| "So Long, Dad" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Manfred Mann | ||||
| B-side | "Funniest Gig" | |||
| Released | 25 August 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 22–23 June & 21 July 1967 | |||
| Studio | De Lane Lea, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:38 | |||
| Label | Fontana | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Randy Newman | |||
| Producer(s) | Denny Cordell | |||
| Manfred Mann singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "So Long, Dad" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition edit
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By early 1967, British pop group Manfred Mann had scored three top-ten singles in the United Kingdom since recruiting their new bassist Klaus Voormann and lead vocalist Mike d'Abo, "Just Like a Woman", "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" (both 1966) and "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" (1967).[1] However, on 5 May 1967, Fontana Records released Manfred Mann's fourth single on the label, an instrumental cover of Tommy Roe's 1966 hit single "Sweet Pea".[2] Unlike all three singles previous to it, "Sweet Pea" became a relative chart failure for the band, only reaching number 36 on the Record Retailer chart in June of that year.[1] Concurrently, Randy Newman had established himself as a respected songwriter in the UK, having written the number 4 hit "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" for Alan Price.[3] Newman and Manfred Mann allegedly became aquainted through producer Denny Cordell, who had previously worked with Price and knew about Newman's material, finding it suitable for the band.[4]
Charts edit
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Listener)[5] | 8 |
| UK (Record Retailer)[1] | 52 |
Notes and references edit
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Brown 2000, p. 545.
- ^ McGuinness 1997, p. 2.
- ^ Hunt, Elle (5 January 2023). "Randy Newman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ McGuiness 1997, p. 6.
- ^ "Manfred Mann - Listener". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Sources edit
- Brown, Tony (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
- McGuinness, Tom (1997). Manfred Mann - The Fontana Years (CD). Spectrum Music. 552 375-2.
- Russo, Greg (2011). Mannerisms: The Five Phases of Manfred Mann. Crossfire Publications. ISBN 9780979184529.
- Thompson, Andy (1999). "Manfred Mann". Planet Mellotron. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
[Category:Songs written by Randy Newman] [Category:1967 songs] [Category:1967 singles] [Category:Manfred Mann songs] [Category:Songs about fathers] [Category:Fontana Records singles] [Category:Harry Nilsson songs] [Category:Randy Newman songs]