Calcutta (song)
Encyclopedia
"Calcutta" was written in 1958 by Heino Gaze (music) and Hans Bradtke (lyrics). The original title was "Tivoli Melody", but it then re-titled several times, until it became known as "Calcutta". An instrumental
recording of the tune by Lawrence Welk
on the 1961 Dot Records
album Calcutta! was a chart hit, possibly the largest hit of Welk's career.
The song, which has lyrics, was something of a departure for Welk with its combination of his recognizable "trademarks," i.e., the harpsichord
lead, but backed with an accordion
, handclaps and a brisk rock
rhythm.
"Calcutta" would stay atop the US pop chart
for two weeks while the album, with its combination of easy listening
tunes and covers of then-popular rock singles, charted at number one for three months. At the time that "Calcutta" reached number one, Welk, who was then 57, became the oldest artist to have a number one pop single in the U.S. (His record would be broken three years later by Louis Armstrong
who, at 62, topped the singles charts with "Hello, Dolly!
" in early 1964.)
Dancers Bobby Burgess
and Barbara Boylan
, cast members on Welk's weekly TV show, worked up a dance routine to go along with "Calcutta", which they would perform to the song numerous times on the Welk show.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
recording of the tune by Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
on the 1961 Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
album Calcutta! was a chart hit, possibly the largest hit of Welk's career.
The song, which has lyrics, was something of a departure for Welk with its combination of his recognizable "trademarks," i.e., the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
lead, but backed with an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, handclaps and a brisk rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
rhythm.
"Calcutta" would stay atop the US pop chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for two weeks while the album, with its combination of easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
tunes and covers of then-popular rock singles, charted at number one for three months. At the time that "Calcutta" reached number one, Welk, who was then 57, became the oldest artist to have a number one pop single in the U.S. (His record would be broken three years later by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
who, at 62, topped the singles charts with "Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (song)
"Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular 1964 musical of the same name. Louis Armstrong's version was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001....
" in early 1964.)
Dancers Bobby Burgess
Bobby Burgess
Robert Wilkie "Bobby" Burgess is an American dancer and singer. As a child he was an original Mouseketeer and later in life a regular on the The Lawrence Welk Show.-Early life:...
and Barbara Boylan
Barbara Boylan
Barbara Boylan is an American dancer and former television personality who was featured on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1961 to 1967, and briefly for a few months in 1979....
, cast members on Welk's weekly TV show, worked up a dance routine to go along with "Calcutta", which they would perform to the song numerous times on the Welk show.