From: paul@moore.com (Paul Maclauchlan)
Subject: Strawberry Fields Forever on Billboard (was: smile away)
Organization: Moore Corporation Limited, Toronto ON, Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 92 03:55:16 GMT

Mandakini Dubey (mdubey@MtHolyoke.edu) wrote:
: 
: 	And also... what was the #1 song which kept Strawberry Fields
: Forever/Penny Lane at #2? I can't believe that stupendous single never
: reached the `toppermost of the poppermost'. Well, maybe I can (considering
: the kind of bilge that usually reaches the top of the charts).

SFF/PL reached #2 in the UK, but the two songs charted as individual
entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.  PL got to the top, but
SFF lagged behind most of the time.  If the sides were combined, the
chart performance would have been much stronger.

I don't think "bilge" is an accurate description of the Top 100 chart
in early 1967.  Your question gave me an excuse to pull out my Joel
Whitburn Hot 100 Charts book, and share the following with you...

SFF (and Penny Lane) debuted the week ending February 25, 1967, at #83
and #85.  Other notable debuts: #89 - Jimmy Mack (Martha Reeves); #79 -
Return Of The Red Baron (Royal Guardsmen); and #57 Dedicated To The One
I Love (Mamas & Papas).

The top 10:

1. Kind Of A Drag (Buckinghams)
2. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone (Supremes)
3. Ruby Tuesday (Rolling Stones)
4. I'm A Believer (Monkees)
5. Georgy Girl (Seekers)
6. The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher)
7. Gimme Some Lovin' (Spencer Davis Group)
8. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (Casinos)
9. (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet (Blues Magoos)
10. Baby, I Need Your Lovin' (Johnny Rivers)

No filler there...

The March 4th chart had SFF at #45 and PL at #36.  Ruby Tuesday was #1.
The Blues Magoos left the top 10 and Sock It To Me - Baby! (Mitch Ryder
& The Detroit Wheels) captured #9.  Dedicated To The One I Love still
out paced The Beatles at #25.

On March 11, Penny Lane made the top 10 (#5) along with The Mamas & Papas
(#10).  The Supremes got #1.  Sonny & Cher, Seekers, Monkees and Spencer
Davis all dropped out of the top 10.  Other new additions to the top of
the chart were: #8 - Happy Together (Turtles) and My Cup Runneth Over
(Ed Ames).  SFF charted at #16.

The March 18 tabulation had Penny Lane at #1.  SFF was still out of the
top 10 at #11.  There's A Kind Of A Hush (Herman's Hermits) joins the top 10
at the expense of the Buckinghams.

March 25, Penny Lane slips to #3... replaced by Happy Together at #1 and
behind The Mamas & Papas.  For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
replaced the Casinos in the top 10.  SFF seems stalled at #11.

April 1 shows SFF cracking the top 10 at #8, with PL holding at #3.
Positions #1 and #2 are unchanged.  The top 10 now looks like:

#1 Happy Together
#2 Dedicated To The One I Love
#3 Penny Lane
#4 There's A Kind Of A Hush
#5 Bernadette (Four Tops)
#6 This Is My Song (Petula Clark)
#7 For What It's Worth
#8 Strawberry Fields Forever
#9 Somethin' Stupid (Nancy & Frank Sinatra)
#10 Western Union (Five Americans)

Again, no filler in front of SFF this week...

April 8 shows SFF slipping to #15; PL to #6.  The top 2 stay the same and
Somethin' Stupid, Bernadette and This Is My Song fill out the top 5.  New
songs in the top 10 are: I Think We're Alone Now (Tommy James & Shondells)
and A Little Bit You, A Little Bit Me (Monkees).  For What It's Worth also
fell from the top 10.

On April 15, Somethin' Stupid made #1, PL slipped to #12 and SFF went down
to #21.

April 22 marked the last week SFF appeared on the Hot 100, at #28, a nine
week run.  PL fell to #21 and the #1 song remained the same.  Nine weeks
wasn't bad for that era.  Only 9 songs on that chart had longer stays.

April 29 was the last week for PL on the chart, at #25.  Somethin' Stupid
remained at number one for the third week (the total stay was 4).  Jimmy
Mack (a song that started the same week as PL/SFF) reached its peak at #10
this week.


I hope you found this interesting!

-- 
.../Paul Maclauchlan
Moore Corporation Limited, Toronto, Ontario (416) 364-2600
paul@moore.com   -or-  {...!uunet.ca,...!telly}!moore!paul
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see"/JL'67
Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles