Montego Bay (song)
"Montego Bay" is a song co-written and performed by Bobby Bloom about the city in Jamaica. The song was a Top 10 hit for Bloom in September 1970 on both sides of the Atlantic. It reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart, #5 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart,[1] #7 on the Australian Go-Set Singles Chart and #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was co-written and produced by Jeff Barry. In the master tape of the song, Bloom breaks into a chorus of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" at the end of the recording, but the single version fades out before that. Apparently, that was done to avoid paying royalties for use of the Rodgers & Hammerstein song, though the full version does appear on the Bobby Bloom Album and has received frequent airplay. The song features a whistler, as well as Jamaican instruments to illustrate the section called "Montego Bay," in a Calypso genre.
Jon Stevens version
| "Montego Bay" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jon Stevens | ||||
| from the album Jezebel | ||||
| A-side | "Montego Bay" | |||
| B-side | "Sha La La" | |||
| Released | January 1980 | |||
| Format | single | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Label | CBS Records | |||
| Writer(s) | B. Bloom, J. Barry | |||
| Producer(s) | Jay Lewis | |||
| Jon Stevens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In January 1980, New Zealand recording artist Jon Stevens released a version as a single. It peaked at number 1 in New Zealand, knocking himself from the top of the charts.[2] "Montego Bay" remained number 1 for seven weeks in 1980. [3]
Track listing
- Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
- "Montego Bay"
- "Sha La La"
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
Other recordings
- (1970) Freddie Notes & The Rudies - (Trojan Records)
- (1971) Bar-Kays on their album, Black Rock
- (1971) James Last on his album, Happyning
- (1974) Foster, Pat, & Angie Sylvers on their album, Foster Sylvers featuring Pat & Angie Sylvers
- (1978) Sugar Cane - a minor UK disco hit for the U.S. male/female vocal group - highest position in UK Singles Chart - #54
- (1983) Allniters - a Top 20 hit for an Australian ska band.
- (1986) Amazulu - It became a minor hit in the U.S. in September 1986, but was a #16 hit in the UK and reached #6 in Canada.
- (2005) Les Fradkin - on his CD Under The Covers.
See also
References
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ↑ "Jon Stevens". Sergent.com.au. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ "'Montego Bay' hits number one". Nzhistory.net.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ↑ "Jon Stevens singles". Charts.org.nz/. Retrieved 14 August 2016.