Up in a Puff of Smoke explained

Up in a Puff of Smoke
Cover:	Up_in_a_Puff_of_Smoke_-_Polly_Brown.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Polly Brown
B-Side:	I'm Saving All My Love
Released:	August 1974 (UK) December 1974 (U.S.)
Recorded:	1974
Genre:	Pop
Length:	3:20
Label:	GTO Records
Producer:	Gerry Shury, Phillip Swern
Next Title:	You're My Number One
Next Year:	1974

"Up in a Puff of Smoke" is a song recorded in 1974 by Polly Brown, released as a non-album single to become an international Top 40 hit in 1975.

Overview

The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker had admired Brown's voice from her Pickettywitch recordings. Shury, who had arranged Brown's 1972 self-titled album release, described her as a cross "between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick".^[1] In 1974, Shury and Roker had Brown record the neo-Motown number "Up in a Puff of Smoke". In the same session Brown, with Roker as co-vocalist, recorded a cover of the ABBA song "Honey, Honey", which was released under the name Sweet Dreams.^[1]

Canadian blue-eyed soul singer Charity Brown turned down the chance to cover "Up in a Puff of Smoke" for the Canadian market,^[2] but she did record the B-side song of the Polly Brown single, the mid-tempo Shury/Swern ballad "I'm Saving All My Love", as "Saving All My Love". Introduced on Brown's 1975 album release Rock Me, the track was released as a single, reaching #61 on the Canadian singles chart in February 1976.^[3]

Chart history

"Up in a Puff of Smoke" proved to be a UK Top 40 shortfall although it did spend five weeks in the Top 50, peaking at #43.^[4] However, the track became a hit in several English speaking countries: Australia (#22),^[5] Canada (#11),^[6] New Zealand (#13),^[7] and the US (#16).^[8]

Weekly charts

Chart (1974–75)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	22
Canada RPM Top Singles	11
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[9]	36
New Zealand ^[10]	13
UK (The Official Charts Company)^[11] ^[12]	43
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[13]	16
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening	29
U.S. Billboard Dance/Disco	3
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 ^[14]	16

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)	Rank
Canada ^[15]	112
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)^[16]	147

Cover versions

• In 2018, Linda Martin remade "Up in a Puff of Smoke", with Nicki French on background vocals. Issued in January 2018, the track was included on Martin's All Woman album released September 2018.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gerry Shury. Alwynwturner.com.
2. The Ottawa Citizen "Charity Brown: singer tries to change 'cute, cuddly' image" by John Wolotko 18 June 1977 p.29
3. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada. Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 1981-09-05 . 2018-10-06.
4. Web site: up in a puff of smoke | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Officialcharts.com.
5. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
6. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 2011-12-31.
7. Web site: Polly Brown - Up In A Puff Of Smoke. Charts.nz.
8. Web site: Polly Brown. Billboard.com.
9. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 1975-03-29 . 2018-07-29.
10. Web site: flavour of new zealand - search rianz. Flavourofnz.co.nz.
11. Web site: Official Charts Company . Officialcharts.com . 1974-09-14 . 2019-02-14.
12. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 82.
13. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 -
14. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 15, 1976. Tropicalglen.com.
15. Web site: Image : RPM Weekly. July 17, 2013. Bac-lac.gc.ca.
16. Book: Whitburn, Joel . 1999 . Pop Annual . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin . Record Research Inc. . 0-89820-142-X.
17. Web site: CD Single: Linda Martin - Up In A Puff Of Smoke (Matt Pop Edit) (2018). 45worlds.com.