"Red Rubber Ball" is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

song written by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

and

Bruce Woodley Bruce William Woodley (born 25 July 1942) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful folk-pop group The Seekers, and co-composer of the songs "I Am Australian," "Red Rubber Ball," and Simon & Gar ...

of The Seekers and recorded by The Cyrkle, whose version reached 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and in South Africa and New Zealand. In Canada, the song reached No. 1.

Synopsis

"Red Rubber Ball" is sung from the perspective of a man at the end of an unfulfilling relationship in which his significant other never gave him much attention or affection. He now looks forward to the future with a positive attitude, proclaiming that “the morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball”.

Recordings

According to Cyrkle

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Tom Dawes, Simon offered "Red Rubber Ball" to the band when they were opening for Simon and Garfunkel on tour. The song's tracks were recorded in

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

, with the bass, lead guitar, and percussion on the right track, acoustic guitar and electric organ on left, and the vocals on both. The Columbia picture sleeve issued with the "Red Rubber Ball" single is a very rare and oft-sought item amongst record collectors; near-mint copies are said to fetch three figures. The Seekers also recorded "Red Rubber Ball" for their 1966 album '' Come the Day'' (called ''Georgy Girl'' in the USA). It also appears on the CD

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

''The Seekers Complete''. In an interview on '' The Colbert Report'', Paul Simon said he wrote "Red Rubber Ball" while living in England to get a £100 advance from The Seekers. This came in response to Colbert's request for Simon to name a song that was "on the cusp" when it came to being included in his songbook ''Lyrics 1964–2008''. In the US, "Red Rubber Ball" spent a single week at No. 2 on the '' Billboard Hot 100'' pop singles chart at the same time " Paperback Writer" by The Beatles was at No. 1, during the week ending July 9, 1966. It was the fifth week during 1966 in which songs written by Simon and by John Lennon and Paul McCartney were simultaneously at No. 1 and No. 2 on the chart.

Cover versions

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

on his 1966 album '' Right Now!'' *

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

on his 1966 debut album '' The Feel of Neil Diamond''. * Cliff Richard for his 1968 film soundtrack '' Two a Penny''. *

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

on her 1969 album ''

Surround Yourself with Cilla ''Surround Yourself with Cilla'' is Cilla Black's fourth solo studio album, released on 23 May 1969 by Parlophone Records. It was Cilla's first album to only be recorded and released in stereo sound format, and her first to fail to make the UK c ...

''. *Eggchair recorded a version that was played in the 2004 movie, '' Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story''. *Canadian punk rock group The Diodes had it as the first track on their debut album, ''The Diodes'' (1977). According to the liner notes of the 1998 Diodes anthology, ''Tired of Waking Up Tired'', the band recorded the cover because Paul Simon had been vocal in his disapproval of punk rock music. * Simon and Garfunkel recorded a live version in 1967 that was not released until their 1997 compilation album '' Old Friends''. *American ska punk group Streetlight Manifesto for their 2010 album, '' 99 Songs of Revolution''. * Nellie McKay on her 2015 album, ''My Weekly Reader''. * Del Shannon *The short-lived bluegrass supergroup Spectrum (

Bela Fleck Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur, ...

, Jimmy Gaudreau,

Mark Schatz Mark Schatz (born April 23, 1955) is an American bassist, banjoist, mandolinist, guitarist, clogger, and hambone performer who has recorded on albums for and toured with artists including Bela Fleck, Nickel Creek, Jerry Douglas, Maura O'Con ...

, and Glenn Lawson) on their 1980 debut "Opening Roll".

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
{{Authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles Songs written by Paul Simon Songs written by Bruce Woodley The Cyrkle songs Mel Tormé songs Neil Diamond songs Cilla Black songs Simon & Garfunkel songs Del Shannon songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Columbia Records singles