"Venus in Blue Jeans"
Single by Jimmy Clanton
B-side"Highway Bound"
Released1962
Length2:24
LabelAce
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jack Keller
Jimmy Clanton singles chronology
"Just a Moment"
(1962)		 "Venus in Blue Jeans"
(1962)		 "Darkest Street in Town"
(1962)

"Venus in Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller.[1] It was recorded that year by Jimmy Clanton and reached No. 7 on the Billboard charts,[2] and No. 5 on the CHUM Chart in Canada.[3]

The song was also recorded that year by Mark Wynter who released the song in the UK where it reached No. 4.

Background

The song was written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller, although Neil Sedaka is often miscredited as one of the writers.[4] Greenfield took inspiration in the lyrics from songs such as "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole and "Venus" by Frankie Avalon. A demo was then recorded with Barry Mann on lead vocals and The Cookies on backing vocals.[5] The song was first recorded by Bruce Bruno in 1961 and released as the B-side to a single titled "Dear Joanne" on Roulette Records, but the single failed to chart.[4]

In 1962, Jimmy Clanton went to New York after pausing his career to serve with the National Guard, and got in touch with Greenfield and Sedaka to record some songs. He found "Venus in Blue Jeans" in a pile of rejected demos and liked the chord changes of the opening bars, although Greenfield dismissed the song as it had been rejected by other artists. Clanton, however, failed to find other suitable songs, and so he chose to record "Venus in Blue Jeans" as a throwaway song. Carole King arranged the brass and strings in the song, and was responsible for the distinctive horn section of the opening of the song.[6] Gerry Goffin arranged the muted trumpet in the middle eight.[5] Keller produced the song.[7]

The song was originally listed as the "B" side to the record with "Highway Bound" listed as the "A" side. Radio disc jockeys preferred the "B" side and it became a hit. The pressings of the single listed in error Sedaka as a writer together with Greenfield.[4][8]

Charts

Chart (1962) Peak
position
Australia (Music Maker)[9] 11
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[10] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[2] 7
US Cash Box Top 100[11] 10

Mark Wynter version

"Venus in Blue Jeans"
Single by Mark Wynter
B-side"Please Come Back to Me"
Released1962 (1962)
Length2:09
LabelPye
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tony Hatch

Mark Wynter recorded a version soon after Clanton's version was released. The song was produced by Tony Hatch who directed the arrangement, and released on Pye Records.[12] His release succeeded in reaching No. 4 on the UK chart, and became his highest charting song in the UK.[13][14]

Charts

Chart (1962) Peak
position
Ireland[15] 6
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parades)[16] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 4

Other versions

Claude François released a French version titled "Vénus en blue-jeans", which reached No. 5 in the Walloon chart in Belgium in 1963.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1963. p. 1594 – via Library of Congress. Copyright Office.
  2. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 74, no. 40. October 6, 1962.
  3. ↑ Hall, Ron (1986) [1984]. The Chum Chart Book. Rexdale (Toronto): Stardust Productions. p. 32. ISBN 9780978234607.
  4. 1 2 3 Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First? Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 216–217. ISBN 9781442230682.
  5. 1 2 Dunbavan, Peter (2017). An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781524633455.
  6. ↑ Musso, Anthony P. (2007). Setting the Record Straight: The Music and Careers of Recording Artists from the 1950s and Early 1960s in Their Own Words. AuthorHouse. pp. 43–45. ISBN 9781425959869.
  7. ↑ "Music as Written". Billboard. Vol. 74, no. 36. September 8, 1962. p. 14.
  8. ↑ "Jimmy Clanton - Venus in Blue Jeans". Discogs.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 74, no. 40. October 27, 1962. p. 26.
  10. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade, week of October 1, 1962".
  11. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 6, 1962".
  12. ↑ Thompson, Gordon (2008). Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 304. ISBN 9780195333183.
  13. ↑ Bruce Elder. "Mark Wynter: Biography", AllMusic.
  14. ↑ "Jack Keller", The Independent (May 11, 2005).
  15. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 74, no. 48. December 1, 1962. p. 34.
  16. ↑ "Lever hit parades". Flavour of New Zealand. November 15, 1962.
  17. ↑ "Mark Wynter: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ "Claude François – Vénus en blue-jeans". Ultratop.
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