Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1962
Johnny Angel (song)
Buy Johnny Angel (song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Johnny Angel'" is a song written and composed by Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. The song was originally recorded by both Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee, but those two versions were not successful.Leszczak, Bob (2015). 'From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records 1950-2000'. Rowman & Littlefield. p 112 It first became a popular hit single when it was recorded by Shelley Fabares in the fall of 1961; she took it to No. 1 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 Chart when the song was released in 1962. In the same year, British singer Patti Lynn had a moderate hit on the UK Singles Chart with her cover of the song. The American pop music duo The Carpenters recorded "Johnny Angel" in 1973 as part of a medley of oldies on side two of their album 'Now & Then'.
Shelley Fabares version
Background
"Johnny Angel" is the debut pop single by Shelley Fabares. Her cover version of the song was recorded in the fall of 1961, and was released in 1962 on the Colpix label. The track was the first single taken from Fabares' debut solo album 'Shelley!', which was produced and arranged by Stu Phillips.The single premiered on an episode, "Donna's Prima Donna" of Fabares' sitcom, 'The Donna Reed Show', during the fourth season (episode 20). It also has a sequel song entitled "Johnny Loves Me", which tells the story of how the girl won Johnny's heart.
Darlene Love and her group, the Blossoms, sang backup vocals on the track. Fabares is quoted in 'The Billboard Book of Number One Singles' by Fred Bronson as saying she was intimidated by Love's group and their "beautiful" voices and was terrified at the prospect of becoming a recording artist, as she did not consider herself a singer, but was expected to sing on the show anyway. The song also featured an echo chamber, where the intro of the repeated title words: "Johnny Angel, Johnny Angel" was used by Fabares and the backup singers. Musicians who played on the track include Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass and Glen Campbell on guitar.
The song is an expression of a teenage girl's romantic longing for a boy who doesn't know she exists, to the point where she declines other boys' propositions for dates because she would rather concentrate on the boy she loves.
Although Fabares' career as an actress stayed strong for three decades, her career as a singer came to an end within a few years of "Johnny Angel" when she was unable to come up with another Top 20 hit. However, the song has become an oldies radio airplay favorite.
Reception
"Johnny Angel" hit number one on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 on April 7, 1962, during a 15-week run on the chart. It was a number one hit on the Top 100 Best Sellers chart in April 1962 as published by 'Cashbox'. It charted at number one in both Canada and in New Zealand. "Johnny Angel" also peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles chart, where Patti Lynn's recording of the song was a slightly bigger hit.It sold over one-million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
Track listings
# "Johnny Angel" - 2:19# "Where's It Gonna Get Me" - 2:08
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
In the media
*The song was featured in the 1990 film 'Mermaids', the film 'Andre' and the episode "Halloween" in the TV-series 'My So-Called Life'.*The song was also featured in a 1976 episode of 'Saturday Night Live' hosted by Dyan Cannon, where Johnny Angel turns out to be three Hells Angels all named Johnny.
*In the song 'The Beat of Black Wings', which appears on Joni Mitchell's album 'Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm', the words 'Johnny Angel' are sung at the end of several lines, in the same style as the Shelley Fabares cover, in an apparent reference to the Fabares version of the song.
Patti Lynn version
Background
British pop singer Patti Lynn released a cover version of "Johnny Angel" for the Fontana Records label in March 1962. It was produced by Harry Robinson.[http://www.discogs.com/Patti-Lynn-Johnny-Angel/release/1545877 Patti Lynn - Johnny Angel (Vinyl) at Discogs] Her version of the song charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 37 in May 1962.Track listings
# "Johnny Angel" - 2:16# "Tonight You Belong To Me" - 2:12
Chart performance
The Carpenters version
Background
The pop music duo the Carpenters recorded "Johnny Angel" and included it on their fifth studio album 'Now & Then' in May 1973. The song was produced by Richard Carpenter and his sister Karen and was issued on the A&M record label. The song was included on Side "B" of the album as part of an oldies medley.Other versions
*The tune had previously been recorded by Georgia Lee (singer) on the Decca label. It was also covered in French by Canadian singer Rene Martel in 1967.
References
Category:1962 debut singles
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Canada
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Shelley Fabares songs
Category:The Carpenters songs
Category:Songs written by Lee Pockriss
Category:1962 songs
Category:Fontana Records singles
Buy Johnny Angel (song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1962