"I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin (lyrics) and Carole King (music) and made famous by Herman's Hermits.[2] The song was originally recorded (as "I'm into Somethin' Good") by Cookies member Earl-Jean on Colpix Records in 1964. Her version entered the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 charts in the US on 4 July 1964 and spent eight weeks there, reaching a high of number 42 on 15 August 1964, and number 38 Billboard.
| "I'm into Something Good" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Herman's Hermits | ||||
| from the album Herman's Hermits | ||||
| B-side | "Your Hand in Mine" | |||
| Released | 7 August 1964 (UK) September 1964 (US) | |||
| Recorded | De Lane Lea Studios, London, 26 July 1964 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Label | MGM Records K13280 (US) Columbia DB 7338 (UK)[2] | |||
| Composer(s) | Carole King[2] | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Gerry Goffin | |||
| Producer(s) | Mickie Most[2] | |||
| Herman's Hermits singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
On 26 July 1964, Herman's Hermits recorded the song as their debut single. It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 30 September 1964, staying there for two weeks.[2][3][4] The song peaked at number 13 in the US later that year and number 7 in Canada. The 'A' section of the song follows a twelve-bar blues structure.[5]
This Herman's Hermits' release, during the peak of the British Invasion, occurred at a time when Brill Building songwriters like Goffin and King in this case, found themselves in danger of obsolescence, as most of the British groups wrote their own material. The song has since been featured in films such as The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, and Ouija: Origin of Evil. The song was also featured in the season 5 episode "Road to Rupert" of Family Guy.
Carole King has said that in writing the song, she was inspired by Brian Wilson: "I make no bones about it, that song was influenced by Brian's music".[6]
Chart history
edit- Earl-Jean/The Cookies
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 38 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top 100[8] | 42 |
- Herman's Hermits
| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 11 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[9] | 7 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[10] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) | 7 |
| Sweden | 5 |
| UK[3] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 13 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top 100[11] | 7 |
Personnel (Herman's Hermits)
edit- Peter Noone – vocals
- Derek Leckenby – lead guitar
- Keith Hopwood – rhythm guitar
- Karl Green – bass
- Barry Whitwam – drums
Cover versions
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2018) |
The song was featured in the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. From its inclusion in the soundtrack, a solo version by Herman's Hermits frontman Peter Noone climbed the adult contemporary chart that year.
The song was featured in the 1997 film The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, in the opening credits and also when the Master puts the WFC 11-12-55 into Radio and turns him on.
Brian Wilson covered the song, which features Carole King, and it is included in the Best Buy edition of his 2008 album, That Lucky Old Sun.
The Bird and the Bee covered the song and released it as a single in March 2010. Their version was also included on the soundtrack for the film, Valentine's Day and television Love Bites show season 1 episode 6 "TMI."
This song was featured on the television sitcom The Partridge Family in 1973, with lead vocals by David Cassidy. This cover version, produced by Wes Farrell, appeared twice during the fourth season. However, it was never officially released on either vinyl or CD.
Another version was recorded as part of The Langley Schools Music Project in 1976.
Using the title "Something Good", Marianne Faithfull covered the song on her 2002 album Kissin Time. It featured Billy Corgan as a guest musician.
The song was included on the CD release of Janis Siegel's 1982 album, Experiment in White.
In 2020, the famous party band The Gypsy Queens recorded the song as the first single of their album Reminiscing with Friends (2022), in Los Angeles, at The Village Studios, Featuring the original Herman's Hermits lead singer Peter Noone, and produced by multiple Grammy winner producer Larry Klein.[12] It was released 12 February 2021, under the label Sonico Productions.[13]
In 2021, the animated series F Is for Family featured an unpracticed rendition of the song in season 5, episode 2.
Football song
editThe song, with adapted lyrics, has been adopted as an anthem by fans of Manchester United F.C.,[14] F.C. United of Manchester,[15] Portsmouth F.C.[16] and Coventry City F.C.
Herman's Hermits performance credits
editBarry Whitwam has stated that the Hermits themselves played on the track, not Jimmy Page, since Mickie Most and former lead singer "Herman" (Peter Noone) had implied otherwise after having lost the rights to the band's name.[17] Whitwam further states, in regard to exaggerations of songs on which they supposedly did not play:
"Everything he says is that it was Jimmy Page, and Jimmy Page probably can't remember any of the songs that he played. If you look at our top ten in America, "I'm into Something Good", it was us. All Hermits. There was only a piano added on. That was on a two-track machine, so we played at the same time. That got to number thirteen. “Can't You Hear My Heartbeat”, there were no other instruments. That got to number two. "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" got to number one. "I'm Henry the VIII". Number one. "A Must to Avoid". Number eight. "Listen People". "Leaning on the Lamppost". That's six in the top ten with Jimmy Page or anybody else not involved! Another seventy of the tracks on the albums is only the Hermits. I think I worked it out, and I think in only thirty percent of all the songs ever recorded, the Hermits didn't do the backing, but the Hermits were always on the vocals doing the harmonies. So he's trying to discredit us, saying that we didn't have anything to do with anything."[17]
References
edit- ^ Breihan, Tom (15 November 2022). "The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 45.
- ^ a b c d e Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 84. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 – 5th April 2014 | The UK Charts | Top 40". Theofficialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 167–8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Moore, Professor Allan F. (28 January 2013). Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4094-9524-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ Carole King/Brian Wilson Exclusive Tracks, Caroleking.com, 22 August 2008
- ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 8/15/64". Tropicalglen.com.
- ^ "RPM Top 40 & 5 – November 16, 1964" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'm into Something Good". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 12/19/64". Tropicalglen.com.
- ^ "Larry Klein has produced 2 singles with the Gypsy Queens". Worldsend.com. 4 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Gypsy Queens – 'I'm into Something Good'". Totalntertainment.com. 14 February 2021.
- ^ Manchester United fans AGAIN launch into epic rendition of Herman's Hermits' 'I'm into something good', Daily Mirror, 26 January 2017
- ^ "Woke Up This Morning Feeling Fine". 21 October 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Mansfield v Pompey April 2017 - Woke up this morning feeling fine, I got promotion on my mind". 1 May 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Tweedle, Sam. "Memoirs of a Hermit: Setting the Record Straight with Herman's Hermit's Barry Whitwam". Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict. Retrieved 1 December 2013.