Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)
"Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Johnny Farnham | ||||
from the album Sadie | ||||
A-side | "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" | |||
B-side | "In My Room" | |||
Released | November 1967 | |||
Recorded | 1967 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:13 | |||
Label | EMI, Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Gilmore, Johnny Madara, Dave White | |||
Producer(s) | David Mackay | |||
Johnny Farnham singles chronology | ||||
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"Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" was Australian pop singer
"Sadie" sold approximately 183,000 copies in Australia and was the highest-selling Australian single until "Up There Cazaly" was released in 1979.[6][7][8] It was also released in New Zealand, Denmark and Germany.[9] The B-side, "In My Room", was written by Farnham.[10] The A-side's label includes the acknowledgement "Vacuum cleaner solo: Mr. Jolly".[a]
Background
Farnham's
By arrangement with Sambell, Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe pretended that he disliked "Sadie" before playing it.[7][12] Rofe continued the ploy on TV's Upright and viewers responded with calls to play the song.[12] Rofe was also a writer for Go-Set, a teen-oriented pop magazine. Another writer for the magazine, Molly Meldrum, praised Farnham's efforts.[7] "Sadie" hit No. 1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts in January 1968 and remained there for five weeks.[2] Selling 180,000 copies in Australia, "Sadie" was the highest selling single by an Australian artist of the decade.[7][8] The B-side, "In My Room", was written by Farnham.[10] The album, Sadie, also produced by Mackay, was released in April.[13]
According to author Jeff Jenkins, another local pop performer, Mike Furber, had the first option on recording "Sadie", but declined. Furber later told Sambell that due to this mistake he was not destined for success.[7]
Track listing
- "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) (Ray Gilmore, Johnny Madara, Dave White) – 3:13
- "In My Room" (Johnny Farnham)[10] – 2:17
Cover versions
- Wolverhampton band Finders Keepers recorded "Sadie, The Cleaning Lady" in mid-1968.[9]
- Swedish singer Siw Malmkvist recorded "Sadie" in English, Swedish (as "Mamma är lik sin mamma" with lyrics translated by Stig Anderson), Danish ("Mor er som hendes mor var") and German ("Frauen sind doch nur Frauen")—all in 1968.[9] The Swedish-language version charted at Svensktoppen for six weeks between 6 October–10 November 1968, topping the chart.[14]
- Finnish singer Katri Helena recorded it in Finnish as "Äiti kuin äidinäiti" in 1968.[9]
- Australian Frankie Davidson parodied it with "Hector the Trash Collector" in 1968.[9]
Chart positions
Year | Singles Chart | Position | Catalogue # |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | Kent Music Report[4] | 1 | DO-5032 |
Go-Set[2] | 1 | ||
NZ Listener[15] | 2 | DNZ.10546 |
Notes and references
- ^ An in-joke; "Mr Jolly" was the generic name for their door-to-door salesmen in Electrolux advertisements.
- ^ ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the originalon 29 August 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ a b c "Go-Set search engine results for "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "Go-Set Magazine's Number One Singles in Australia 1966–1974". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 5 September 2009. NOTE: Go-Set published its National Singles Charts from October 1966 until August 1974, they were compiled by Ed Nimmervoll.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-44439-5. NOTE: In 2005, David Kent back calculated all chart positions for 1940–1969 based on existing local charts: there were no nationally recognised charts until Go-Set published their first charts in October 1966. Kent published his first Kent Music Reportcharts in mid-1974.
- ^ Nimmervoll, Ed. "John Farnham". HowlSpace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- Cash Box. 15 September 1979. p. 57. Retrieved 1 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-86403-361-8. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Sadie The Cleaning Lady - JOHNNY FARNHAM (1967)". Pop Archives – Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. PopArchives.com.au. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA). Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA). Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ a b c Duncan Kimball, ed. (2002). "JOHN FARNHAM". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ Holmgren, Magnus; Reboulet, Scott; Albury, Lyn; Birtles, Beeb; Warnqvist, Stefan; Medlin, Peter. "John Farnham". Passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "Svensktoppen 1968" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 29 October 2020.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 1 May 2023.