It Might as Well Rain Until September explained

It Might as Well Rain Until September
Cover:Carole-King-September.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Carole King
Album:The Dimension Dolls
A-Side:Nobody's Perfect
Released:1962
Genre:Pop
Length:2:19
Label:Dimension
Producer:Gerry Goffin
Next Title:He's a Bad Boy
Next Year:1963

"It Might as Well Rain Until September" is a 1962 song originally written for Bobby Vee by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. King recorded the demo version of the song and it became a hit for her. However, Vee's management balked at releasing the song as a single, instead using it only as an album track. Bobby Vee recorded the song the same year for his 1963 Liberty album The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.

Background

The song was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and intended for Bobby Vee, for whom they had already written the song "Take Good Care of My Baby", a number one hit in the United States in 1961, and which remains Vee's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100. King recorded the demo version of the song[1] and this version was released as a double A-side single with "Nobody's Perfect". Although she had recorded earlier for ABC-Paramount and Alpine Records, '.....September' was Carole King's first commercial success as a singer, having already had a number of hits as a songwriter. The recording was only ever intended as a demo, and as such there is no master tape, only an acetate. This is the reason why all digital releases of this recording are of inferior quality compared to other songs of this era.

Don Kirshner liked Carole King's version of "September" so much that, even after hearing Bobby Vee's version, he decided to release King's version as a single on the Dimension label.[2] Carole King had two small children and did not have any interest in traveling the country to promote the record. Despite that, King was ultimately persuaded by Don Kirshner and Gerry Goffin to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, where she lip-synched to the record (as was almost always done on the show) and, unlike many other performers who were given good ratings, was given a terrible rating of a 42 out of 100 by the Bandstand kids.[1] King was devastated by the very poor score, but the song still became popular.

It later appeared on the album More American Graffiti.[3] It is also included on Carole King's 2005 live album The Living Room Tour, on which it is performed as part of a medley with other songs she wrote with Gerry Goffin.[4]

Charts

The single was released in 1962 and made it to number 22 on the Billboard chart in September of that year,[2] appearing on the Hot 100 chart dated October 6, 1962 (chart dates are approximately one and a half weeks ahead of their actual release dates).[5] The recording was considerably more popular in the United Kingdom, peaking at number three in October 1962, the highest position of any Carole King recording in the British charts.

YearChartPosition
1962US Billboard Hot 10022
1962UK Singles Chart3

Other versions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: It Might As Well Rain Until September by Carole King - Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King . Ntl.matrix.com . May 20, 2014 . July 6, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706153631/http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/lyrics/i/it_might_as_well_rain_until_september.txt . dead .
  2. Web site: Dave Thompson . It Might as Well Rain Until September - Carole King | Listen, Appearances, Song Review . AllMusic . May 20, 2014.
  3. Track 13, LP2, More American Graffiti, 1975, MCA 2-8007, (Introduced by Wolfman Jack).
  4. Web site: Official Website of Carole King - Songwriter, Performer, Author . Carole King . November 21, 2013 . December 16, 2013.
  5. Web site: Carole King - Chart history . Billboard . May 20, 2014.
  6. Web site: Bobby Vee Diskografie auf mufin.com - Playliste anhören - Ähnliche Musik entdecken . www.mufin.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714131342/http://www.mufin.com/de/bobby_vee--/artist/17300 . 14 July 2011 . dead.
  7. Web site: THE HELEN SHAPIRO FAN CLUB UNITED KINGDOM UK ALBUMS 1962-1965 . Aearwaker.tripod.com . December 16, 2013.
  8. Book: McFarlane . Ian . Ian McFarlane . . Encyclopedia entry for 'Dove' . https://web.archive.org/web/20040803181404/http://www.whammo.com.au:80/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=291 . http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=291 . 1999 . . . 3 August 2004 . 1-86508-072-1 .
  9. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - August 3, 1974.
  10. Web site: Steffen Hung . Child - It's Only Make Believe . hitparade.ch . December 16, 2013.
  11. Web site: fonogram Jag önskar att det alltid vore sommar. Svensk mediedatabas. sv. 1969. May 29, 2011.
  12. Web site: Svensk mediedatabas. May 29, 2011.
  13. Web site: Svensk mediedatabas. May 29, 2011.
  14. Web site: Svensk mediedatabas. May 29, 2011.
  15. Web site: Svensk mediedatabas. May 29, 2011.

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