Needles and Pins (song): Difference between revisions

""Needles and Pins""
""Needles and Pins""
Song by Smokie
Released	1977
Genre	Soft rock, glam rock
Length	2:47
Label	RAK
Producer(s)	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman

"Needles and Pins"
"Needles and Pins"
Song
B-side	"Saturday Night Out"

"Needles and Pins"
"Needles and Pins"
Song

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"Needles and Pins" is a song written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono. In his autobiography, Bono states that he sang along with Nitzsche's guitar-playing, thus creating both the tune and the lyrics, being guided by the chord progressions.^[1]

The song was originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon. Other hit versions of the song were recorded by The Searchers, Cher, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks, Willie DeVille, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Smokie, the Turtles and by the Ramones. It was a number 1 hit in France when recorded in French by Petula Clark entitled 'La Nuit N'en finit Plus'

Jackie DeShannon version (1963)

The song was first recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1963; in the US it peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May of that year.^[2] Though it was only a minor US hit, DeShannon's recording of the song topped the charts in English Canada, hitting number one on the CHUM Chart in early 1963.

Chart (1963)	Peak position
Canadian CHUM Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	84

The Searchers version (1964)

The Searchers heard British performer Cliff Bennett perform "Needles and Pins" at a club in Hamburg, Germany^{[citation needed]}, and instantly wanted it to be their next single. The Pye Records single was released in January 1964. It was number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States. Soon after, in April 1964, "Needles and Pins" appeared on the Searchers' next album, It's the Searchers.

Audible during the Searchers' recording of "Needles and Pins" is a faulty bass drum pedal, which squeaks throughout the song. It is particularly noticeable during the opening of the number.

Part of The Searchers' version can be heard as the intro of the song "Use the Man" from American thrash metal band Megadeth.

Chart (1964)	Peak position
Australia Kent Music Report	2
French Singles Chart	29
German Singles Chart^[4]	8
Irish Singles Chart^[5]	1
Swedish Singles Chart	5
UK Singles Chart^[6]	1
US Billboard Hot 100	13
Norwegian Singles Chart^[7]	8
South African Singles Chart	1

Smokie version (1977)

In 1977, at the height of their popularity, English rock band Smokie covered the song as a rock ballad for the album Bright Lights and Back Alleys, and got a European hit with "Needles and Pins". The song reached number 1 in some European countries. The Smokie version is the most popular version of "Needles and Pins".

Ramones version (1978)

The Ramones covered Needles and Pins on their 1978 album Road to Ruin.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version (1985; live)

"Needles and Pins"
Song

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their first live album in 1985, Pack Up the Plantation: Live!, on which singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks performed "Needles and Pins" alongside Tom Petty at the Forum in Los Angeles, California.

Chart (1985)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	37
U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks	17
Canadian RPM Top Singles	85

Genesis reference

The song is referenced in Genesis's 1974 song "Broadway Melody of 1974" from their album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The lyrics run "And as the song and dance begins, the children play at home with needles...Needles and pins" with the phrase "Needles and pins" played to the original song's notes.

References

^ Sonny Bono, And the Beat Goes On (New York: Pocket Books, 1991).
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1991
^ http://www.myk.shuttle.de/dosandernach/needles.htm release date
^ "Chartverfolgung > The Searchers > Needles and Pins" (in German). Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. 19 April 1984. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
^ "The Irish Charts – All There Is To Know". Irish Recorded Music Association. Irishcharts.com. 22 January 1984. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
^ http://archive.is/20120722130945/http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=3434 UK Singles chart
^ http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Searchers&titel=Needles+And+Pins&cat=s

Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1990 ISBN 0-89820-089-X

Preceded by "Glad All Over" by Dave Clark Five	UK number-one single (The Searchers version) 30 January 1964 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "Diane" by The Bachelors

This 1960s rock song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Sonny Bono, And the Beat Goes On (New York: Pocket Books, 1991).

[2] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1991

[3] ttp://www.myk.shuttle.de/dosandernach/needles.htm release date

[german-4] "Chartverfolgung > The Searchers > Needles and Pins" (in German). Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. 19 April 1984. Retrieved 5 February 2011.

[irish-5] "The Irish Charts – All There Is To Know". Irish Recorded Music Association. Irishcharts.com. 22 January 1984. Retrieved 3 July 2009.

[6] ttp://archive.is/20120722130945/http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=3434 UK Singles chart

[7] ttp://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Searchers&titel=Needles+And+Pins&cat=s

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[2]

[4]

