"Portrait of My Love" is a song written by Norman Newell and Cyril Ornadel, which was released by Matt Monro in 1960, and was an international hit for Steve Lawrence in 1961.
| "Portrait of My Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Matt Monro | ||||
| from the album My Kind of Girl | ||||
| B-side | "You're the Top of My Hit Parade" | |||
| Released | 1960 | |||
| Genre | Traditional pop | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Norman Newell (as David West) & Cyril Ornadel[1] | |||
| Matt Monro singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Matt Monro version edit
In 1960, Matt Monro released the song as a single. The song was Monro's first hit single, and spent 16 weeks on the UK's Record Retailer chart, reaching No. 3,[2] also reaching No. 3 on the UK's New Musical Express chart.[3] In 1961, the song was released on Monro's album My Kind of Girl.[4]
Charts edit
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Record Retailer[2] | 3 |
| UK New Musical Express[3] | 3 |
Steve Lawrence version edit
| "Portrait of My Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Steve Lawrence | ||||
| from the album Portrait Of My Love | ||||
| B-side | "Oh How You Lied" | |||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Genre | Traditional pop | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Norman Newell (as David West) & Cyril Ornadel[5] | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Costa[6] | |||
| Steve Lawrence singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1961, Steve Lawrence released a version of the song as a single and on the album Portrait of My Love. Lawrence's version became an international hit and spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 9,[7] while reaching No. 1 in the Philippines,[8] No. 7 in Australia,[9] and No. 9 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade.[10]
Lawrence's version was ranked No. 30 on Billboard's end of year "Hot 100 for 1961 - Top Sides of the Year"[11] and No. 81 on Cash Box's "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1961".[12]
In 1962, Steve Lawrence was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his rendition of "Portrait of My Love".[13]
Awards edit
In 1961, the song won songwriters Norman Newell and Cyril Ornadel the British Songwriters Guild's Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding Song of 1960".[14][1]
In 1999, the song was honored at the BMI Awards in London for having 2 million radio plays.[15]
Other versions edit
- In 1965, the song became the theme of a Filipino film by the same title, released by Sampaguita Pictures and starring Eddie Gutierrez and Susan Roces.
- In 1967, the Tokens released a cover version of the song as a single. Their version spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 36,[16] while reaching No. 25 on the Cash Box Top 100,[17] No. 34 on Record World's "100 Top Pops",[18] and No. 23 on Canada's RPM 100.[19]
- In 2005, Rick Astley released a cover of the song for his sixth studio album, Portrait.
References edit
- ^ a b "The Ivors 1961". The Ivors. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Matt Monro - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ a b "Best Selling Pop Records in Britain", Billboard, January 30, 1961. p. 56. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "My Kind of Girl - Matt Monro". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Portrait of My Love - By: Steve Lawrence, MusicVF.com. Accessed July 26, 2015
- ^ "Announcing Don Costa Productions, Inc.", Billboard, October 19, 1961. p. 9. Accessed December 17, 2015.
- ^ Hot 100 - Steve Lawrence Portrait of My Love Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "Steve Lawrence Tune Still Tops", Billboard, June 19, 1961. p. 22. Accessed December 17, 2015.
- ^ "Billboard Music Week Hits of the World", Billboard, May 22, 1961. p. 12. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of May 8, 1961". CHUM. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2018-03-12. Chart No. 211.
- ^ "Chart Toppers", Billboard, December 25, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1961", Cash Box, December 30, 1961. p. 12. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "RCA Victor Leads List Of Grammy Nominations", Billboard, May 5, 1962. p. 32. Accessed December 17, 2015.
- ^ "Steve Lawrence's 'Portrait' Takes English Ivors Award", Billboard, March 27, 1961. p. 12. Accessed December 17, 2015.
- ^ "1999 BMI/PRS Awards", BMI. Music Industry News Network. November 5, 1999. Accessed July 26, 2015
- ^ Hot 100 - The Tokens Portrait of My Love Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Cash Box Top 100, Cash Box, June 3, 1967. p. 4. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "100 Top Pops", Record World, June 3, 1967. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "RPM 100", RPM Weekly, Volume 7, No. 12, May 20, 1967. Retrieved January 13, 2024.