Hey Paula (song)
| "Hey Paula" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Paul & Paula | ||||
| from the album Sing for Young Lovers | ||||
| B-side | "Bobby Is the One" | |||
| Released | 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 1962 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:27 | |||
| Label | Le Cam, Philips (US) Sparton (Canada) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Hildebrand | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Paul & Paula singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hey Paula" is an American love song recorded by the pop singing duo Paul & Paula in 1962. Released as a single, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending February 9, 1963, and also made it to number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart,[2] and number one in Canada's CHUM Chart for three weeks.[3] "Paul" was the song's writer, Ray Hildebrand,[4] a student at Texas' Howard Payne University, a Baptist institution in the city of Brownwood. "Paula" was Jill Jackson, the niece of the owner of the boarding house where Ray lived.
Writing and recording
[edit]Hildebrand wrote the song, originally titled "Paul and Paula", taking inspiration from the Annette Funicello hit "Tall Paul".[5] Hildebrand and Jackson performed the song on a local radio station[6] and the song soon became popular enough for the duo to try to make a professional recording. They went to a studio in Fort Worth, Texas, and were fortunate enough to find a producer, Major Bill Smith, with studio time and musicians booked and a missing lead vocalist. He recorded their version of the song and released it on his Le Cam Records label, changing the name to "Hey Paula", credited to Jill & Ray. When the record became a success, it was picked up by the larger Philips Records, which changed the billing to Paul and Paula.[5] Musicians on the recording included Marvin Montgomery on guitar, Guy Parnell on bass, Hargus Robbins on organ, Little Caesar on piano, and Ronnie Dawson on drums.
Success
[edit]When the song was released on Philips, it hit the national charts in late 1962, reaching number one on both the pop and R&B charts in 1963. It spawned a follow-up top ten hit, "Young Lovers", and a series of other hits for the duo.[7]
Cover versions
[edit]- Australian personalities Ernie Sigley and Denise Drysdale scored a hit with the song in 1974.[8] It was certified Gold in Australia in October 1974.[9] It was the 28th biggest selling single in Australia in 1974.[10]
Chart performance
[edit]| Chart (1962-63) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Popular culture
[edit]- Boon (Peter Riegert) and Katy (Karen Allen) sang it to each other while high in the movie, National Lampoon's Animal House from 1978.
- Eric Forman (Topher Grace) sang the song to his girlfriend Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) during a friend's party in That 70s Show.
- The song is discussed when Paul Krapence dates a woman named Paula in the Cheers season 9 episode "Rat Girl"
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Breihan, Tom (May 9, 2018). "The Number Ones: Paul & Paula's "Hey Paula"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
There was so much great pop music in the pre-Beatles era...yet a song like "Hey Paula" is pretty much what people imagine when they think about that stretch.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 453.
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - February 4, 1963".
- ^ "Ray Hildebrand - Hey Paula Official Site". rayhildebrand.com. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ a b Shannon, Bob; John Javna (1986). Behind The Hits:Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. New York: Warner Books. pp. 112–113. ISBN 0-446-38171-3.
- ^ James, Gary. "Interview With Ray Hildebrand of Paul and Paula". Classicbands.com. Retrieved Nov 17, 2009.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2000), 491.
- ^ "Hey Paula - Ernie Sigley & Denise Drysdale (1974)". www.poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Cash Box. October 19, 1974. p. 36. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "American single certifications – Paul & Paula – Hey Paula". Recording Industry Association of America.
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