Elvira (song)
| "Elvira" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:The Oak Ridge Boys - Elvira.jpg | ||||
| Single by The Oak Ridge Boys | ||||
| from the album Fancy Free | ||||
| B-side | "A Woman Like You" | |||
| Released | March 1981 (U.S.) | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:39 (single edit) 3:45 (album version) |
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| Label | MCA | |||
| Writer(s) | Dallas Frazier | |||
| Producer(s) | Ron Chancey | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | |||
| The Oak Ridge Boys singles chronology | ||||
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"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys in 1981, now considered one of their signature songs.
Contents
Song history
Songwriter Dallas Frazier penned "Elvira" in 1966 and included it as the title track of an album he released that year. A number of recording artists, most notably Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, recorded the song through the years, to varying degrees of success.[1] Frazier's own version peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.[2] The title of the song was inspired not by the name of a woman, but by the name of a street in East Nashville, Tennessee.[3] Rogers' version appeared on the album Something's Burning which reached the top 30 of the Billboard 200.
In 1978, alternative country recording artist Rodney Crowell recorded his cover of "Elvira" (with "Ashes by Now" on the B-side)[4] which became a very minor hit that year. However, Crowell's version did have its fans — most notably The Oak Ridge Boys. In 1980, when the band began planning for their upcoming album Fancy Free, they decided to cover the song as well.[1]
The song's chorus bears a resemblance to the song "Searchin'" written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded famously by the Coasters.
The Oak Ridge Boys' recording of "Elvira"
The Oaks already had a very successful career in 1981. They had five gold albums to their credits, with one Greatest Hits collection about to go platinum, pretty much all of their hits had been number one hits on Billboard or CashBox, and they had a few of their songs cross over to the pop and adult contemporary charts. However, they were still looking for that one song that really defined them. In May 1979, William Lee Golden told People magazine:[5] “Inevitably our music will cross all borders and labels. Someday we’re going to run across something that everybody will like at the same time. When THAT happens, we’ll have made it.” A year later, they finally found that song, and that song would become their biggest hit ever in 1981.
Released in March 1981 with Joe Bonsall on lead vocals,[6] "Elvira" quickly climbed the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and became their fourth No. 1 hit that Memorial Day weekend. Their rendition — which included bass singer Richard Sterban's deep-voiced vocal solo on the chorus ("giddy up ba-oom papa oom papa mow mow")[7] was their biggest pop hit, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 that August.
"Elvira" was certified platinum for sales of 2 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America, a distinction that, for years, it shared only with "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
Single and album edits
The single version fades out after the first key change, more than a minute earlier than the album version (which features two more key changes and "oom pa-pa mow mow" choruses).
Chart performance
Dallas Frazier
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 72 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 27 |
Rodney Crowell
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 95 |
The Oak Ridge Boys
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 87 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 26 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 13 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 8 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Allmusic, review of "Elvira."
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7434 Origin of the song title, as related by Ray Baker, an associate of Dallas Frazier.
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- ↑ David Kent: Australian Chart Book
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Oak Ridge Boys – Elvira". Top 40 Singles.
See also
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944–2005," 2006.
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955–2006," 2007.
| Preceded by | Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single May 30, 1981 |
Succeeded by "Friends" by Razzy Bailey |
| Preceded by | RPM Country Tracks number-one single June 20, 1981 |
Succeeded by "Blessed Are the Believers" by Anne Murray |
