Carrie Anne
Encyclopedia
"Carrie Anne" is a song written by Allan Clarke
, Graham Nash
, Tony Hicks
and released by British
pop rock
group The Hollies
. The song was recorded on 1 May 1967 and was released as a single in the same month by Parlophone Records
in the United Kingdom and Epic Records
in the United States. It became a hit in 1967, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart
. It was also a hit in the US, peaking at #9 on the pop charts.
and the song was written mainly by Graham Nash and Tony Hicks with Allan Clarke supplying the lyrics for the Middle eight.
According to Graham Nash, "Carrie Anne" was written about Marianne Faithfull
.
The song was recorded in only two takes on 3 May 1967 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios
. The first take was a false start and can be heard on the compilation The Hollies at Abbey Road: 1966 to 1970.
Allan Clarke (singer)
Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...
, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, Tony Hicks
Tony Hicks
Tony Hicks is a guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British pop group The Hollies since 1963.-Career:...
and released by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
group The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
. The song was recorded on 1 May 1967 and was released as a single in the same month by Parlophone Records
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
in the United Kingdom and Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in the United States. It became a hit in 1967, reaching #3 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 ...
. It was also a hit in the US, peaking at #9 on the pop charts.
Conception & Recording
According to Allan Clarke the song was written during a concert the group did with Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and the song was written mainly by Graham Nash and Tony Hicks with Allan Clarke supplying the lyrics for the Middle eight.
According to Graham Nash, "Carrie Anne" was written about Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
.
The song was recorded in only two takes on 3 May 1967 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. The first take was a false start and can be heard on the compilation The Hollies at Abbey Road: 1966 to 1970.
Charts
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set Go-Set Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble... ) |
7 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Singles Chart) | 4 |
| Norway (VG-Lista) | 7 |
| United Kingdom (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 ... ) |
3 |
| 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... |
9 |
Cover versions
- American singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Tommy KeeneTommy KeeneTommy Keene is an American singer-songwriter, best known for releasing critical acclaimed new wave/power pop songs in the 1980s. He has a longtime cult following among fans of the musical genre of power pop...
recorded a version that was included on his 2004 rarities compilation, Drowning—A Tommy Keene Miscellany. It was also included on the 1995 Eggbert Records release Sing Hollies in Reverse - Ali CampbellAli CampbellAli Campbell, , is a British singer, solo artist and songwriter and was the lead singer and founding member of UB40. As part of UB40, Campbell sold over 70 million records world wide and toured the globe for 30 years. In 2008 Campbell left UB40 and embarked on a successful solo career.-Personal...
covered the song on his 2010 album 'Great British Songs'. It was released as a UK single on 8 November 2010 - The b-side "Signs That Will Never Change" was recorded first by the Everly BrothersThe Everly BrothersThe Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, released in 1966 on the Two Yanks in EnglandTwo Yanks in EnglandTwo Yanks in England is an album by The Everly Brothers, released in 1966.The backing band on most of the recordings is actually The Hollies and eight of the twelve songs featured are credited to L. Ransford, The Hollies' Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash songwriting pseudonym. Jimmy Page...
album.