"Broken Wings"
Single by The Stargazers
Accompaniment directed by Nat Temple
B-side"Make It Soon"
Published26 February 1952
ReleasedFebruary 1953 (1953-02)
Recorded6 January 1953
GenrePopular music
Length2:56
LabelDecca Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dick Rowe

"Broken Wings" is a 1953 popular song that was written by John Jerome and Bernhard Grun.[1][2]

The most successful version of the song was produced by Dick Rowe and recorded in the UK by vocal group The Stargazers in 1953. It was the first record by any UK act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart (all previous number one singles were by American artists), and was the first of two number-one UK hits for the group, the other being "I See the Moon", a year later.[1]

Background

Most contemporary hit songs came from America in the early 1950s; however, "Broken Wings" originated in the UK, having been first published by the John Fields Music Company in London on 26 February 1952.[3] John Jerome was a collaborative pseudonym for Harold Cornelius Fields, Howard Ellington Barnes and Joseph Dominic Roncoroni.[3][4] Grun was a German emigrant who used the first name Bernard in England, and had previously composed film music.[5]

Recordings and chart performance

The Stargazers recorded their version in London on 6 January 1953, produced by Dick Rowe, with uncredited accompaniment directed by Nat Temple.[6][7][8] Coming just a few months after the launch of the singles chart, it was the first hit for the group, entering the New Musical Express listings on 7 February 1953. It dropped out of the chart on 14 February, before returning the week after for a run which would see the single reach number one on 10 April for a single week (its eighth week on chart). The Stargazers were consequently the first group to reach number one in the UK singles chart.[9]

Two other recordings of the song also entered the UK chart in February 1953: the original American recording by Art and Dotty Todd (peaking at number 6), and the other by Dickie Valentine (reaching number 12).[1] No versions of the song charted in America.[10]

Valentine's version was, in fact, the first to be released in the UK by some months, in July 1952. The majority of the song's recordings were issued in early 1953, starting with Art and Dotty Todd in January that year. On 10 January, "Broken Wings" entered the UK's sheet music chart for a week, before dropping out. It then returned a fortnight later, and remained on the chart to reach number one on 14 February, where it stayed for six weeks. The same month, The Stargazers' recording was released, but "Broken Wings" had already vacated the top spot on the sheet music charts by the time the group made number one on the record chart with the song. Other recorded versions available in the UK were by British artists: Gerry Brereton, David Carey, Victor Silvester and his Ballroom Orchestra, The Sam Browne Singers, and Beryl Templeman. The song was on the sheet music charts for 20 weeks in total.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  2. ↑ Jerome, John, and Bernard Grun. “Broken Wings / John Jerome ; Bernhard Grun.” London: John Fields Music Co. Ltd., 1952.
  3. 1 2 Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. United States: n.p., 1952. p.107.
  4. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. United States: n.p., 1958. p.1716.
  5. ↑ "Portrait of the filmcomposer Bernard Grün by Thomas Staedeli". www.cyranos.ch. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  6. ↑ Rogers, John. "b". Popular recordings from 1st August 1942. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  7. ↑ Kutner, Jon (2010). 1,000 UK Number One Hits. Spencer Leigh. London: Music Sales. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2. OCLC 978493833.
  8. ↑ Smith, Michael (2003). Decca Record Company Ltd. Royal Blue and Gold 'F' Series 10 Inch 78 rpm Records. Vol II. The City Of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society.
  9. ↑ "Stargazers: UK Top 10 hits". Chartwatch. 25 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2003-07-01. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  10. ↑ "Broken Wings (song by Art and Dotty Todd) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  11. ↑ Henson, Brian (1989). First hits, 1946-1959. Colin Morgan. London: Boxtree. ISBN 1-85283-268-1. OCLC 19389211.



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