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She Wears Red Feathers

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"She Wears Red Feathers"
Single by Guy Mitchell
with Mitch Miller and his Orchestra and Chorus
B-side"Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie"
PublishedJune 5, 1952
ReleasedDecember 26, 1952
RecordedJuly 2, 1952
VenueNew York City
GenrePop
Length3:06
LabelColumbia Records
Songwriter(s)Bob Merrill
Producer(s)Mitch Miller

"She Wears Red Feathers" is a popular song, which was written by Bob Merrill and published in 1952.[1]

Background and reception

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The best-known recording of the song was made by Guy Mitchell in 1952 and was a No. 1 single in the UK Singles Chart in March 1953 for four weeks.[2][3] It was only the sixth single to reach the top spot in the UK.[2]

Mitchell's recording was made for Columbia in New York on July 2, 1952, with Mitch Miller and his Orchestra and Chorus.[4] It was released in his native America on December 26 that year as a 78 and 45rpm single.[5][6] There, it peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard charts.[7]

In the UK, Mitchell's single first charted on February 13, 1953, and reached No. 1 in its fifth week. It was the only charting recording of the song.[8] "She Wears Red Feathers" first appeared on the UK's sheet music charts on February 21, 1953, and peaked at No. 3. February 1953 saw the only three recordings of the song issued in the UK: these were by Guy Mitchell, The Ray Ellington Quartet with The Peter Knight Singers, and Donald Peers with The Kordites. In May, Mitchell's version was issued on the new 45rpm format, having initially only been available on 78rpm.[9]

In February 1982, Mitchell re-recorded the song for Triad International Productions at Audio Media Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, alongside a number of other re-recordings of his earlier material. These recordings were released by Arcade on The World of Guy Mitchell album, and have been since been re-issued on multiple albums.[10][11][12]

Other recordings

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  • Alberto Semprini, on pianoforte with rhythm accompaniment, recorded it in London as the first song of the medley "Dancing to the piano (No. 20) - Hit medley of quick-steps" along with "Wild Roses" and "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes". The medley was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label (catalog number B 10457).
  • The band Mud also released a cover of this song.[13]
  • Another cover, performed in a cabaret club, featured in the opening scene of the 1989 film Scandal.

References

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  1. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1952.
  2. ^ a b Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 15–6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. ^ Beeby, Derek. "THE RECORD SESSIONS". Guy Mitchell. Archived from the original on 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  5. ^ Beeby, Derek. "U.S.A. 7-INCH 45 RPM SINGLES". Guy Mitchell. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  6. ^ Beeby, Derek. "U.S.A. 10-INCH 78 RPM SINGLES". Guy Mitchell. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  7. ^ "She Wears Red Feathers (song by Guy Mitchell) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  8. ^ British hit singles : Guinness world records (16th ed.). London: Gullane. 2003. ISBN 0-85112-190-X. OCLC 51779766.
  9. ^ Henson, Brian (1989). First hits, 1946-1959. Colin Morgan. London: Boxtree. ISBN 1-85283-268-1. OCLC 19389211.
  10. ^ Beeby, Derek. "THE RECORD SESSIONS". Guy Mitchell. Archived from the original on 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  11. ^ Guy Mitchell – The World Of Guy Mitchell (1982, Vinyl), retrieved 2021-07-17
  12. ^ "Discography Compact Disc". Guy Mitchell. 2016-03-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  13. ^ "The Story of Mud - Mud | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-02.