"Denise" is a song written by Neil Levenson that was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. In 1963, it became a popular top ten hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, when recorded by the American doo-wop group

Randy & the Rainbows Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York. History The group was formed in 1962 in Maspeth, Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers, Dominick and Frank, had p ...

. A cover version by the American new wave group Blondie, re-titled "Denis", hit number 2 in 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 ...

in 1978. Dutch actress and singer

Georgina Verbaan Georgina Carolina Verbaan (born 9 October 1979) is a Dutch actress and singer. Verbaan is best known for her recurring role in soap opera ''Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden''. She has also appeared in various Dutch films, including ''Costa!'', '' Vo ...

covered "Denis" in 2002 and reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Randy & the Rainbows version

The

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group

recorded "Denise" with the producers of

The Tokens The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group has had four top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit si ...

, releasing it as a single in 1963. The group's name "Randy & the Rainbows" was chosen by the owners of

Laurie Records Laurie Records was a record label established in New York City in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separate acts), ...

after the group recorded "Denise". Previously, the band had been called "Junior & the Counts" and "The Encores". "Denise" spent seventeen weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, settling at number 10, while peaking at number 18 on the ''

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 ...

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and number 5 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade. The song was ranked number 27 on ''

''s end of year ranking " Top Records of 1963" and number 60 on ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

''s "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1963".

Track listings

# "Denise" (Levenson) – 1:57 # "Come Back" 2:17

Chart performance

Blondie version

"Denis" (using the masculine form of the name in French, with a silent "s") is a 1978 cover of the song by the American new wave band Blondie. This effort helped the band break into the international market. It was featured on the band's second studio album, ''

Plastic Letters ''Plastic Letters'' is the second studio album by American rock band Blondie, released in February 1978 by Chrysalis Records. An earlier version with a rearranged track listing was released in Japan in late December 1977. Overview This is ...

'' (1978), and was the second UK single release by Blondie on Chrysalis Records. ''

'' said it has "recognizable thrashing guitar licks, kick drumming and Deborah arry'sbright vocals." The initial Blondie version contained a verse with partly improvised lyrics in French by the group's vocalist

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

. The second, re-recorded version had its debut as a bonus track on

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

UK's 1994 re-issue of ''Plastic Letters''. "Denis" was released in February 1978 and scored a number 2 in the UK and broke into the Top 20 in most European countries, including number 1 in

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In the UK, the song was kept at number 2 for three weeks, first by

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

's "

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moorland, moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their tur ...

" and then by

Brian and Michael Brian and Michael are a British music duo best known for their 1978 UK number one hit single, " Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Without further chart entries, they remain one-hit wonders in the UK. They comprise two members: Mic ...

's "

Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs (Lowry's Song)" is a folk song by English duo Brian and Michael. It was released as their first single in late 1977 on Pye Records, and is from their 1978 debut album, ''The Matchstalk Men''. The song re ...

". Just like "

Rip Her to Shreds "Rip Her to Shreds" is a song by United States, American New wave music, new wave band Blondie (band), Blondie, which features on the band's Blondie (album), self-titled debut album. Single information "Rip Her To Shreds" was Blondie's first UK s ...

", the single was issued on both 7" and 12" formats in the UK, and both feature two

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, "Contact in Red Square" from ''Plastic Letters'' and "Kung-Fu Girls" from '' Blondie''. "Denis" was the only single released in the US from ''Plastic Letters'' (with "I'm on E" as the B-side) though it never charted. In 1988, a remixed version of the track was issued as a single from the Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation ''

Once More into the Bleach ''Once More into the Bleach'' is a remix album released in December 1988 by the band Blondie and Debbie Harry. The 13-track compilation contains remixes of Blondie songs and material from Harry's solo career. It was the first compilation to inclu ...

''. This time the single reached number 50 in the UK.

Track listings

;1978 Release ;UK 7" and 12" (CHS 2204) # "Denis" (Levenson) – 2:18 # "Contact in Red Square" (Destri) – 2:01 # "Kung-Fu Girls" (Destri, Harry, Valentine) – 2:33 ;US 7" (CHS 2220) # "Denis" (Levenson) – 2:18 # "I'm on E" (Harry, Stein) – 2:13 ;1988 Release ;UK 7" (CHS 3328) # "Denis '88" – 5:26 # "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02 ;UK 12" (CHS 12 3328) # "Denis" (The Danny D Remix) – 5:26 # "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02 # "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Dub Version) – ?:?? ;UK CD (CHS CD 3328) # "Denis '88" – 5:26 # "Rapture (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02 # "Heart Of Glass" – 4:00 # "Atomic" – 3:32

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Georgina Verbaan version

In 2002, Dutch actress and singer

recorded a cover version of "Denis" for her debut studio album '' Sugar Spider''. Her version of the song was issued on the

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

label as a single and it reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Track listings

#"Denis" #"No More Lies"

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1963 songs 1963 singles 1978 singles 2002 singles Blondie (band) songs Chrysalis Records singles Doo-wop songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Macaronic songs Song recordings produced by Richard Gottehrer

Randy & the Rainbows version

Track listings

Chart performance

Blondie version

Track listings

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Georgina Verbaan version

Track listings

Chart performance

See also

References