"Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by

Scott English Sheldon David "Scott" English (January 10, 1937 – November 16, 2018) was an American songwriter, arranger and record producer. He is best known as the co-writer of "Brandy" which he wrote with Richard Kerr. This song became a No. 1 hit fo ...

and

Larry Weiss Laurence D. "Larry" Weiss (born March 25, 1941) is an American songwriter and musician. He wrote "Rhinestone Cowboy", a US no.1 hit for Glen Campbell in 1975; and co-wrote "Bend Me, Shape Me", "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and several other international ...

. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album '' In'' in 1966. The best-known version of the song is the 1967 single released by

The American Breed The American Breed was an American rock band from Chicago in the 1960s. The band was originally called Gary & The Knight Lites before adopting the name The American Breed in 1967. The band had a number of charting songs in 1967–68, the be ...

that peaked at No. 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1968, No. 3 in South Africa, and No. 24 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The American Breed's 2:05 single mix of this song was sped-up during mastering for release, while the widely available original 2:25 version was done at a normal speed. The following year, The American Breed released their last single, " Anyway That You Want Me", which borrowed its title phrase from "Bend Me, Shape Me". Co-songwriter Scott English later went on to write and sing "

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

", which

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

later covered as his 1974 breakout hit "

Mandy Mandy or Mandie may refer to: People * Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname * Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer * Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper * Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...

". The video was also released. The band members are seen working out in a gym and performing on stage.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

There have been many other recordings of "Bend Me, Shape Me". The first version was released by The Models in 1966 on the MGM label. Other notable versions include one by Amen Corner with slightly altered lyrics, which reached No. 3 in the

in 1968. There was also a hit disco single on Ariola/Hansa by Austrian singer Gilla in 1978. The

Kidsongs ''Kidsongs'' is an American children's media franchise that includes Kidsongs Music Video Stories on DVD and video, The Kidsongs TV Show, CDs of favorite children's songs, song books, sheet music, toys and an ecommerce website. It was created by ...

Kids sing this song on their 1987 video/album: "The Wonderful World of Sports".

version of the song was included in the soundtrack of the 2018

neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...

thriller US film

Bad Times at the El Royale ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' is a 2018 American neo-noir thriller film written, directed, and produced by Drew Goddard. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullm ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bend Me, Shape Me 1966 songs 1967 singles Songs written by Scott English Songs written by Larry Weiss Deram Records singles Amen Corner (band) songs Number-one singles in New Zealand

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

See also

References