"January" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song recorded by Scottish rock band

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

. Written by

David Paton David Paton (; born 29 October 1949) is a Scottish bassist, guitarist and singer. He first achieved success in the mid-1970s as lead vocalist and bassist of Pilot, who scored hits with " Magic", "January", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round" b ...

and produced by

Alan Parsons Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and '' Let It Be'' ...

, "January" was the sole number-one single in the UK for Pilot, coincidentally going to the top of the charts on 26 January 1975. It stayed at number one for three weeks. In a video interview on Radio Borders, David Paton explained that the song was not about the month, but about a girl named January, the name being taken from a female protagonist in a book that his wife was reading at the time. The verse is unrelated to the chorus and talks about the success of "

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

" and how it had opened up the world for him. It also charted in the United States, making a minor impression on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in early 1976. It also went to number one in Australia, where it stayed for eight weeks. During the month of January 2016, the song was a feature of adverts for

ASDA Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...

stores within the UK.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

covered "January" on his 1976 album, '' Home Is Where the Heart Is''.

References

External links

Pilot - "January" (1974) song to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

1974 songs 1975 singles Pilot (band) songs David Cassidy songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by David Paton Song recordings produced by Alan Parsons {{1970s-single-stub