Please Mr. Please
| "Please Mr. Please" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||||
| from the album Have You Never Been Mellow | ||||
| B-side |
Don't Cry for Me Argentina (UK) And in the Morning (USA and rest of world) | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Country, pop | |||
| Length | 3:31 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Writer(s) | Bruce Welch, John Rostill | |||
| Producer(s) | John Farrar | |||
| Certification | Gold (US) | |||
| Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Please Mr. Please" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Bruce Welch | |
| B-side | Song of Yesterday |
| Released | 19 April 1974 |
| Label | EMI |
| Writer(s) | Bruce Welch, John Rostill |
| Producer(s) | Bruce Welch |
"Please Mr. Please" is the title of a popular song from 1975 (see 1975 in music) by the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. The song was written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows.[1] Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974[2] with no success. The song appears on Newton-John's album, Have You Never Been Mellow.
Released as a single in 1975, "Please Mr. Please" reached the Top 10 on three major Billboard charts in the U.S. that year. On the pop chart, the song peaked at #3 in August 1975, remaining in the Top 40 for 12 weeks: Newton-John's fifth consecutive Top Ten hit, "Please Mr. Please" would also mark Newton-John's last appearance in the Top Ten for a three-year period.[3] On the country chart, the song reached #5, while on the adult contemporary chart, the song spent three weeks at #1.[1] The single was a certified Gold record by the RIAA.[4]
"Please Mr. Please" has been rendered in Czech as "Nechci Už Víc" recorded by Helena Blehárová and in Finnish as "Viistoista Siis" recorded by Taiska.
It has been rendered in French in 1975 by Claude François under the title : "Pourquoi pleurer ? "
Song story
The song begins as an apparent tribute to the jukebox and how one can listen to a lot of great music for a small price. But instead of continuing along those lines, the song picks up on how some songs on the jukebox can trigger bad memories. This happens when the protagonist — at a tavern with friends, trying to get over a just-broken relationship — sees another customer at the jukebox, trying to play "B-17," which is coded to a song the woman does not want to hear.
The song, she cries, was one of the now-broken relationship. The song now triggers such bad memories to the point that she never wants to hear the song again. The refrain sees the woman begging the "button-pushin' cowboy" not to play the undesirable song.
Chart performance
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 35 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks[5] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks[6] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] | 1 |
| Recording Industry Association of New Zealand | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[3] | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[1] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ↑ http://www.45cat.com/artist/bruce-welch Bruce Welch single release information
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ↑ "American single certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Please Mister Please". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for September 6, 1975". RPM. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ↑ "RPM Adult Contemporary for August 9, 1975". RPM. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ↑ "RPM Top Singles for August 9, 1975". RPM. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
External links
| Preceded by "Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)" by Charlie Rich |
Billboard Easy Listening Singles number-one single by Olivia Newton-John 12 July 1975 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell |
| Preceded by "One of These Nights" by Eagles |
RPM Top Singles number-one single 2 August 1975 |
Succeeded by "Jive Talkin'" by Bee Gees |
| Preceded by "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single 6 September 1975 |
Succeeded by "The First Time" by Freddie Hart |