Band Of Gold (Freda Payne song)
Encyclopedia
"Band of Gold" is a popular
song
written by Holland–Dozier–Holland under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, and Ron Dunbar, and first recorded by Freda Payne
. A hit for Payne in 1970, the song has been covered by numerous artists, notably dueling 1986 versions by contrasting pop divas Belinda Carlisle
and Bonnie Tyler
, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke
.
The legendary songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland used the name Edythe Wayne because of a lawsuit they had with Motown. Ron Dunbar was a staff employee and producer for Invictus. According to Freda Payne, Dunbar actually contributed to the song. However, Edythe Wayne was never seen or heard and is most likely an alias for HDH. When they first offered the song to Freda Payne, she balked at the idea of recording it, finding the material more appropriate for a teenager or very young woman. Payne reluctantly gave in after much persuasion by Dunbar. Almost immediately following its release the Payne record became an instant pop smash, reaching #3 in the US and hitting #1 on the UK singles chart
and remaining there for six weeks in September 1970, giving Payne her first gold record.
After Holland/Dozier/Holland left Motown in 1967, they were still in contact with Motown's house band, The Funk Brothers
. Holland/Dozier/Holland started their own label, with the intention of self-producing the songs they would write, and they asked The Funk Brothers
to play the instrumentals on those songs. The Funk Brothers who played on the Freda Payne recording of "Band of Gold" include:
Golden World/Motown
session singers Pamela Wilson, Joyce Vincent Wilson
, and Telma Hopkins
provided the background vocals. Joyce and Telma would later go on to form the group, Tony Orlando & Dawn.
The distinctive electric sitar part is played by New York studio musician Vinnie Bell
. Lead guitar on the track is by Ray Parker, Jr.
In 2004, Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" was voted number 391 in Rolling Stone
magazine's listing of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
.
, the man behind earlier hits by Tyler and Meat Loaf, and later hits by Celine Dion
, and the track was given a slew of Hi-NRG
remixes. The song was the third single off her Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
, which also features the hit "Holding Out for a Hero
". Carlisle's version was also given dance remixes featuring vocals by Freda Payne herself, that appear on a 2003 CD re-issue of the album Belinda
, which features the hit "Mad About You".
In 1970, Anne Renée (a popular Quebec singer) record a french cover of "Band of Gold" (Le Jonc d'amitié).
In 1983, "Band of Gold" was recorded by Disco/Hi-NRG singer Sylvester on Megatone Records and released as a 12" single. Sylvester's version reached #18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart and #67 on the UK Singles Chart
.
The song was a covered
in 1980 by the Australian group The Reels
on their hit EP "Five Great Gift Ideas".
UK Salsa
group, Modern Romance (band)
, covered
Band of Gold on their compilation album, Party Tonight
(1983).
Also in 1983, country singer Charly McClain
recorded a cover version of "Band of Gold" for her album The Woman in Me. McClain's version reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
chart in June 1984.
Kimberley Locke
released her version of "Band of Gold" to radio on August 13, 2007 as the second single from her album Based on a True Story
. It became Locke's second single to hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play
chart and her seventh to go top 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart. In December 2009, Billboard included Kimberley's version of the song at #45 on their list of the top 50 Dance Club Play songs of the decade. Locke had previously performed the song alongside Frenchie Davis
during "Hollywood week" on the second season of American Idol
, and later performed it again during her final performance week on the show. Billboard said of her version:
An additional remix by Piper was later released in the digital remix package for Locke's next single, "Fall".
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Holland–Dozier–Holland under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, and Ron Dunbar, and first recorded by Freda Payne
Freda Payne
Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...
. A hit for Payne in 1970, the song has been covered by numerous artists, notably dueling 1986 versions by contrasting pop divas Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
and Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, and a 2007 version by Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....
.
