Little Things Mean a Lot
Encyclopedia
"Little Things Mean a Lot" is a popular
song
written
by Edith Lindeman (lyrics) and Carl Stutz (music), published in 1953. Lindeman was the leisure editor of the Richmond Times-Despatch and Stutz a disc jockey
from Richmond
, Virginia
.
The best known recording
of the song, by Kitty Kallen
, reached #1 on the U.S.
Billboard
chart
in 1954 and also reached #1 on the Cash Box
chart the same year. In addition the track climbed to the top spot in the UK Singles Chart
in September that year.
A cover
of the song was done by Alma Cogan
with orchestra cond. by Geoff Love
in the United Kingdom
in London
on May 22 1954. Cogan's recording was released by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10717 and reached #11 UK. The flip side
was "Canoodlin' Rag".
A Top 40 hit again in 1960 via a remake by Joni James
which reached #35, "Little Things Mean a Lot" was a C&W
hit in 1978 for Margo Smith
whose version reached #3 C&W also charting Adult Contemporary at #42. In 1985 a remake of the song by Dana
reached #27 in Ireland. "Little Things Mean a Lot" has also been recorded by Cilla Black
, Julie London
, Susan Maughan
,, Cliff Richard
and Bettye Swann
.
Otto Leisner wrote lyrics for a Danish
rendering entitled "Småting kan sige alt" recorded by Raquel Rastenni
, acc. Harry Felbert's sextet, Cond.: Harry Felbert recorded it in Copenhagen in 1954. The song was released on His Master's Voice X 8211. It was arranged by Børge Nordlund.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Edith Lindeman (lyrics) and Carl Stutz (music), published in 1953. Lindeman was the leisure editor of the Richmond Times-Despatch and Stutz a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
from Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
The best known recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of the song, by Kitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen is an American popular singer who sang with a number of big bands in the 1940s, coming back in the 1950s to score her biggest hit, "Little Things Mean a Lot" in 1954.-Career:...
, reached #1 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1954 and also reached #1 on the Cash Box
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 the same year. In addition the track climbed to the top spot in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in September that year.
A cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song was done by Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan
Alma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
with orchestra cond. by Geoff Love
Geoff Love
Geoff Love was a British easy-listening, and disco orchestra leader. He was born in the industrial town of Todmorden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His father was a mixed race American-born guitarist and dancer, and his mother an actress. As a child, Love began to learn to play the violin but...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on May 22 1954. Cogan's recording was released by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10717 and reached #11 UK. The flip side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was "Canoodlin' Rag".
A Top 40 hit again in 1960 via a remake by Joni James
Joni James
Joni James is an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards.-Biography:...
which reached #35, "Little Things Mean a Lot" was a C&W
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
hit in 1978 for Margo Smith
Margo Smith
Margo Smith is an American Country Music Singer. In the 1970s, she was a popular female Country vocalist, acquiring two No. 1 hits on the Country charts during that time, "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" and "It Only Hurts for a Little While", both Country music remakes of previous Pop music...
whose version reached #3 C&W also charting Adult Contemporary at #42. In 1985 a remake of the song by Dana
Dana Rosemary Scallon
Dana Rosemary Scallon , known in her singing career simply as Dana, is an Irish singer and former Member of the European Parliament ....
reached #27 in Ireland. "Little Things Mean a Lot" has also been recorded by Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
, Julie London
Julie London
Julie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
, Susan Maughan
Susan Maughan
Susan Maughan is an English singer who released successful singles in the 1960s.-Career:...
,, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
and Bettye Swann
Bettye Swann
Bettye Swann is an American soul music singer, best known for her 1967 hit song "Make Me Yours".-Career:...
.
Otto Leisner wrote lyrics for a Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
rendering entitled "Småting kan sige alt" recorded by Raquel Rastenni
Raquel Rastenni
Raquel Rastenni , born Anna Rachel Rastén, was a popular Danish singer. She was born in Copenhagen, and grew up in a little apartment in the poor central part of the city. Her Jewish parents had immigrated to Denmark from Russia at the start of the 1900s...
, acc. Harry Felbert's sextet, Cond.: Harry Felbert recorded it in Copenhagen in 1954. The song was released on His Master's Voice X 8211. It was arranged by Børge Nordlund.