Juliet - Four Pennies

Remembers classic songs from the late 1950s and 1960s
Post Reply
User avatar
royclough
RRF Consultant
Posts: 3118
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2001 3:17 pm
Contact:

Juliet - Four Pennies

Post by royclough »

Carrying on for Peter's theme, this was this group's finest hour, went to number 1 in UK, but originally is a B side (remember them) story goes that some DJ started to play the B side i.e this track rather than the A side, record company became aware of this and recalled the single and re-issued it

"Juliet" was the only 1964 Number one by a UK group not to chart in America





The original A side - thoughts/comments
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15029
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2000 5:00 am
Contact:

Re: Juliet - Four Pennies

Post by admin »

Roy, thanks for shining the spotlight on this innocent tale of a school boy's early love and concerns surrounding it's permanency.

This sleepy song, which has a tempo that just moves it forward, has enough minor chords to make it touching and enough sevenths to keep the audience interested. While soothing, it is almost going in reverse in places but the Four Pennies have enough magic going for them to make it work. Young love is short and the brevity of this song is just as well.

The lyrics while perhaps heart felt could have used a bit more work "Juliet don't forget the promise you made." But fortunately the pleasing tremolo and a little too much reverb fills in the pauses.

I do like this side far better than the A side vocals which are rather weak and the melody weaker.

What I found to be most interesting, however, is that Juliet was sandwiched between the recordings of two Liverpool groups namely The Searchers with Don't Throw Your Love Away and Cilla Black's You're My World. you will recall that Don't Throw Your Love Away was an Orlon's B side in the beginning.

I also found it intriguing that Juliet was the only number one in the UK in 1964 did not become #1 in the US. I suspect that this was due in part that the American audience was used to the harmonies of The Everlys, a tough act to follow.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm

Please join the Official RickResource Forum Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/379271585440277
Post Reply

Return to “Clough's Classics: by Roy Clough”