"Oh! Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1958, and recorded by Sedaka.
| "Oh! Carol" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of US single | ||||
| Single by Neil Sedaka | ||||
| from the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits | ||||
| B-side | "One Way Ticket (To the Blues)" | |||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:15 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield | |||
| Neil Sedaka singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song is noted for Sedaka's spoken recitation of the verse, the second time around. It was written explicitly as a sound-alike to other popular hit records of the era, after his previous single had sold so poorly that his record label threatened to drop him if his next record was not a hit.[1]
It spent 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 9 on December 6, 1959,[2] while reaching No. 3 on the UK's New Musical Express chart.[3] It also earned Sedaka his first No. 1 ranking when it went to No. 1 in the Netherlands and Wallonia.[4] After its release as a single, it was included in the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits.
"Carol" was a reference to Carol Klein, Sedaka's ex-girlfriend from high school and a fellow songwriter at the Brill Building. She had since married Gerry Goffin, who took the tune, and wrote the playful response "Oh! Neil", which she recorded and released as an unsuccessful single the same year (1959) under the stage name Carole King.[5][6][7][8]
The B-side song, "One Way Ticket", also earned Sedaka a No. 1 ranking in Japan for several months in 1960.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1959-1960) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 |
| Belgium (Flanders)[4] | 2 |
| Belgium (Wallonia)[4] | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[9] | 4 |
| France (IFOP)[10] | 34 |
| Italy[11] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 1 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[4] | 9 |
| UK (New Musical Express) | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Sides[13] | 27 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[14] | 5 |
| West Germany[4] | 25 |
Sales
edit| Region | Sales |
|---|---|
| Italy | 100,000[15] |
Other notable versions
edit- General Saint featuring Don Campbell (a minor UK hit at No. 54) (1994)[16]
References
edit- ^ "Today's Mini-Concert - 7/16/2020: Acknowledgements". YouTube. 16 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Oh! Carol Chart History: Hot 100, Billboard.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Neil Sedaka - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Neil Sedaka - Oh! Carol, norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ Curt Schleier (7 June 2012). "Q&A: Neil Sedaka on Adele and Carole King – The Arty Semite – Forward.com". The Forward. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Carole King – Oh, Neil / A Very Special Boy (Vinyl) at Discogs". discogs.com. 1960. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ James E. Perone (2006). The words and music of Carole King. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99027-5.
- ^ Michael Billig (1 June 2001). Rock 'n' Roll Jews. Syracuse University Press. p. 95. ISBN 9780815607052. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ CHUM Hit Parade, November 16, 1959
- ^ "InfoDisc : Accès direct à ces Artistes > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 23 January 1960. p. 46.
- ^ "Neil Sedaka – Oh! Carol" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Oh! Carol Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Billboard.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 19, 1959
- ^ Chris Barrett (January 10, 1960). "Cash Box - Italy" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 46. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ Official Charts: on songs by Don Campbell
