Orchard Road (song)

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"Orchard Road"
Single by Leo Sayer
from the album Have You Ever Been in Love
B-side"Gone Solo"
ReleasedFebruary 1983 (1983-02)
Genre
Length4:29
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Alan Tarney
Leo Sayer singles chronology
"Paris Dies in the Morning"
(1982) 		"Orchard Road"
(1983) 		"Till You Come Back to Me"
(1983)

"Orchard Road" is a song by

UK Singles Chart, becoming his final top-twenty hit until his 2006 feature on "Thunder in My Heart Again".[1]

Release and composition

The music for "Orchard Road" was composed by Alan Tarney, with the lyrics by Sayer.[2] Tarney, who also produced the song, had previously worked with Sayer producing his 1980 album Living in a Fantasy, which included the top-ten hit "More Than I Can Say".

According to Sayer, the lyrics to the song are based on an all-night phone conversation out in a public telephone booth he had with his then-wife, Janice, pleading for her return from her flat and forgiveness after a lapse of judgement in their 7-year marital life. In reality, the song refers to Churchfield Road, Acton in Greater London where his wife had moved out to.[3] However, the name "Churchfield Road" "didn't sing very well", so it was changed to "Orchard Road", the name coming from the shopping area in Singapore as Sayer had recently performed there.[4]

The song was originally recorded in one take as a demo, with Sayer "[making] up the words as we recorded it, with Alan Tarney playing to my hand signals".[5] However, the demo became the final version with the slightly unpolished guide vocal kept due to how it felt.[6]

Track listing

7": Chrysalis / CHS 2677 (UK)

  1. "Orchard Road" – 4:29
  2. "Gone Solo" – 3:58

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Orchard Road"
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8][9] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 8
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] 18
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[1]
 16

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Orchard Road"
Chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 95
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 81
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 68
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 71

References

  1. ^ a b "Leo Sayer: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  2. ^ "Orchard Road". National library of Australia. Retrieved 4 September 2012. music / words by Allan Tarney ; music by Leo Sayer
  3. AEST
    31 July 2008.
  4. ^ "8 Questions with Leo Sayer: He still makes you feel like dancing | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  5. ^ "INTERVIEW: Leo Sayer looks ahead to show at Floral Pavilion". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  6. ^ O'Connell, John (2013-07-12). "100. Orchard Road by Leo Sayer". What We Talk About When We Talk About Talk Talk. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  7. ^ World Radio + Have You Ever Been in Love (booklet). Edsel. 2009. EDSD 2062.
  8. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  9. ^ a b "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  10. ^ "Leo Sayer – Orchard Road" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Orchard Road". Irish Singles Chart.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Leo Sayer" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  13. ^ "Leo Sayer – Orchard Road" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. ^ "Leo Sayer – Orchard Road". Top 40 Singles.
  15. ^ "SA Charts 1969–March 1989". Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1983". Ultratop. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1983". www.top40.nl. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1983". www.dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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