The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)
Encyclopedia
"The Cat in the Window" is a song with words and music by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon
which was a 1967 single for Petula Clark
.
In the spring of 1967 Clark had had her biggest hit ever with "This is My Song
" her first single since "Downtown
" in 1964 not written and produced by Tony Hatch, whose 1966 collaborations with Clark had failed to maintain her US Top Ten presence and had missed the UK Top 50 completely.
Clark had then cut the These Are My Songs
album with producer Sonny Burke, reuniting with Hatch only for one track "Don't Sleep in the Subway
"; although that track had been the album's second single and a strong follow-up to "This Is My Song", Clark had proceeded to record her next album with no planned involvement from Hatch.
Clark continued to work with Burke but as his productions tended to be intensely easy listening
, she signed with Koppelman-Rubin Associates, a Los Angeles-based music publishing and independent production company, to provide her with material with more Top 40 appeal. The submissions to Charles Koppelman
and Dan Rubin for consideration for Clark to record included two songs: "Who Got the Credit" and "Bus Driver is a Fruit Cake" which if deemed suitable for Clark - which they weren't - would have been the first songs placed by Walter Becker
and Donald Fagen
.
Eventually Koppelman-Rubin had Clark record a song by their staff writers Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon
: "The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)". Bonner and Gordon had been signed as Koppelman-Rubin house writers on the strength of penning the Turtles
' #1 hit "Happy Together
" and had recently placed songs with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Mojo Men
, Gene Pitney
and the Righteous Brothers
. "The Cat in the Window..." was reportedly written with Clark in mind; the song was also cut by the Turtles whose version had no contemporaneous release.1
Recorded by Clark at Western Studios
, "The Cat in the Window..." is a brief (at 1:55) track richly orchestrated with strings and flutes - Jack Nitzsche
arranged the session - difficult to categorize by specific musical genre. The lyrics have the singer empathize with a cat ("with a tear in his eye") seemingly eager to "fly out the window, go where the wind goes" like the birds flying by. Resolving to "glide to a rainbow off where the clouds go dancing by," she ends with the plaintive comment, "You won't find me . . . don't even try to." Another Bonner/Gordon composition: "Fancy Dancin' Man", was recorded to serve as the track's B-side.
Released in August 1967, "The Cat in the Window..." proved a chart disappointment its #26 peak on the Billboard Hot 100
making it Clark's least successful US release to date. In the UK "The Cat in the Window..." afforded Clark her lowest chart showing since her 1964 breakout with "Downtown" with a #66 peak. The single's only evident chart showing outside the US was in Australia at #19. Plans for further collaboration between Clark and Koppelman-Rubin were scrapped2 and the singer reunited with Hatch for the follow-up single: "The Other Man's Grass is Always Greener
", which would fail to buoy her chart fortunes with a #31 peak. The twelfth of Clark's fifteen consecutive US Top 40 hits, "The Cat in the Window..." is evidently the least remembered, being the only one to register no nostalgic radio airplay as of 2011's Broadcast Marketing Research.
Clark would later record Bonner and Gordon's composition "Happy Together
" for inclusion on her 1969 Just Pet album.
Alan Gordon (songwriter)
Alan Gordon was an American songwriter best known for songs recorded by The Turtles, Petula Clark, and Barbra Streisand...
which was a 1967 single for Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
.
In the spring of 1967 Clark had had her biggest hit ever with "This is My Song
This Is My Song (1967 song)
"This Is My Song" is a song written by Charlie Chaplin in 1966 and performed by Petula Clark.-Origin/ Petula Clark recording:"This is My Song" was intended for the film, A Countess from Hong Kong, which Charlie Chaplin wrote and directed...
" her first single since "Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
" in 1964 not written and produced by Tony Hatch, whose 1966 collaborations with Clark had failed to maintain her US Top Ten presence and had missed the UK Top 50 completely.
Clark had then cut the These Are My Songs
These Are My Songs
These Are My Songs is a 1967 album released by Petula Clark. In a break with longtime collaborator Tony Hatch, Clark joined forces with producer Sonny Burke and arranger/conductor Ernie Freeman for this release....
album with producer Sonny Burke, reuniting with Hatch only for one track "Don't Sleep in the Subway
Don't Sleep in the Subway
"Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by Petula Clark. Released in April 1967, it peaked at #5 on the US charts that June. It was Clark's final US top-ten single and the second of two #1 hits on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, following "I...
