1964 single by the Drifters
"
Under the Boardwalk
" is a
pop
song written by
Kenny Young
and
Arthur Resnick
and recorded by
the Drifters
in 1964. It charted at number four on the
Billboard
Hot 100
chart on August 22, 1964.
[2]
The song has since been covered by many other artists, with versions by
Bette Midler
,
Sam & Dave
,
Tom Tom Club
,
The Rolling Stones
,
Billy Joe Royal
,
The Beach Boys
,
Bruce Willis
,
Bad Boys Blue
,
John Mellencamp
and
Lynn Anderson
all charting in the United States or overseas. The song ranked number 487 on
Rolling Stone
's
list of
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
in 2004 and number 489 in 2010.
Premise
[
edit
]
The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a
boardwalk
. The instrumentation includes
guiro
,
triangle
and
violins
. The song's chorus switches from a major to minor key.
[3]
The opening line of the song references the Drifters' prior hit "
Up on the Roof
."
Also, the violins are heard playing the riff of "Up on the Roof" before the chorus.
History
[
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]
The song was set to be recorded on May 21, 1964, but the band's lead singer,
Rudy Lewis
, died of a suspected
heroin
overdose
the night before. Lewis had sung lead on most of their hits since the 1960 departure of
Ben E. King
, including "
Up on the Roof
". Rather than reschedule the studio session, the lead on "Under the Boardwalk" was given to the group's other lead vocalist,
Johnny Moore
, who had returned to the group in April 1963. The personnel on that recording included
Ernie Hayes
on piano,
Everett Barksdale
,
Bill Suyker
and
Bob Bushnell
on guitar,
Milt Hinton
on bass,
Gary Chester
on drums and
George Devens
on percussion.
[4]
The arranger was
Teacho Wiltshire
.
[5]
The last-minute move was a success, as the single, released on
Atlantic Records
, went to number four on the
Billboard
Hot 100
charts and number one for three non-consecutive weeks on
Cashbox
magazine's R&B chart.
[6]
In 2014, this recording of the song was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame
.
[7]
Cover versions
[
edit
]
A cover of this song by
the Rolling Stones
was released the same year as the original version. Their version was released as a single only in Australia, South Africa and Rhodesia, and peaked at No. 1 in the first two (the song was the band's first No. 1 hit in Australia) and at No. 2 in Rhodesia. It appeared on their albums
12 X 5
and
The Rolling Stones No. 2
. In 2007, it was included on the album
Rhythms del Mundo Classics
.
In 1966,
Los Apson
released a
Spanish-language
version titled "Fue en un Cafe", which was a hit in
Latin America
, reaching the top 5 in
Mexico
.
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
"Under the Boardwalk" has since been covered by many artists, including the Northern Irish punk rock band
The Undertones
(on their 1980 album
Hypnotised
),
[13]
Bette Midler
(number 26 in Australia), and the
Tom Tom Club
(whose version reached number 22 on the
UK Singles Chart
in 1982, becoming the first version of the song to chart in Britain). Versions by
Billy Joe Royal
,
Bruce Willis
(a number 2 success in the UK), and
Lynn Anderson
(number 24 on the Country chart) all reached the
Billboard
charts.
Rickie Lee Jones
also covered the song for her 1983 EP
Girl at Her Volcano
.
John Mellencamp
released the track as the
B-side
of his single "
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
". In Australia, the single effectively became a
double-A side
when the B-side "Under the Boardwalk" received significant airplay and both tracks were listed together on the singles chart, reaching number 18.
[14]
The track also reached number 19 on the
Billboard
Top Rock Tracks
chart.
Chart history
[
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]
Weekly charts
[
edit
]
The Drifters' original version
|
Year-end charts
[
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]
Chart (1964)
|
Rank
|
US
Billboard
Hot 100
[20]
|
20
|
US
Cash Box
[21]
|
21
|
|
Rolling Stones cover
Chart (1965)
|
Peak
position
|
Australia
|
1
|
South Africa
|
1
|
Rhodesia
|
2
|
Billy Joe Royal cover
Chart (1978)
|
Peak
position
|
US
Billboard
Hot 100
|
82
|
Tom Tom Club cover
Chart (1982)
|
Peak
position
|
Austria
|
6
|
Belgium
|
3
|
Ireland (
IRMA
)
[22]
|
17
|
Italy
|
42
|
Netherlands
|
9
|
New Zealand (
RIANZ
)
|
3
|
UK
|
22
|
US
Billboard
Dance
|
31
|
John Mellencamp cover
Chart (1985)
|
Peak
position
|
Australia
|
18
|
US
Billboard
Mainstream Rock
|
19
|
|
Bruce Willis cover
Lynn Anderson cover
Chart (1988)
|
Peak
position
|
US
Billboard
Country
|
24
|
Bette Midler cover
Chart (1989)
|
Peak
position
|
Australia (
ARIA
)
[23]
|
26
|
|
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023).
"The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
February 11,
2024
.
Singer Johnny Moore effortlessly stretching to reach the high notes in the final chorus lifts this playful, superbly crafted soul-pop classic to a higher dimension.
- ^
"Billboard Hot 100™"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
Allmusic entry
by Richie Unterberger
- ^
Gammond, Peter (1991).
The Oxford Companion to Popular Music
. Oxford University Press, New York. p. 165.
- ^
Peter Grendysa and Robert Pruter,
Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974
booklet notes (CD edition), Atlantic Records, 1991
- ^
Whitburn, Joel
(2004).
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942?2004
. Record Research. p. 173.
- ^
https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#u
- ^
"
What She Does Best
: Lynn Anderson: Songs, Reviews, Credits"
.
Allmusic
. Retrieved
May 27,
2020
.
- ^
"
Mexico
",
Cash Box
. August 27, 1966. p. 77. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^
Martinez, Armando. "
Mexico Single Hit Parade
",
Record World
. August 5, 1967. p. 43. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^
Ruiz, Ivhan A. "
Nicaragua Single Hit Parade
",
Record World
. March 9, 1968. p. 39. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^
"
Hits of the World
",
Billboard
. August 26, 1967. p. 57. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^
DISCOGS, The Undertones ? Hypnotised (accessed on April 15, 2024)
- ^
Kent, David
(1993).
Australian Chart Book 1970?1992
. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W.
ISBN
0-646-11917-6
.
- ^
"Forum - 1964 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)"
.
Australian-charts.com
. Retrieved
June 7,
2021
.
- ^
"Item Display ? RPM ? Library and Archives Canada"
.
Collectionscanada.gc.ca
. August 11, 1964
. Retrieved
June 23,
2018
.
- ^
"flavour of new zealand - search lever"
.
Flavourofnz.co.nz
. Retrieved
June 7,
2021
.
- ^
Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990
-
ISBN
0-89820-089-X
- ^
"Cash Box Top 100 9/05/64"
.
Tropicalglen.com
. Retrieved
June 7,
2021
.
- ^
"Top 100 Hits of 1964/Top 100 Songs of 1964"
.
Musicoutfitters.com
. Retrieved
June 7,
2021
.
- ^
"Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1964"
. Archived from
the original
on June 1, 2015
. Retrieved
June 23,
2018
.
- ^
"
The Irish Charts ? Search Results ? Under the Boardwalk"
.
Irish Singles Chart
. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^
"
Bette Midler ? Under the Boardwalk"
.
ARIA Top 50 Singles
. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
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