The Garden of Eden (song)

For other songs with similar titles, see Garden of Eden (disambiguation).
"The Garden of Eden"
Song by Joe Valino
B-side"Caravan"
Length2:40
LabelVik Records
Songwriter(s)Dennise Norwood

"The Garden of Eden" is a song written and composed by Dennise Haas Norwood, and first recorded by Joe Valino,[1] which reached Number 12 on the Billboard chart in December 1956.[2] The song was also recorded by other artists, including Frankie Vaughan whose version gave him his first No. 1 in the UK in 1957.[3]

Recording

Valino recorded the song at his second session for Vik Records, a subsidiary of RCA, backed by George Siravo and His Orchestra. "I knew it would be a hit, even as I was recording it," he told Wayne Jancik in The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders.[2]

The song was released with "Caravan" as its flip side in September 1956.[4]

Charts

Chart (1956–57) Peak
position
Australia (AMR)[5] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 23
US Billboard The Top 100[7] 12
US Cash Box Top 50[8] 15

Frankie Vaughan version

"The Garden of Eden"
Song by Frankie Vaughan
B-side"Priscilla"
Length2:35
LabelPhilips Records
Songwriter(s)Dennise Norwood

In the UK, many different versions of the song were released. The most popular of these was recorded by the singer Frankie Vaughan with Wally Stott And His Orchestra And Chorus. The song gave Vaughan his first No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom in January 1957.[9] The song first entered the UK Singles Chart on 11 January 1957, and reached No. 1 two weeks later.[10] It spent four weeks at the top,[11] and 13 weeks in the charts all together.[1]

Other versions

Gary Miller also released his version in the UK around the same time, and it reached No. 14 on the chart.[12]

Dick James also released a version in 1957. Dick James' version reached No. 18 in the UK chart.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 29. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  2. ^ a b Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders expanded first edition. Billboard Books. p. 25. ISBN 0-8230-7622-9.
  3. ^ Fisher, Bob; Theo Morgan (2011). 1957 British Hit Parade — Part 1: January–June (booklet). various artists. UK: Acrobat Music. ACQCD7024.
  4. ^ "Review Sportlight On..." Billboard. September 22, 1956. p. 64.
  5. ^ "Top 100 Singles - Every AMR Top 50 Single in 1957".
  6. ^ "Joe Valino: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  7. ^ "The Top 100". Billboard. December 15, 1956. p. 48.
  8. ^ "The Cash Box Top 50" (PDF). Cash Box. December 8, 1956. p. 14.
  9. ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2010). 1,000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857123602.
  10. ^ "The Garden of Eden by Frankie Vaughan". The Official Charts Company.
  11. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 67–8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  12. ^ "Gary Miller". The Official Charts Company.
  13. ^ "Dick James". The Official Charts Company.