"; although that track had been the album's second single and a strong follow-up to "This Is My Song", Clark had proceeded to record her next album with no planned involvement from Hatch.
Clark continued to work with Burke but as his productions tended to be intensely easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
, she signed with Koppelman-Rubin Associates, a Los Angeles-based music publishing and independent production company, to provide her with material with more Top 40 appeal. The submissions to Charles Koppelman
Charles Koppelman
Charles Koppelman is the chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and was Martha Stewart's right-hand man on NBC's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005.-Career:...
and Dan Rubin for consideration for Clark to record included two songs: "Who Got the Credit" and "Bus Driver is a Fruit Cake" which if deemed suitable for Clark - which they weren't - would have been the first songs placed by Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
and Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
.
Eventually Koppelman-Rubin had Clark record a song by their staff writers Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon
Alan Gordon
Alan Gordon may refer to:*Alan Gordon , mystery writer whose works are based on Shakespearean characters*Alan Gordon , Scottish footballer*Alan Gordon , American soccer player...
: "The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)". Bonner and Gordon had been signed as Koppelman-Rubin house writers on the strength of penning the Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
' #1 hit "Happy Together
Happy Together (song)
"Happy Together" is a 1967 song from The Turtles' album of the same name. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the #1 slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's only chart-topper. "Happy Together" reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in...
" and had recently placed songs with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Mojo Men
The Mojo Men
The Mojo Men were a rock music band, inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who recorded for the Autumn Records label in San Francisco, California....
, Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
and the Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
. "The Cat in the Window..." was reportedly written with Clark in mind; the song was also cut by the Turtles whose version had no contemporaneous release.1
Recorded by Clark at Western Studios
United Western Recorders
United Western Recorders, often abbreviated to UWR, was a renowned recording studio complex in Hollywood, California, which became one of the most successful independent recording studios in the world in the late 1950s and 1960s....
, "The Cat in the Window..." is a brief (at 1:55) track richly orchestrated with strings and flutes - Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
arranged the session - difficult to categorize by specific musical genre. The lyrics have the singer empathize with a cat ("with a tear in his eye") seemingly eager to "fly out the window, go where the wind goes" like the birds flying by. Resolving to "glide to a rainbow off where the clouds go dancing by," she ends with the plaintive comment, "You won't find me . . . don't even try to." Another Bonner/Gordon composition: "Fancy Dancin' Man", was recorded to serve as the track's B-side.
Released in August 1967, "The Cat in the Window..." proved a chart disappointment its #26 peak on the 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...
making it Clark's least successful US release to date. In the UK "The Cat in the Window..." afforded Clark her lowest chart showing since her 1964 breakout with "Downtown" with a #66 peak. The single's only evident chart showing outside the US was in Australia at #19. Plans for further collaboration between Clark and Koppelman-Rubin were scrapped2 and the singer reunited with Hatch for the follow-up single: "The Other Man's Grass is Always Greener
The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener
"The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent which was a 1967 hit for Petula Clark.After working exclusively with producer/songwriter Tony Hatch following their 1964 breakout collaboration "Downtown", Clark had had her most successful single ever in the...
", which would fail to buoy her chart fortunes with a #31 peak. The twelfth of Clark's fifteen consecutive US Top 40 hits, "The Cat in the Window..." is evidently the least remembered, being the only one to register no nostalgic radio airplay as of 2011's Broadcast Marketing Research.
Clark would later record Bonner and Gordon's composition "Happy Together
Happy Together (song)
"Happy Together" is a 1967 song from The Turtles' album of the same name. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the #1 slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's only chart-topper. "Happy Together" reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in...
" for inclusion on her 1969 Just Pet album.
- 1The Turtles recording "Cat in the Window" was first released on the 1970 album The Turtles! More Golden Hits.
- 2Clark did record at least one more track for Koppelman-Rubin: another Bonner/Gordon composition entitled "Nana". The track remains unreleased.