"Before and After" is the title of a 1965 hit single by Chad & Jeremy. It was the duo's label debut on Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

, released after Columbia acquired rights to all of the duo's post-January 1, 1965 recordings.
The song was written by Van McCoy

Van McCoy

Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...

 - then a staff writer for Columbia's publishing arm April Blackwood
Music - and was recorded in March 1965 in the sessions for the Chad and Jeremy album also entitled Before and After; Lor Crane produced these sessions at Columbia's New York City studios.

The song borrows the concept of "before and after" images popular in advertising campaigns for weight loss products: the song's narrator compares his image with that of the current beau of his ex-girlfriend: "He wears a smile, I wear a frown...See the difference between the old and new/ Before and after losing you."

Released May 1965, "Before and After" rose to a Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 peak of #17 that July, its chart impact muted by the concurrent release of other Chad & Jeremy singles by the duo's previous label World Artists (specifically "What Do You Want With Me" and "From a Window

From a Window

"From a Window" is a song written by Paul McCartney, attributed to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, which was recorded by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas. It was the sixth and final Lennon/McCartney composition that was given to Kramer....

"). "Before and After" was Chad & Jeremy's fourth - and final - Top 20 hit.

An earlier recording of the song had been recorded by The Fleetwoods

The Fleetwoods

The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for eleven hit songs, beginning with "Come Softly to Me"...

 for their January 1965 album release entitled Before and After with the title track - entitled "Before and After (Losing You)" - having an unsuccessful single release that February. "Before and After" has also been recorded by The American Breed, Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...

, and by Van McCoy

Van McCoy

Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...

himself on the 1978 album My Favorite Fantasy.