Itchycoo Park
"Itchycoo Park" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Small Faces | ||||
B-side | "I'm Only Dreaming" | |||
Released | 4 August 1967 | |||
Recorded | 3–7 July 1967[1] | |||
Studio | Olympic (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:45 | |||
Label | Immediate | |||
Songwriter(s) | Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane | |||
Small Faces singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Itchycoo Park" is a song by English rock band Small Faces, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. Largely written by Lane, it was among a number of pop songs of the era to make use of flanging, an effect involving, at that time, electro-mechanical processes. The song was not included on any of their UK albums, but was however featured on the North American release There Are But Four Small Faces (1968).
Released on 4 August 1967 by
The song has since been covered by various other recording artists, most notably by English group M People in 1995, whose dance rendition of the song reached number eleven in the UK.
The location and etymology of the titular park has long been debated, many claiming it to be Little Ilford Park in
.Song profile
"Itchycoo Park" was released by Small Faces in August 1967. Together with "Lazy Sunday", "Tin Soldier" and "All or Nothing", the song is one of the band's biggest hits and has become a classic of its time.[6]
The song reached number 16 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968, during a chart run of 16 weeks.[7] In Canada, the song reached number 1.[8]
Long running British music magazine NME cites readers poll voting "Itchycoo Park" number 62 out of the top 100 singles of all time.[9]
"Itchycoo Park" climbed the charts again when it was re-released on 13 December 1975.[10]
The song was one of the first pop singles to use flanging, an effect that can be heard on the drums in the bridge section after each chorus.[11] Most sources credit the use of the effect to Olympic Studios engineer George Chkiantz who showed it to the Small Faces' regular engineer Glyn Johns; he in turn demonstrated it to the group, who were always on the lookout for innovative production sounds, and they readily agreed to its use on the single.
Although many devices were soon created that could produce the same effect by purely electronic means, the effect as used on "Itchycoo Park" was at that time an electro-mechanical studio process.[12] Two synchronised tape copies of a finished recording were played simultaneously into a third master recorder, and by manually retarding the rotation of one of the two tape reels by pressing on the flanges, a skilled engineer could subtly manipulate the phase difference between the two sources, creating the lush 'swooshing' phase effect that sweeps up and down the frequency range. The original single version was mixed and mastered in mono, and the phasing effect is more pronounced in the mono mix than in the later stereo mix.[citation needed]
Inspiration
The song was first conceived and largely written by Ronnie Lane, who had been reading a leaflet on the virtues of
A number of sources claim the song's name is derived from the nickname of
Marriott and Small Faces manager Tony Calder came up with the well-known story when Marriott was told the BBC had banned the song for its overt drug references, Calder confirms:
We scammed the story together, we told the BBC that Itchycoo Park was a piece of waste ground in the East End that the band had played on as kids – we put the story out at ten and by lunchtime we were told the ban was off.[15]
Ronnie Lane said of the true location of Itchycoo Park: "It's a place we used to go to in Ilford years ago. Some bloke we know suggested it to us because it's full of nettles and you keep scratching actually".[16]
Other possible etymologies
In an interview Steve Marriott stated that Itchycoo Park is
The term "Itchycoo" also appears in the Scots language from around the 1950s, particularly referring to the itchy seeds of the rose-hip (Dog Rose).[18]
Steve Marriott once said of The Small Faces "(We) were a mix of R&B and music hall. The R&B came from Detroit, the music hall from Stepney. That's what 'Itchycoo Park' is about… having a drink and a party."
Itchy Park refers to the grounds of Christ Church, Spitalfields in the East End of London, laid out as gardens in 1890.[19]
Personnel
According to the liner notes of the 2012 7" re-master:[20]
Small Faces
- Steve Marriott – lead and backing vocals, guitar
- Ronnie Lane – backing vocals, bass
- Ian McLagan – backing vocals, organ, piano
- Kenney Jones – drums, percussion
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
M People version
"Itchycoo Park" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by M People | ||||
from the album Bizarre Fruit II | ||||
Released | 13 November 1995[37] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:34 | |||
Label | Deconstruction | |||
Songwriter(s) | Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane | |||
Producer(s) | M People | |||
M People singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Itchycoo Park" on YouTube |
British band
Critical reception
Scottish
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Itchycoo Park" (Radio Edit) | 3:52 |
2. | "Itchycoo Park" (M People Master Mix) | 6:42 |
3. | "Itchycoo Park" (Morales Classic Club Mix) | 7:52 |
4. | "Itchycoo Park" (Hed Boys Post-op Mix) | 9:04 |
5. | "Itchycoo Park" (Morales Beautiful Instrumental) | 6:22 |
Charts
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[44] | 27 |
Europe ( Eurochart Hot 100)[45]
|
22 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[46] | 55 |
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[47] | 24 |
Ireland (IRMA)[48] | 16 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[49] | 14 |
Netherlands ( Single Top 100 Tipparade)[50]
|
4 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] | 21 |
Scotland (OCC)[52] | 11 |
11 | |
UK Dance (OCC)[53] | 7 |
Uses and other notable versions
This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2020) |
- 1984: covered by progressive rock band The Enid
- 1992: Rymes with Orange, on the album Peel
- 1993: Blue Murder cover on the album Nothin' But Trouble
- 1993: Heavy metal band Quiet Riot covered on the album Terrified.
