One Fine Day (song)

This article is about the Gerry Goffin/Carole King composition that was a 1963 hit for the Chiffons. For other songs with the same title, see One Fine Day (disambiguation).

"One Fine Day"
Song
B-side	"Why Am I So Shy"

"One Fine Day" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It first became a popular hit in the summer of 1963 for the American girl group The Chiffons, who reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1980, King covered her own song and charted at number 12 on the Hot 100 with her version. The song has subsequently been covered by numerous artists over the years.

The Chiffons version

Background

Goffin and King were inspired by the title of the aria "Un bel di vedremo" from the Puccini opera Madama Butterfly. Intended for Little Eva, "One Fine Day" was prepped as a demo by Goffin and King with King providing a guide vocal but – despite a propulsive piano riff courtesy of King – Goffin and King were unable to construct a viable arrangement and eventually gave up, passing the song to The Tokens who had recently produced the #1 hit "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons for whom it was thought another "fine" song had hit potential. The piano work by King (whose vocal was erased) was retained for The Chiffons' recording and King attended the session at which The Chiffons recorded their vocals. However the Tokens radically re-worked the Goffin/King demo of "One Fine Day" for The Chiffons' version; Gerry Goffin commented that the Tokens "really earned their production credit". The personnel on the original recording included Carl Lynch on guitar, Dick Romoff on bass, Artie Kaplan, Sid Jekowsky, and Joe Grimaldi on sax, and Gary Chester and Buddy Saltzman on drums.

Reception

"One Fine Day" by The Chiffons reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100: its R&B chart peak was #6. The single was an international hit charting in the UK (#29), France (#18), and New Zealand (#6). The Chiffons' "One Fine Day" was ranked #460 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Chiffons' placing two "fine" songs in the Top Ten motivated The Tokens to especially prep the group's next single "A Love So Fine" which only managed a #40 peak.

Soundtracks

The Chiffons' version has made numerous soundtrack appearances including: Fingers (1978), The Hollywood Knights (1980), The Flamingo Kid (1984), Desperately Seeking Susan (the track's classic piano riff opens the film) (1985), A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), The Joy Luck Club (1993), the 1996 film One Fine Day, Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), The Wedding Date (2005), And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007) and Flipped (2010). The song is also featured in The Simpsons episode "Bart the Murderer".

Carole King version

"One Fine Day"
Song
B-side	"Recipients of History"

Background

Carole King herself had the first major hit remake of her own composition when she recorded "One Fine Day" for her studio album Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King which mostly comprised King's renditions of pop classics she'd co-written with Gerry Goffin.

Reception

King's version of "One Fine Day" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1980. Her cover of "One Fine Day", was ranked at number 73 on Billboard's list of the top 100 hits of 1980, it was to be her final Hot 100 appearance. Despite the single's success, it has curiously not been included on King's "best of" compilations.

Other versions

• The French-language rendering of "One Fine Day", "Un beau jour" was a 1963 single release for Jacky Moulière (fr) becoming his most successful single with a peak of #20 on the hit parade for France. The track was also included on Moulière's 1964 self-titled album release.
• Jimmy Fontana ("Una Sola" Italian: album Jimmy Fontana 1963).
• The Fouryo's (nl) ("Op Een Dag" Dutch 1963).
• The Mindbenders cut a version of "One Fine Day" which served as the B-side of their #28 UK hit "Can't Live With You (Can't Live Without You)" (1966).
• Cliff Richard on album Don't Stop Me Now! (1966).
• In 1967 Ken Sparkes, then a dee jay at 3AK Radio in Melbourne, recorded a version of "One Fine Day" which that March reached the Melbourne hit parade at #49, ranking at #86 on the chart for Australia.
• Doris on album Svenssons Doris! (1969).
• Helena Vondráčková ("První krásný den" Czech 1970).
• Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods on album Special Someone (1972).
• David Lasley in 1973.
• The Carpenters on album Now and Then (1973).
• The first remake of "One Fine Day" to chart in the US was that by veteran cabaret singer Julie Budd whose disco version – credited to Julie – reached #93 in 1976; Budd's only charting track, "One Fine Day" was produced by top '60s producer Herb Bernstein. The version of "One Fine Day" by Julie Budd is featured in the film The Driver (1978).
• "One Fine Day" next charted in the autumn of 1979 for Rita Coolidge whose version, prominently featuring Michael McDonald, reached #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Coolidge's version of "One Fine Day" also reached #68 in Australia.
• Susie Allanson on album Heart to Heart (1979).
• The Nylons on album 4 On the Floor - Live in Concert (1991).
• Even in Blackouts on album Zeitgeit's Echo (2005).
• "One Fine Day" served as title cut for a 2005 release by Sandy Posey on which she returned to the countrypolitan sound of her own 1960s successes via covers of classic pop hits.
• Natalie Merchant did an acoustic-style remake of the Chiffons' hit for the 1996 film One Fine Day. The romcom featured her song as its theme.
• S Club Juniors on album Together (2002).
• Liane Carroll on album Slow Down (2007).
• Rachael MacFarlane on album Hayley Sings (2012).
• Bette Midler on album It's the Girls! (2014).
• The Mountain Goats.
• Aaron Neville.

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song