Private Number (Judy Clay and William Bell song)

"Private Number"
Single by Judy Clay and William Bell
from the album Private Numbers
B-side	"Love-Eye-Tis"
Released	1968
Format	Gramophone
Recorded	1968
Genre	Soul
Length	2:39
Label	Stax
Songwriter(s)	William Bell, Booker T. Jones
Producer(s)	Booker T. Jones
William Bell singles chronology
"A Tribute to a King" (1968) "Private Number" (1968) "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (1968)
"A Tribute to a King" (1968) "Private Number" (1968) "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (1968)

"Private Number" is a song recorded by American soul singers Judy Clay and William Bell. The song was included on Bell's album Private Numbers (1968). Released as a single, it peaked at #8 in the UK and #75 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

In 2000, Bell performed a live version of "Private Number" with Scottish rock band Texas. In 1999, the song was covered by English boy band 911 for their third studio album There It Is. In 2011, Jon Stevens covered the song for his album Testify! and in 2016 Beverley Knight recorded a version with Jamie Cullum for her album Soulsville.

The opening seconds of Clay and Bell's original version of the song were prominently featured as a recurring sample in Rappin' 4-Tay's hip-hop single, Playaz Club, which reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994.

911 version

"Private Number"
Single by 911 featuring Natalie Jordan or Fann Wong
from the album There It Is
Released	3 May 1999
Format	CD single, cassette single
Recorded	1998
Genre	Pop
Length	3:32
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	William Bell, Booker T. Jones
Producer(s)	Nigel Lowis
911 singles chronology
"A Little Bit More" (1999) "Private Number" (1999) "Wonderland" (1999)
"A Little Bit More" (1999) "Private Number" (1999) "Wonderland" (1999)
UK CD2 cover

English boy band 911 covered "Private Number" for their third studio album, There It Is (1999). There are two different versions of the song, one version featuring Natalie Jordan and one featuring Fann Wong.^[1] The song was released as the third and final single from the album on 3 May 1999 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video features 911 performing the song in pouring rain in China. There are two different versions of the video, one featuring Natalie Jordan and one featuring Fann Wong. In Jordan's version, she can be seen singing her parts whilst on a television screen and in a dark room. In Wong's version, she is standing by herself in the rain as well.

Charts

Release history

References