| Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies | |
| Cover: | Kissin'_in_the_Back_Row_of_the_Movies_-_The_Drifters.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Drifters |
| B-Side: | I'm Feeling Sad (And Oh So Lonely) |
| Released: | June 1974 |
| Label: | Bell |
| Producer: | Billy Davis, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway |
| Prev Title: | Like Sister and Brother |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Down on the Beach Tonight |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
"Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" is a song originally recorded by The Drifters in 1974. It was the second of four charting singles released from their Love Games LP. Johnny Moore is the lead singer.
The song reached the Top 10 in the UK, the second of three to do so. "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" also reached the Top 10 in Australia.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 2 in 2022, the song's co-writer Roger Greenaway revealed he had to persuade Johnny Moore to record the song after Moore questioned the appropriateness of a man of his age performing lyrics such as "When I pick her up from school" and "When her homework's done". Greenaway claimed he managed to convince Moore to put his voice to the record by insisting Drifters fans would be unconcerned by the lyrics and that the song would be a hit. After the song was released and reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, Moore admitted he had been wrong to question the song and from that point on referred to Greenaway as "The Doctor".[1]
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina[2] | 5 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 7 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[4] | 3 |
| UK[5] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B[6] | 83 |
| Chart (1974) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 64 |
| UK [8] | 22 |