- 1996: covered by Ben Lee for the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack
- 1996: Tasmin Archer covered the song as a bonus track to the Japanese edition of her album Bloom
- 1996: The song is featured in the soundtrack to the Australian film Mr. Reliable[54]
- 1999: Itchycoo Park 1999 was a "Pre-Bonnaroo" like music festival in Manchester, Tennessee, the same place in which Bonnaroo is today. The festival was successful its first year but did not fulfill its plans to return in 2000.
- 1999: The song can be heard in the marijuana documentary Grass.
- 2006: The original version is heard in the opening scenes of the British film Severance starring Danny Dyer.[55]
- 2009: Used in soundtrack for the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges.
- New Zealand/Australian band It's All Too Beautiful(2011).
- 2015: Covered by Nellie McKay on her album My Weekly Reader.
- 2015: Covered by Alice Cooper's Hollywood Vampires on their debut album.
- 2018: The song can be heard in the Season 2 finale of The Handmaid's Tale. Commander Lawrence plays the song at his home.
References
- ^ Caiger, Rob; Flood, Tosh (2014). Greatest Hits: The Immediate Years 1967–1969 (Liner notes). Small Faces. Immediate, Charly. F 847.
- ISBN 0-634-05548-8.
- ^ "10 Essential Small Faces/Faces Songs". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
- ^ "IanMcLagan.com - The Story of the Small Faces in Their Own Words: Reunions". 19 October 2004. Archived from the original on 19 October 2004. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Guide to British Music of the 1960s". Making Time. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
- ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
- ^ a b "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 27, 1968" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ "NME Readers all time top 100 singles published 1976". NME. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
- ^ "Top 40 Hits of Mid January 1976". everyHit.com. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
- ISBN 9781441124098. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ Stojkovski, Dragan (6 September 2016). "Itchycoo Park". Kurrent Music. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^
ISBN 0-9523935-0-6.
- ^ "Small Faces London- Ilford Park". Making Time. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
- ^ Steve Marriott, All Too Beautiful p.154
- ISBN 0-9523935-0-6.
- ISBN 978-1-5098-4303-9.
- ^ "ITCHY-COO". Scottish National Dictionary/Dictionary of the Scots Language. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ Itchy Park Retrieved 16 September 2008
- ^ Anon. (2012). Itchycoo Park (Liner notes). Small Faces. Immediate Records, Charly Records. IM 057.
- OCLC 62561852.
- ^ a b "Small Faces - Itchycoo Park". ultratop.be. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Small Faces - Itchycoo Park". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (27 January 1968). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 50.
{{cite book}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ISBN 978-0-8108-1595-7.
- ^ "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World (17 February 1968): 27.
- ^ a b c "itchycoo park | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "The 100 best-selling singles of 1967 [in the U.K.]". sixtiescity.net. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1968". Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 of 1968 - January 6, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "British single certifications – Small Faces – Itchycoo Park". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 11 November 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Itchycoo Park (1995) by M People". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- Aberdeen Press and Journal. 17 November 1995. page 12.
- ^ Promis, Jose F. "M People – The Best Of M People". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ Flick, Larry (10 August 1996). "Dance Trax: Gangsta-Bop Hits The Spot; Divas Dance The Night Away" (PDF). Billboard. p. 27. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Bonner, Michael (11 November 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 48. 2 December 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ^ "M People – Itchycoo Park". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 49. 9 December 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ^ "M People – Itchycoo Park" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- Dagblaðið Vísir(in Icelandic). 23 December 1995. p. 44. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Itchycoo Park". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "M People - Itchycoo Park" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "M People – Itchycoo Park" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "M People – Itchycoo Park". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Mr. Reliable - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Itchycoo Park, soundtrack to Severance film". 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
Further reading
- Paolo Hewitt/John Hellier (2004). ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
- Paolo Hewitt/Kenney Jones (1995) Small Faces: The Young Mods' Forgotten Story – Acid Jazz ISBN 0-9523935-0-6