Catch Us If You Can
Encyclopedia
"Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five
, written by group's drummer Dave Clark
and guitarist Lenny Davidson
. The song was one of DC5's top hits, reaching number 5 on the UK Singles Chart
in the late summer of 1965 and number 4 on the U.S. pop singles chart
later that fall.
Starting with no accompaniment other than finger snapping, the hook
was instantaneous:
As such, it served as the title song to John Boorman
's well-regarded DC5 vehicle and pop scene film Catch Us If You Can
(relabelled Having a Wild Weekend in the U.S.) of the same year. The title phrase was seemingly a take-off on the 1959 crime film Catch Me If You Can and similar phrases, with 'me' turned to the group 'us'.
In years since, "Catch Us If You Can" is played near the start of Shrewsbury Town F.C.
matches as the footballers run onto the pitch. This has been happening on and off since the 1974-1975 season and "Catch" is thus`seen by home fans as Shrewsbury's de facto theme tune.
Such was its significance to Shrewsbury Town that local band, and Shrewsbury fans released a cover
version
of the song, with a percentage of the proceeds going to childrens charity
Hope House the song was made available for purchase on Amazon
and on The clubs official shop webpage
In the U.S., "Catch" remains one of the DC5's most played tunes on oldies
radio stations. In Australia
, the Candid Camera
-style television show Catch Us If You Can
was named after the song.
Author Emlyn Williams
used this song's lyric as an epigraph
in Beyond Belief
, his book about the serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. "Catch Us If You Can" was a hit song on British radio during part of the time the Moors Murders were being committed.
The song has been re-recorded by Shrewsbury Town supporting band Hello Cleveland, with all of the proceeds going to the Hope House Charity. It was used in a Walkers
advert in 1995 around May (when the song was thirty years old) for their now discontinued (new at the time) crinkle cut range (featuring three flavours - Cream Cheese & Chive, Cheese & Ham and Roast Beef & Mustard); the song seemed appropriate as it was saying 'catch us crinkle cut crisps if you can' (of course, the off-screen voice over, who was the voice over for all Walkers crisps commercials then, was Hugh Laurie
).
The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
, written by group's drummer Dave Clark
Dave Clark (musician)
David 'Dave' Clark is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the leader and drummer of the 1960s beat group The Dave Clark Five, the first big British Invasion band to follow The Beatles to America in 1964....
and guitarist Lenny Davidson
Lenny Davidson (musician)
Leonard Arthur 'Lenny' Davidson was the guitarist of 60s' pop rock group the Dave Clark Five.Lenny Davidson was inducted as part of the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, 2008 along with fellow surviving band members Rick Huxley and Dave Clark and deceased band members Denis...
. The song was one of DC5's top hits, reaching number 5 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 ...
in the late summer of 1965 and number 4 on the U.S. pop singles chart
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...
later that fall.
Starting with no accompaniment other than finger snapping, the hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
was instantaneous:
- Here they come again, mmmm-mm-mm
- Catch us if you can, mmmm-mm-mm
- Time to get a move on, mmmm-mm-mm
- We will yell with all of our might!
- [drums kick in]
- Catch us if you can ...
As such, it served as the title song to John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
's well-regarded DC5 vehicle and pop scene film Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can (film)
Catch Us If You Can was the feature-film debut of director John Boorman...
(relabelled Having a Wild Weekend in the U.S.) of the same year. The title phrase was seemingly a take-off on the 1959 crime film Catch Me If You Can and similar phrases, with 'me' turned to the group 'us'.
In years since, "Catch Us If You Can" is played near the start of Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
matches as the footballers run onto the pitch. This has been happening on and off since the 1974-1975 season and "Catch" is thus`seen by home fans as Shrewsbury's de facto theme tune.
Such was its significance to Shrewsbury Town that local band, and Shrewsbury fans released a cover
Cover
- Science and technology :* A covering, usually one that completely closes the object** Lid** Mechanical seal* The outside of an object, not necessarily enclosing the object** Album cover** Book cover, or magazine cover** CD and DVD packaging...
version
Version
Software versioning is the process of assigning either unique version names or unique version numbers to unique states of computer software. Within a given version number category , these numbers are generally assigned in increasing order and correspond to new developments in the software...
of the song, with a percentage of the proceeds going to childrens charity
Charity
-Concepts and practices:* Charity , the practice of benevolent giving and caring* Charity , the Christian theological concept of unlimited love and kindness* Principle of charity in philosophy and rhetoric...
Hope House the song was made available for purchase on Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and on The clubs official shop webpage
In the U.S., "Catch" remains one of the DC5's most played tunes on oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
radio stations. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Candid Camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
-style television show Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can (game show)
Catch Us If You Can was an Australian game show television series, modeled after Candid Camera, produced in 1981.The host was Bryan Davies, assisted by Deborah Gray and Edith Bliss....
was named after the song.
Author Emlyn Williams
Emlyn Williams
George Emlyn Williams, CBE , known as Emlyn Williams, was a Welsh dramatist and actor.-Biography:He was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family in Mostyn, Flintshire....
used this song's lyric as an epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
in Beyond Belief
Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and its Detection
Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and its Detection is a semi-fictionalized account of the Moors murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, by the Welsh author and playwright, Emlyn Williams...
, his book about the serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. "Catch Us If You Can" was a hit song on British radio during part of the time the Moors Murders were being committed.
The song has been re-recorded by Shrewsbury Town supporting band Hello Cleveland, with all of the proceeds going to the Hope House Charity. It was used in a Walkers
Walkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
advert in 1995 around May (when the song was thirty years old) for their now discontinued (new at the time) crinkle cut range (featuring three flavours - Cream Cheese & Chive, Cheese & Ham and Roast Beef & Mustard); the song seemed appropriate as it was saying 'catch us crinkle cut crisps if you can' (of course, the off-screen voice over, who was the voice over for all Walkers crisps commercials then, was Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
).