154.
- ↑ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
External links
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee page
- Songfacts: "Oh What a Nite" page
- Song review and list of albums the song appears on
- Change - Sharing Your Love (1982)
- Change information, Bio, Discography and Tracklists
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
| Preceded by "Share Your Love with Me" by Aretha Franklin |
Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles number-one single September 27, 1969 |
Succeeded by "I Can't Get Next to You" by The Temptations |