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@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 | This single    =
 | Next single    =
-| Misc           =
-}}
-{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
-| Name           = Needles and Pins
-| Cover          = The Searchers - Needles and Pins single.jpg
-| Artist         = [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]]
-| from Album     =
-| B-side         = "[[Saturday Night Out (song)|Saturday Night Out]]"
-| Released       = January 7, 1964 <ref>http://www.myk.shuttle.de/dosandernach/needles.htm release date</ref>(UK)
-| Format         = [[single (music)|7" single]]
-| Recorded       =
-| Genre          = [[Beat music|Merseybeat]]
-| Length         = 2:14
-| Label          = [[Pye Records|Pye]] 7N15594 (UK)<br>[[Kapp Records|Kapp]] 577 (USA)
-| Producer       =
-| Certification  =
-| Last single    = "Sweet Nothins"<br>(1963)
-| This single    = "Needles and Pins"<br>(1964)
-| Next single    = "[[Don't Throw Your Love Away]]"<br>(1964)
-| Misc           =
-}}
-{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
-| Name           = Needles and Pins
-| Cover          = TP - Needles and Pins single.jpg
-| Artist         = [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] and [[Stevie Nicks]]
-| from Album     = ''[[Pack Up the Plantation: Live!]]''
-| Released       = December 30, 1985
-| Format         = [[7" single]]
-| Recorded       =
-| Genre          = [[Rock music|Rock]]
-| Length         = 2:23
-| Label          = [[MCA Records|MCA]]
-| Producer       =
-| Certification  =
-| Last single    = "[[Make It Better (Forget About Me)]]"<br>(1985)
-| This single    = "Needles and Pins"<br>(1985)
-| Next single    = "[[Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)|Refugee (Live)]]"<br>(1986)
 | Misc           =
 }}
@@ Line 78: / Line 41: @@
 ==The Searchers version (1964)==
+{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
+| Name           = Needles and Pins
+| Cover          = The Searchers - Needles and Pins single.jpg
+| Artist         = [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]]
+| from Album     =
+| B-side         = "[[Saturday Night Out (song)|Saturday Night Out]]"
+| Released       = January 7, 1964 <ref>http://www.myk.shuttle.de/dosandernach/needles.htm release date</ref>(UK)
+| Format         = [[single (music)|7" single]]
+| Recorded       =
+| Genre          = [[Beat music|Merseybeat]]
+| Length         = 2:14
+| Label          = [[Pye Records|Pye]] 7N15594 (UK)<br>[[Kapp Records|Kapp]] 577 (USA)
+| Producer       =
+| Certification  =
+| Last single    = "Sweet Nothins"<br>(1963)
+| This single    = "Needles and Pins"<br>(1964)
+| Next single    = "[[Don't Throw Your Love Away]]"<br>(1964)
+| Misc           =
+}}
 [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]] heard [[United Kingdom|British]] performer [[Cliff Bennett]] perform "Needles and Pins" at a club in [[Hamburg, Germany]]{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}, and instantly wanted it to be their next single. The Pye Records single was released in January 1964. It was number one in the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]] and [[South Africa]] and peaked at #13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the [[United States]].  Soon after, in April 1964, "Needles and Pins" appeared on the Searchers' next album, ''[[It's the Searchers]]''.
@@ Line 115: / Line 97: @@
 |align="center"|1
 |}
+==Smokie version (1977)==
+{{Infobox single
+| name = "Needles and Pins"
+| cover =
+| artist = [[Smokie (band)|Smokie]]
+| from album = ''[[Bright Lights and Back Alleys]]
+| released = 1977
+| b-side = "[[No-One Could Ever Love You More]]" (Norway)
+| format = [[7" single]]
+| genre = [[Soft rock]], [[glam rock]]
+| length = 2:47
+| label = [[RAK Records|RAK]]
+| producer = [[Nicky Chinn]], [[Mike Chapman]]
+| last single = "[[It's Your Life (Smokie song)|It's Your Life]]"<br>(1977)
+| next single = "[[For a Few Dollars More]]"<br>(1978)
+}}
+In 1977, at the height of their popularity, English rock band [[Smokie (band)|Smokie]] covered the song as a rock [[ballad]] for the album ''[[Bright Lights and Back Alleys]], and got a European hit with "Needles and Pins". The song reached number 1 in some European countries. The Smokie version is the most popular version of "Needles and Pins".
 ==Ramones version (1978)==
@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 ==Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version (1985; live)==
+{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
+| Name           = Needles and Pins
+| Cover          = TP - Needles and Pins single.jpg
+| Artist         = [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] and [[Stevie Nicks]]
+| from Album     = ''[[Pack Up the Plantation: Live!]]''
+| Released       = December 30, 1985
+| Format         = [[7" single]]
+| Recorded       =
+| Genre          = [[Rock music|Rock]]
+| Length         = 2:23
+| Label          = [[MCA Records|MCA]]
+| Producer       =
+| Certification  =
+| Last single    = "[[Make It Better (Forget About Me)]]"<br>(1985)
+| This single    = "Needles and Pins"<br>(1985)
+| Next single    = "[[Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)|Refugee (Live)]]"<br>(1986)
+| Misc           =
+}}
 [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] released their first live album in 1985, ''[[Pack Up the Plantation: Live!]]'', on which singer-songwriter and [[Fleetwood Mac]] vocalist [[Stevie Nicks]] performed  "Needles and Pins" alongside Tom Petty at the Forum in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].

v t e The Searchers
John McNally Frank Allen Spencer James Scott Ottaway Johnny Sandon Tony Jackson Mike Pender Chris Curtis Billy Adamson John Blunt Eddie Rothe
Studio albums	Meet The Searchers Sugar and Spice It's the Searchers Sounds Like Searchers Take Me for What I'm Worth Second Take Searchers Play for Today Hungry Hearts
US studio albums	Meet The Searchers / Needles and Pins This Is Us The New Searchers LP The Searchers No. 4 Take Me for What I'm Worth Needles & Pins The Searchers Love's Melodies
Live albums	Sweets For My Sweet – The Searchers At The Star-Club Hamburg Hear! Hear! The Searchers Meet the Rattles
Collectors’ editions	Play the System German, French + Rare Recordings 30th Anniversary Collection 1962-1992 The Iron Door Sessions BBC Sessions
Singles	"Sweets for My Sweet" "Sugar and Spice" "Needles and Pins" "Don't Throw Your Love Away" "When You Walk in the Room" "Love Potion No. 9" "What Have They Done to the Rain" "He's Got No Love" "Take It or Leave It" "Desdemona" "Solitaire"
Related articles	Discography Mike Pender's Searchers