"Mecca" is a 1963 song which was a hit for Gene Pitney. It was the first release and greatest hit from his LP, Gene Pitney Sings Just for You.
| "Mecca" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Gene Pitney | ||||
| from the album Gene Pitney Sings Just for You | ||||
| B-side | "Teardrop by Teardrop" | |||
| Released | March 1963 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:18 | |||
| Label | Musicor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neval Nader, John Gluck Jr. | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Ragovoy | |||
| Gene Pitney singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lyrics
editThe song starts with "I live on the west side, she lives on the east side of the street."[1] "Mecca," a city that most of the world is forbidden to visit,[2][3] symbolizes her side of the street, as the girl's parents forbid the pair to become romantically involved because of their young age.
Charts
editIn the U.S., "Mecca" peaked at #12 on the pop chart[4] and #4 Easy Listening.[5] It was a bigger hit in Australia, where it peaked at #7, and in Canada where it reached #2. The B-side, "Teardrop by Teardrop," charted at #130 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.
Chart history
edit| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia - Music Maker | 7 |
| Canada - CHUM | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard - Middle-Road Singles[7] | 4 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 13 |
References
edit- ^ The New Yorker Volume 41, Part 1 - Page 78 "Then, a few years later (in a kind of pulsating weeper click with Casbah undertones), the urban East-West axis came under consideration, with Gene Pitney's “Mecca”: I live on the West side, She lives on the East side of the street."
- ^ Peters, Francis E. (1994). The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places. Princeton University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-691-02619-0.
- ^ Esposito, John L. (2011). What everyone needs to know about Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-19-979413-3.
Mecca, like Medina, is closed to non-Muslims
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 493.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 189.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 189.
External links
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