| Red Rubber Ball | |
| Cover: | Red_Rubber_Ball_-_The_Cyrkle.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Cyrkle |
| Album: | Red Rubber Ball |
| B-Side: | How Can I Leave Her |
| Released: | April 4, 1966 |
| Recorded: | February 12, 1966 |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | John K. Simon |
| Prev Title: | Parking in the Kokomo |
| Prev Year: | 1965 |
| Next Title: | Turn-Down Day |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
"Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song written by Bruce Woodley of The Seekers and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel, recorded by The Cyrkle, whose version reached 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[2] and in South Africa[3] and New Zealand.[4] In Canada, the song reached No. 1.[5]
"Red Rubber Ball" is sung from the perspective of a man at the end of an unfulfilling relationship in which his significant other never gave him much attention or affection. He now looks forward to the future with a positive attitude, proclaiming that “the morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball”.
According to Cyrkle guitarist Tom Dawes, Simon offered "Red Rubber Ball" to the band when they were opening for Simon and Garfunkel on tour.[6] [7] The song's tracks were recorded in stereo, with the bass, lead guitar, and percussion on the right track, acoustic guitar and electric organ on left, and the vocals on both.
The Columbia picture sleeve issued with the "Red Rubber Ball" single is a very rare and oft-sought item amongst record collectors; near-mint copies are said to fetch three figures.
The Seekers also recorded "Red Rubber Ball" for their 1966 album Come the Day (called Georgy Girl in the USA). It also appears on the CD box set The Seekers Complete.
In an interview on The Colbert Report, Paul Simon said he wrote "Red Rubber Ball" while living in England to get a £100 advance from The Seekers. This came in response to Colbert's request for Simon to name a song that was "on the cusp" when it came to being included in his songbook Lyrics 1964–2008.
In the US, "Red Rubber Ball" spent a single week at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart at the same time "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles was at No. 1, during the week ending July 9, 1966. It was the fifth week during 1966 in which songs written by Simon and by John Lennon and Paul McCartney were simultaneously at No. 1 and No. 2 on the chart.