Heart and Soul (1938 song)

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For other albums or songs of the same name, see Heart and Soul (disambiguation).
"Heart and Soul"
Song

"Heart and Soul" is a popular song, with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Frank Loesser, published in 1938. The original 1938 version was performed by Larry Clinton & his Orchestra featuring Bea Wain.

In 1939, three versions charted: Larry Clinton (reaching #1 on the chart), Eddy Duchin (reaching #12), and Al Donahue (reaching #16). The song later charted as #11 in 1952 by The Four Aces with the Jack Pleis Orchestra, and as #57 in 1956 by Johnny Maddox. Two different cover versions charted in 1961, with The Cleftones reaching #18 and Jan and Dean reaching #25. Many covers have been recorded and it has been used in advertisements.

Musical format

The song's A-section is often simplified as a repeating I-vi-ii-V progression and taught to beginning piano students as an easy two-hand duet (Audio file "Heart_And_Soul.MID" not found). Much like the piece "Chopsticks", this (somewhat inaccurate) version became widely known, even to those who never studied piano. The chord progression, often referred to as the "'50s progression",[1] was later employed in the doo-wop hits of the 1950s and 1960s.

The Cleftones version

"Heart and Soul"
Single by The Cleftones
B-side "How Do You Feel?" by members of the Cleftones
Released April 17, 1961 (1961-04-17)
Format 7-inch single
Recorded 1959, Rochester, New York
Genre Rhythm and blues, doo-wop
Length 1:52
Label Gee Records (1064)
Writer(s) Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser
Producer(s) George Goldner
Certification Silver (RIAA)
The Cleftones singles chronology
"Shadows on the Very Last Row/She's Gone"
(November 1960)		 "Heart and Soul"
(April 1961)		 "For Sentimental Reasons/Deed I Do"
(September 1961)

The Cleftones succeeded with a rhythm and blues rearrangement of the song in 1961. After the release on April 17, 1961, "Heart and Soul" reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year, making this song The Cleftones' most popular work. In 1973, the song was used in American Graffiti.

In 1959, the Cleftones' manager, George Goldner, convinced the group that their future resided in re-recording existing songs with an established popularity.[2] By this time, Charles James had grown more proficient on the guitar, and the group and Goldner used that to develop a new arrangement of the piece.[3][4]

At that time, a local prominent disc jockey set up a recording session in Rochester, New York to record "Heart and Soul" and, arranged for singer Pat Spann's boyfriend Panama Francis to play drums and 15-year-old/future Grammy Award winner Duane Hitchings to play keyboards.[5] At the recording session, the group was presented with a rearrangement of Heart and Soul song that was more formal than the way they had practiced.[6] From that, the group imparted a variety of unexpected rhythms to give the song a syncopated feel.[7] At some point in the recording session, the drummer caught singer Pat in the closet with bass guitar player Warren, which abruptly ended the recording session.[5] As a result, the last track recorded at the session was used as the "Heart and Soul" record.[5]

"Heart and Soul" sat undistributed until 1961.[8] In early April of that year, Roulette Records president Morris Levy reactivated New York-based American record label Gee Records as a division of Roulette Records and made "Heart and Soul" the reactivated label's first release.[8] That same month, American news magazine Billboard Music Week review panel listed "The Cleftones; Heart and Soul (Famous, ASCAP) (1:52) Gee" as one of seventeen "Pick Hits" from all songs released in the week of April 17, 1961.[9] Under its "Spotlight Winners of the Week" column, Billboard identified the song as having the strongest sales potential of all records reviewed for the week, commenting on The Cleftones and "Heart and Soul," <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

This was a hit group a few seasons back and this rendition could bring them back into action. It's the standard tune and it's done in rocking, teen-slanted fashion with a swinging beat. This could happen. Flip is "How Do You Feel" (Tyrol, BMI) (2:00)[10] Gee 1064."[11]

On July 3, 1961, "Heart and Soul" reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100,[12] and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 rhythm and blues chart.[2][13][14] The recording eventually sold approximately 350,000 copies for Gee/Roulette.[15] In 1973, the song was used in American Graffiti.[16]

Music critic Terry Atkinson of the Palm Beach Post noted in 1990 that "Heart and Soul" is the song for which the Cleftones are best remembered.[6] In 1999, American music critic Dave Marsh listed The Cleftones' "Heart and Soul" as No. 913 in his book, The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.[17] In 2012, American author and essayist Ray Schuck noted that the lyrics, "Well, I know that you're in love with him, 'cause I saw you dancing in the gym/You both kicked off your shoes - man, I dig those rhythm and blues."—from Don McLean's song "American Pie might be a vague reference to the Cleftones' 1961 rhythm and blues song, "Heart and Soul."[18] In his essay, Schuck argued that such as reference would "segue nicely into the verses comprising the remainder of this stanza, albeit with a disappointing outcome."[18]

Jan and Dean version

Jan and Dean covered the song at the same time as the Cleftones recording was on the chart. They intended for it to be released on Liberty Records, who balked, and it was released on Gene Autry's Challenge Records instead. It reached #25 on the charts. Liberty, noting the success, signed them, and Jan & Dean went on to make five top-10 singles for the label (Surf City, Honolulu Lulu, Drag City, Deadman's Curve, and The Little Old Lady from Pasadena).

Other recordings

The following artists have registered a recording of this song with ASCAP.[19]

See also

Further reading

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References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ "How do you feel?", by members of the Cleftones, w & m Herbert Cox, Gene Pearson, pseud. of Joshua Leviston & James Kendis a.k.a. Charles James, U.S. Copyright Registration Number EU0000664598, Date: 1961-03-31, where Adolph Tiedmann, through the estate of James Kendis a.k.a. Charles James is the copyright holder of "How do you feel?"
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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