Smooth Operator (Sarah Vaughan song)
| "Smooth Operator" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Sarah Vaughan | |
| B-side | "Maybe It's Because" |
| Released | 1959 |
| Label | Mercury |
| Songwriters | Murray Stein, Clyde Otis |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Billboard | positive[1] ("Spotlight" winner) |
"Smooth Operator" is a song written by Murray Stein and Clyde Otis that was a hit for singer Sarah Vaughan in 1959.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]Billboard reviewed the single released by Sarah Vaughan (Mercury 71519, with "Maybe It's Because" on the flip side) in its issue from 12 October 1959, praising the song as a "snappy effort" that "Miss Vaughan sells smartly". "Both [sides] can make it," concluded the reviewer.[1]
Commercial performance
[edit]Sarah Vaughan's version reached No. 8 on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart[3] and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot R&B Sides[3] | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 44 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Reviews of this week's singles". Billboard. 12 October 1959. p. 35. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ Steve Bergsman (2023). What a Difference a Day Makes: Women Who Conquered 1950s Music. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-4896-3. Retrieved 15 April 2026 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Hot R & B Sides". Billboard. 7 December 1959. p. 55. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ a b "The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 14 December 1959. p. 34. Retrieved 15 April 2026.