The legendary songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland used the name Edythe Wayne because of a lawsuit they had with Motown. Ron Dunbar was a staff employee and producer for Invictus. According to Freda Payne, Dunbar actually contributed to the song. However, Edythe Wayne was never seen or heard and is most likely an alias for HDH. When they first offered the song to Freda Payne, she balked at the idea of recording it, finding the material more appropriate for a teenager or very young woman. Payne reluctantly gave in after much persuasion by Dunbar. Almost immediately following its release the Payne record became an instant pop smash, reaching #3 in the US and hitting #1 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and remaining there for six weeks in September 1970, giving Payne her first gold record.
After Holland/Dozier/Holland left Motown in 1967, they were still in contact with Motown's house band, The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
. Holland/Dozier/Holland started their own label, with the intention of self-producing the songs they would write, and they asked The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
to play the instrumentals on those songs. The Funk Brothers who played on the Freda Payne recording of "Band of Gold" include:
- Bass: Bob Babbitt
- Guitarists: Dennis Coffey, Eddie Willis, and Ray Monette
- Keyboards: Johnny Griffth
- Drums: Uriel Jones
- Percussion: Jack Ashford
Golden World/Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
session singers Pamela Wilson, Joyce Vincent Wilson
Joyce Vincent Wilson
Joyce Vincent Wilson is an American singer, most famous for being one-third of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn...
, and Telma Hopkins
Telma Hopkins
Telma Louise Hopkins is an American singer and television actress. A member of the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn, she later starred in several television sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies, Gimme a Break!, Family Matters, Getting By, and Half & Half...
provided the background vocals. Joyce and Telma would later go on to form the group, Tony Orlando & Dawn.
The distinctive electric sitar part is played by New York studio musician Vinnie Bell
Vinnie Bell
Vinnie Bell is a leading American session guitarist and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music.He played in nightclubs in New York City in the late 1950s...
. Lead guitar on the track is by Ray Parker, Jr.
Ray Parker, Jr.
Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...
In 2004, Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" was voted number 391 in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's listing of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
.
Topic
The song tells a story of a recently married woman whose husband is incapable of loving her (even though he tried), resulting in the couple sleeping in separate rooms on their honeymoon, to her dismay. It would appear that the marriage ended in the husband's abandoning his bride, leaving her with no more than the titular 'band of gold'.Cover versions
Despite both coming off major hits and working with noted musicians, neither the Belinda Carlisle nor the Bonnie Tyler versions were major hits. Tyler's was produced by Jim SteinmanJim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
, the man behind earlier hits by Tyler and Meat Loaf, and later hits by Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, and the track was given a slew of Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
remixes. The song was the third single off her Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire is the sixth studio album by Bonnie Tyler. Released in 1986 peaked at no.24 on the UK album chart and no.106 in the US, though the album gained success in continental Europe....
, which also features the hit "Holding Out for a Hero
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1984 on the soundtrack to the film Footloose. It later appeared on Tyler's Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album. It hit #96 for the first time in UK in 1984,...
". Carlisle's version was also given dance remixes featuring vocals by Freda Payne herself, that appear on a 2003 CD re-issue of the album Belinda
Belinda (Belinda Carlisle album)
Belinda is the first solo album by Belinda Carlisle, notable as her first recording after the break-up of new wave band The Go-Go's, for whom she was their lead singer. Released in mid-1986 it featured a hit single "Mad About You" which went to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No...
, which features the hit "Mad About You".
In 1970, Anne Renée (a popular Quebec singer) record a french cover of "Band of Gold" (Le Jonc d'amitié).
In 1983, "Band of Gold" was recorded by Disco/Hi-NRG singer Sylvester on Megatone Records and released as a 12" single. Sylvester's version reached #18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart and #67 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
The song was a covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
in 1980 by the Australian group The Reels
The Reels
The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...
on their hit EP "Five Great Gift Ideas".
UK Salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
group, Modern Romance (band)
Modern Romance (band)
Modern Romance were a British pop music band that found popularity in the early 1980s. Formed in 1980 by previous members of an earlier punk rock band, The Leyton Buzzards, the band enjoyed a string of UK chart hits before they broke up in 1985...
, covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
Band of Gold on their compilation album, Party Tonight
Party Tonight
Party Tonight is the third album by English band Modern Romance. It was a compilation album released in 1983 on LP and Cassette tape by Ronco. A Japanese reissue on LP was released, titled Juanita, but is long out of print.-Track listing:...
(1983).
Also in 1983, country singer Charly McClain
Charly McClain
Charlotte Denise McClain is an American country music singer, best-known for series of Country hits during the 1980s....
recorded a cover version of "Band of Gold" for her album The Woman in Me. McClain's version reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in June 1984.
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....
released her version of "Band of Gold" to radio on August 13, 2007 as the second single from her album Based on a True Story
Based on a True Story (Kimberley Locke album)
Based On A True Story is the second album from American Idol finalist, Kimberley Locke. Kimberley chose this title because the songs on the album, 8 of which co-written by Kimberley herself, tell the true story of the emotions she dealt with during and after her relationship with her ex-fiance...
. It became Locke's second single to hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart and her seventh to go top 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart. In December 2009, Billboard included Kimberley's version of the song at #45 on their list of the top 50 Dance Club Play songs of the decade. Locke had previously performed the song alongside Frenchie Davis
Frenchie Davis
Franchelle "Frenchie" Davis is an R&B singer and former contestant on the second season of the American reality television show American Idol. Davis performed in Rent on Broadway in 2003...
during "Hollywood week" on the second season of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, and later performed it again during her final performance week on the show. Billboard said of her version:
- "Freda Payne's 1970 No. 3 hit "Band of Gold" may have been done to death, but a refresher course with ignition control of Kimberley Locke turns "Gold" green again. As with every song she has delivered, the "American Idol" alumnus—who earned high marks with her performance of this track on season two of the series—has commanded an enduring love affair at AC radio, with six hits and two No. 1s, including previous No. 6 "Change" from current CD "Based on a True Story." With a firm base in the gay community, the Bimbo Jones remix will only extend Locke's reach. So many seasons into the show, fewer original victors maintain relevance. (That's the way of the pop world.) But Locke has drop-kicked Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken as the season's real winner."
Track listings and formats (Locke version)
- US remixes maxi single - CURBD-2062
- "Band of Gold" (Dave Audé radio edit) – 3:12
- "Band of Gold" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 3:22
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty radio edit) – 2:57
- "Band of Gold" (Scotty K radio edit) – 3:49
- "Band of Gold" (Dave Audé Mixshow edit) – 6:06
- "Band of Gold" (Bimbo Jones mix) – 7:17
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty extended mix) – 6:51
- "Band of Gold" (Scotty K extended Klub mix) – 6:45
- "Band of Gold" (Dave Audé club mix) – 8:25
- "Band of Gold" (Dave Audé dub) – 7:08
- UK promotional remixes maxi single - Almighty remixes
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty radio mix) – 2:55
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty 12" club mix) – 6:49
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty 12" dub) – 6:38
- "Band of Gold" (Almighty 12" instrumental) – 6:47
An additional remix by Piper was later released in the digital remix package for Locke's next single, "Fall".
Charts
| Freda Payne Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in... version |
|
|---|---|
| Charts (1970) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| US Pop Singles | 3 |
| US Black Singles | 20 |
| Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:... version |
|
|---|---|
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
81 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot Dance Breakouts Singles Sales |
06 |
| Belinda Carlisle Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments... version |
|
|---|---|
| Chart (1986/87) | Peak position |
| US Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
26 |
| US Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... |
38 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
91 |
| Kimberley Locke Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres.... version |
|
|---|---|
| Chart (2007/08) | Peak position |
| US Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
| UK Commercial Club | 6 |
| US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
9 |
| US Billboard Top Dance Songs of 2008 Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November... |
11 |
| US Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents | 19 |
| Canadian Adult Contemporary | 21 |
| US Billboard Top AC Songs of 2008 Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November... |
36 |
| US Billboard Top AC Songs of 2007 Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November... |
39 |
| UK Upfront Club | 52 |