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"Needles and Pins" is a
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
song credited to American writers
Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...
and
Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...
.
Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...
recorded it in 1963 and other versions followed. The most successful ones were recorded by
The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
, whose version reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart in 1964, and Smokie, who had a worldwide hit in 1977. Others who recorded the song include the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...
,
Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
, and
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...
with
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releas ...
.


Jackie DeShannon version (1963)

In his autobiography, Bono states that he sang along with Nitzsche's guitar-playing, thus creating both the tune and the lyrics, being guided by the chord progressions. However,
Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...
claims that the song was written at the piano, and that she was a full participant in the song's creation, along with Nitzsche and Bono, although she did not get formal credit. DeShannon was the first to record the song; in the US it peaked at number 84 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in May 1963. Though it was only a minor US hit, DeShannon's recording of the song topped the charts in Canada, hitting number one on the
CHUM Chart The CHUM Chart was a ranking of top 30 (and, until August 1968, the top 50) songs on Toronto, Ontario radio station CHUM AM, from 1957 to 1986, and was the longest-running Top 40 chart in the world produced by an individual radio station. On Janua ...
in July 1963.


The Searchers version (1964)

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
heard British performer Cliff Bennett perform "Needles and Pins" at the
Star-Club The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on ...
in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, Germany, instantly wanted it to be their next single and recorded it before Cliff Bennett could. The Pye Records single was released in January 1964. It was number one in the United Kingdom,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the United States. Soon after, in April 1964, "Needles and Pins" appeared on The Searchers' next album, ''It's the Searchers''. Audible during The Searchers' recording of "Needles and Pins" is a faulty bass drum pedal, which squeaks throughout the song. It is particularly noticeable during the opening of the number. Part of The Searchers' version can be heard as the intro of the song "
Use the Man "Use the Man" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released as the third single from their seventh studio album, ''Cryptic Writings'' (1997). The song was one of the band's biggest hits, at #15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock ...
" from
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
's ''
Cryptic Writings ''Cryptic Writings'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on June 17, 1997 through Capitol Records, it was the band's last studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of t ...
'' album, although it does not appear on the remastered version. A German version sung by The Searchers is called "Tausend Nadelstiche".


Charts


Smokie version (1977)

In 1977, at the height of their popularity, English rock band Smokie recorded the song as a rock
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
for the album '' Bright Lights & Back Alleys'', and got a European and an Australian hit with "Needles and Pins". The song reached number one in Austria. Later, ex-Smokie vocalist
Chris Norman Christopher Ward Norman (born 25 October 1950) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the original lead singer of the English rock band Smokie, (1964–1986), who found success in Europe in the 1970s. " Stumblin' In", a 1978 duet with Suz ...
included his solo cover of the song on his studio album ''Full Circle'' (2000).


Ramones version (1978)

The Ramones included "Needles and Pins" on their 1978 album '' Road to Ruin''. Their version was also included on the band's first greatest hits collection, ''
Ramones Mania ''Ramones Mania'' is the first greatest hits album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on May 31, 1988 through Sire Records and consists of 30 Ramones songs, including some single versions (" Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," " Ne ...
''. In turn,
pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
band The Commercials recorded the song for the tribute album '' Ramones Maniacs''.


Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version (1985; live)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...
released their first live album in 1985 called '' Pack Up the Plantation: Live!'' where singer-songwriter and
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their eponym ...
vocalist
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releas ...
performed on "Needles and Pins" with Tom Petty at the Forum in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California in June of 1981. ''
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 ...
'' said that "a great song is given a great treatment."


Willie DeVille version (1999)

Willie DeVille recorded "Needles and Pins" for his 1999 album '' Horse Of A Different Colour''.


References

{{authority control 1963 singles 1964 singles Jackie DeShannon songs Jangle pop songs Ramones songs Tom Petty songs The Searchers (band) songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Sonny Bono Liberty Records singles Pye Records singles MCA Records singles Cher songs 1963 songs Songs written by Jack Nitzsche Song recordings produced by Ed Stasium Song recordings produced by Mike Chapman Song recordings produced by Tony Hatch Song recordings produced by Tommy Ramone Stevie Nicks songs Song recordings produced by Dick Glasser Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements