Middle Of The Road – Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep

“Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep” – Single by Middle of the Road from the album Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep
Released October 1970

The original recording by its composer Lally Stott, was a hit in France (Top 15), a minor hit in Italy, Australia and in the United States. Stott’s record company, Philips, was reluctant to release the song overseas, and apparently offered it to two other groups: Scottish folk-pop group Middle of the Road, who were working in Italy at the time, and Mac and Katie Kissoon. While it is unclear which group Stott offered his song to first, Mac and Katie Kissoon produced their cover version first.

Middle of the Road’s version then initially became a hit on the Continent only, but later grew in popularity in the United Kingdom, reportedly via DJ Tony Blackburn favoring this version over the previously-produced version by Mac and Katie Kissoon. However, Middle of the Road’s version didn’t even chart on the United States Billboard Hot 100, and nearly flopped in the UK also, because it followed the Kissoon’s previously-produced version. Middle of the Road’s version eventually reached #1 in the UK and stayed there for five weeks in June 1971, while the Kissoons’ version only reached #41.

In the USA the Kissoon’s version was a greater success, reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Lally Stott’s original version reached #92.

The song was dismissed by critics as bubblegum at the time, a view initially held by band leader Ken Andrews: “We were as disgusted with the thought of recording it as most people were at the thought of buying it. But at the end of the day, we liked it all the time when it came on the radio.

“Chirpy chirpy, cheep cheep” este o melodie înregistrată în 1970 de compozitorul  Lally Stott, și popularizată mai târziu în acel an de trupa scoțiană Middle of the Road, pentru care a fost un hit britanic, locul nr. 1. Această versiune s-a vândut în peste 10 milioane de exemplare în întreaga lume.

Înregistrarea originală a piesei compozitorului  Lally Stott, a fost un hit de top 15 în Franța și un hit minor în Italia, Australia și Statele Unite. Compania de discuri a lui Stott, Philips, a fost reticentă în lansarea melodiei în alte țări și, aparent, a oferit-o altor două grupuri: grupul folk-pop scoțian Middle of the Road, care lucrau în acea vreme în Italia și duo-lui Mac și Katie Kissoon, frate și soră din Trinidad.

 

Middle of the Road este un grup pop scoțian care s-a bucurat de succes în Europa și America Latină încă din anii ’70. Înainte ca ABBA să devină supergrupul anilor 70, Middle of the Road era sunetul timpuriu al europopului cu armoniile lor distincte și vocea lui Sally Carr. Patru dintre single-urile lor s-au vândut în peste un milion de exemplare fiecare și au primit un disc de aur: “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep”. „Sacramento”, „Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum” și „Soley Soley”. Până la începutul anului 1972, grupul a vândut peste cinci milioane de discuri.

Original members:

• Sally Carr (born Sarah Cecilia Carr, 28 March 1945, Muirhead, Lanarkshire) – vocals, percussion
• Ken Andrew (born Kenneth Ballentyne Andrew, 28 August 1942, Bearsden, Glasgow) – drums
• Ian McCredie (born Ian Campbell McCredie, 15 July 1947, Partick, Glasgow) – guitar, flute
• Eric McCredie (born Eric Campbell McCredie, 17 July 1945, Partick, Glasgow; died 6 October 2007, Glasgow) – bass
• Neil Henderson (born Neil Fulton Henderson, 11 February 1953, Glasgow) – guitar
• Anne Katherine Watson (born Anne Thomson, 2 December 1951, Partick, Glasgow) – for a time in 1975 as guest keyboard player and vocalist and who did session work

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