Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)
Encyclopedia
"Sadie" was Australian pop
singer Johnny Farnham's
first solo single. The novelty song
was released in November 1967 and was #1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts for five weeks in early 1968 (six weeks on the Australian charts in 1968 based on the Kent Music Report
). It was the largest selling single in Australia by an Australian artist in the 1960s. The single, "Sadie" sold approximately 180,000 copies in Australia, and was also released in New Zealand, Denmark and Germany. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. The A-side's label includes the acknowledgement "Vacuum cleaner solo: Mr. Jolly".
Farnham's follow-up single, "Friday Kind of Monday" was released in March as a double-A side with "Underneath the Arches" (non-album track), which peaked at #6 on the Go-Set singles charts. Both "Sadie" and "Friday Kind of Monday" featured on Farnham's debut album, Sadie
released in April 1968.
Darryl Sambell had disliked "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" as the lyrics were so persistent. However, EMI
's in house producer, David Mackay
, insisted so the single was released in November 1967. The song had been written by United States writers Ray Gilmore, Johnny Madara
and Dave White
. Sambell approached the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) TV programme This Day Tonight
to do a 'day in the life of
' segment where they followed Farnham around to radio studios to promote his single. Sambell also arranged for local store, Godfrey's, to supply a vacuum cleaner salesman, Mr. Jolly to be on hand. By arrangement with Sambell, Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe
pretended that he disliked "Sadie" before playing it. Rofe continued the ploy on TV's Uptight and viewers responded with calls to play the song. Rofe was also a writer for Go-Set
, a teen-oriented pop
magazine, another writer for the magazine, Ian Meldrum
, praised Farnham's efforts. "Sadie" hit #1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts in January 1968 and remained there for five weeks. Selling 180 000 copies in Australia, "Sadie" was the highest selling single by an Australian artist of the decade. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. Farnham's second single, released in March, was the double A-sided "Underneath the Arches" (non-album track) / "Friday Kind of Monday", which peaked at #6. The album, Sadie, also produced by Mackay was released in April.
According to author, Jeff Jenkins, another local pop performer, Mike Furber, had first option on recording "Sadie" but declined; Furber later told Sambell that due to this mistake he was not destined for success. Furber died in 1973, aged 25, allegedly by hanging himself—this is disputed by his family and friends, who believe he was murdered.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Johnny Farnham's
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
first solo single. The novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
was released in November 1967 and was #1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts for five weeks in early 1968 (six weeks on the Australian charts in 1968 based on the Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
). It was the largest selling single in Australia by an Australian artist in the 1960s. The single, "Sadie" sold approximately 180,000 copies in Australia, and was also released in New Zealand, Denmark and Germany. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. The A-side's label includes the acknowledgement "Vacuum cleaner solo: Mr. Jolly".
Farnham's follow-up single, "Friday Kind of Monday" was released in March as a double-A side with "Underneath the Arches" (non-album track), which peaked at #6 on the Go-Set singles charts. Both "Sadie" and "Friday Kind of Monday" featured on Farnham's debut album, Sadie
Sadie (album)
Sadie is the debut studio album by Australian pop singer Johnny Farnham, it was released by EMI Records in April 1968. The lead single, "Sadie " had been released in November 1967, it was #1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts for five weeks, and was the largest selling single in Australia by an...
released in April 1968.
Background
Farnham's managerTalent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
Darryl Sambell had disliked "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" as the lyrics were so persistent. However, 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...
's in house producer, David Mackay
David Mackay (producer)
David Mackay is an Australian record producer/arranger and musical director. He was born in Sydney, Australia and began his music career at the age of 15 in a production of Bye Bye Birdie for J.C. Williamson Theatre Company...
, insisted so the single was released in November 1967. The song had been written by United States writers Ray Gilmore, Johnny Madara
John Medora
John Medora , also known as John or Johnny Madara, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, who teamed up with David White and Arthur Singer to write the 1957 hit song "At the Hop"....
and Dave White
David White (musician)
David White toured the country with his parents prior to attending school in their acrobatic/hand-balancing act called Barry and Brenda and Company....
