Cherry, Cherry
Encyclopedia
"Cherry, Cherry" is a song written, composed, and recorded by Neil Diamond
. The song was arranged by Artie Butler and produced by Jeff Barry
& Ellie Greenwich
. It was issued as a 45 single
in 1966 and became Diamond's first big hit, reaching #6 on both the Billboard Hot 100
chart, in October 1966, and the Cash Box magazine
chart. Worldwide sales were said to have reached over one million copies. Ellie Greenwich
came up with the chorus and can be heard as the prominent background voice.
In 1973 a live recording of "Cherry, Cherry" was issued as a 45 single from the Neil Diamond live album Hot August Night
. The live version hit #24 on the Cash Box magazine
chart and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
Rolling Stone
would later label "Cherry, Cherry" as "one of the greatest three-chord songs of all time."
There are actually two versions of "Cherry, Cherry" in existence. The first version, some of whose lyrics are quite different from the version that the Bang Records label actually released, appears on the compilation album Classics: The Early Years
, which Diamond and the Columbia Records label finally released in June of 1983. The second version of "Cherry, Cherry" is the version the Bang Records label actually released, whose lyrics are more familiar to listeners.
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. The song was arranged by Artie Butler and produced by Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
& Ellie Greenwich
Ellie Greenwich
Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
. It was issued as a 45 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1966 and became Diamond's first big hit, reaching #6 on both the Billboard Hot 100
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...
chart, in October 1966, and the Cash Box magazine
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
chart. Worldwide sales were said to have reached over one million copies. Ellie Greenwich
Ellie Greenwich
Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
came up with the chorus and can be heard as the prominent background voice.
In 1973 a live recording of "Cherry, Cherry" was issued as a 45 single from the Neil Diamond live album Hot August Night
Hot August Night
Hot August Night is a 1972 live double album by Neil Diamond. The album is a recording of a Diamond concert on Thursday August 24, 1972, one of ten sold out concerts that Diamond performed that month at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles...
. The live version hit #24 on the Cash Box magazine
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
chart and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
chart.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
would later label "Cherry, Cherry" as "one of the greatest three-chord songs of all time."
There are actually two versions of "Cherry, Cherry" in existence. The first version, some of whose lyrics are quite different from the version that the Bang Records label actually released, appears on the compilation album Classics: The Early Years
Classics: The Early Years
Classics: The Early Years is a compilation album by Neil Diamond released in 1983 featuring the early recordings he made for Bang Records in 1966 and 1967. After Columbia Records acquired the Bang Records catalogue, the twelve best recordings were reissued on this album. Columbia gave Diamond, a...
, which Diamond and the Columbia Records label finally released in June of 1983. The second version of "Cherry, Cherry" is the version the Bang Records label actually released, whose lyrics are more familiar to listeners.