Hey Joe (Carl Smith song)
| "Hey Joe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Carl Smith | ||||
| Released | May 19, 1953 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Boudleaux Bryant | |||
| Carl Smith singles chronology | ||||
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"Hey Joe" is a 1953 popular song written by Boudleaux Bryant. It was recorded by Carl Smith for Columbia Records on 19 May 1953 and spent eight weeks at #1 on the U.S. country music chart.[1] Later in 1953, Kitty Wells recorded an answer record also titled "Hey Joe" which hit number eight on the Jukebox Country & Western chart.[2]
Cover versions
A cover version, sung by Frankie Laine and produced by Mitch Miller, reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1953.[3]
It was Laine's second UK chart topper, but unlike his long-lasting "I Believe", it only stayed in the chart for eight weeks, after reaching number one in its second week on the chart.[3] That week Laine had three singles in the chart, which at that time consisted only of twelve songs.[3] The following week, Laine's third number one hit in the UK, "Answer Me" entered the chart, giving Laine one third of all records on the listing.[3]
Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley recorded a new version of the song with the modified title: "Hey Joe, Hey Moe", with lyrics specially rewritten for the project by Boudleaux Bryant, as the title song to a duet album issued in 1981. The song, released as the lead single to the album, was a top-10 country hit that year.
"Hey Joe" is not the same song as Jimi Hendrix's first UK hit in 1967—"Hey Joe".[3] It was Bryant's first number-one record. He later wrote songs with his wife Felice for The Everly Brothers.[3]
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 318.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 376.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
| Preceded by "It's Been So Long" by Webb Pierce |
Country & Western National Best Sellers number one single by Carl Smith August 22, 1953 |
Succeeded by "A Dear John Letter" by Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky |
| Preceded by "Look at That Girl" by Guy Mitchell |
UK Singles Chart Number 1 single Frankie Laine 23 October 1953 for 2 weeks |
Succeeded by "Answer Me" by David Whitfield |
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