"Call Me" is a song composed by

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mus ...

for an original recording for

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

. It was later an

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

standard via a hit version by

Chris Montez Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montañez on January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as hi ...

. "Call Me" first appeared as the title cut on a Petula Clark EP released in 1965 by Pye in the UK. "Call Me" and the three other tracks on the EP: "Heart", "Everything in the Garden" and "Strangers and Lovers" were also released on Clark's album ''

I Know a Place "I Know a Place" is a song with music and lyrics by Tony Hatch. It was recorded in 1965 by Petula Clark at the Pye Studios in Marble Arch in a session which featured drummer Bobby Graham and the Breakaways vocal group. Released as the follow- ...

'' (a.k.a. ''The New Petula Clark Album'').

Chris Montez Recording

Also in 1965

, who had scored the hit " Let's Dance" in 1962 and subsequently dropped out of the music business, was invited to resume recording by

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

' founder

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

. Alpert was unhappy when Montez began recording for A&M in his previous

Chicano rock Chicano rock is rock music performed by Mexican American (Chicano) groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Span ...

style and personally suggested Montez shift to

choosing "Call Me" as the song to be Montez's debut single on A&M. Released in November 1965, "Call Me" entered the Easy Listening Top 40 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' that December entering the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 1966; that March "Call Me" peaked on the Easy Listening chart at #2 and on the Hot 100 at #22. Montez's version of "Call Me" was released as a single in the UK on the Pye label in January 1966 but failed to chart.

Chart performance

References

External links

Lyrics
{{authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles 1966 singles Petula Clark songs Chris Montez songs Frank Sinatra songs Trini Lopez songs Shirley Bassey songs Songs written by Tony Hatch Pye Records singles A&M Records singles Song recordings produced by Tony Hatch