. Sambell approached the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) TV programme This Day Tonight
This Day Tonight
This Day Tonight was an Australian Broadcasting Corporation current affairs program of the late 1960s and early 1970s.- Overview :...
to do a 'day in the life of
Day in the life of
Day in the life of is a device often used in fiction, such as books films, plays and TV shows, showing the events that happen to the character over a day...
' segment where they followed Farnham around to radio studios to promote his single. Sambell also arranged for local store, Godfrey's, to supply a vacuum cleaner salesman, Mr. Jolly to be on hand. By arrangement with Sambell, Melbourne radio DJ Stan Rofe
Stan Rofe
Stan 'The Man' Rofe was Melbourne's first and most influential rock'n'roll disc jockey. He is remembered as playing the first rock and roll music on Melbourne radio 3KZ in 1956 and as a champion of Australian music, a pioneer who played songs other DJs were too scared to play.-Career:Stan Rofe...
pretended that he disliked "Sadie" before playing it. Rofe continued the ploy on TV's Uptight and viewers responded with calls to play the song. Rofe was also a writer for Go-Set
Go-Set
Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
, a teen-oriented pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
magazine, another writer for the magazine, Ian Meldrum
Ian Meldrum
Ian Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer , and musical entrepreneur...
, praised Farnham's efforts. "Sadie" hit #1 on the Go-Set National Singles Charts in January 1968 and remained there for five weeks. Selling 180 000 copies in Australia, "Sadie" was the highest selling single by an Australian artist of the decade. The B-side, "In My Room" was written by Farnham. Farnham's second single, released in March, was the double A-sided "Underneath the Arches" (non-album track) / "Friday Kind of Monday", which peaked at #6. The album, Sadie, also produced by Mackay was released in April.
According to author, Jeff Jenkins, another local pop performer, Mike Furber, had first option on recording "Sadie" but declined; Furber later told Sambell that due to this mistake he was not destined for success. Furber died in 1973, aged 25, allegedly by hanging himself—this is disputed by his family and friends, who believe he was murdered.
Tracklisting
- "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) (Ray Gilmore, Johnny MadaraJohn MedoraJohn Medora , also known as John or Johnny Madara, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, who teamed up with David White and Arthur Singer to write the 1957 hit song "At the Hop"....
, Dave WhiteDavid White (musician)David White toured the country with his parents prior to attending school in their acrobatic/hand-balancing act called Barry and Brenda and Company....
) - 3:13 - "In My Room" (Johnny FarnhamJohn FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
) - 2:17
Cover versions
- WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
band Finders KeepersFinders Keepers (band)Finders Keepers were an English band, featuring then future Trapeze members Glenn Hughes, Mel Galley, and Dave Holland.Hughes later sang for Deep Purple and Black Sabbath . Galley later played guitar for Whitesnake...
recorded "Sadie, The Cleaning Lady" in mid-1968. - Swedish singer Siw MalmkvistSiw MalmkvistSiw "Siwan" Gunnel Margareta Malmkvist is a Swedish singer who is popular in Scandinavia and Germany...
recorded "Sadie" in English, Swedish (as "Mamma ar lik sin mamma" with lyrics translated by Stig AndersonStig AndersonStig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
), DanishDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
("Mor er som hendes mor var") and GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
("Frauen sind doch nur Frauen") all in 1968. - FinishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
singer Katri HelenaKatri HelenaKatri Helena is a Finnish singer who has been performing since the 1960s. She has been married three times and is now living as a single mother....
recorded it in Finish as "Aiti kuin aidinaiti" in 1968. - Fellow Australian, Frankie Davidson parodiedParodyA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
it with "Hector the Trash Collector" in 1968.
Chart positions
| Year | Singles Chart | Position | Catalogue # |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 | DO-5032 |
| Go-Set Go-Set Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble... |
1 |