"Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song written by Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

and recorded by

The Cyrkle The Cyrkle was an American rock band active in the early and mid-1960s. The group charted two Top 40 hits, "Red Rubber Ball" and " Turn-Down Day". Career The band was formed by guitarists and lead singers Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes (who also p ...

, 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 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, 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 ''Come the Day'' is the fifth studio album by Australian group the Seekers. The album was released in 1966. In North America, the album was titled ''Georgy Girl''. The album peaked at number 10 in the ''Billboard'' albums chart and number 3 in ...

'' (called ''Georgy Girl'' in the USA). It also appears on the CD box set ''The Seekers Complete''. In an interview on ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

'', 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 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

'' pop singles chart at the same time "

Paperback Writer "Paperback Writer" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, the song was released as the A-side of their eleventh single in May 1966. It topped sin ...

" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

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 John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

were simultaneously at No. 1 and No. 2 on the chart.

Cover versions

* Mel Tormé on his 1966 album '' Right Now!'' * Neil Diamond on his 1966 debut album '' The Feel of Neil Diamond''. *

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

for his 1968 film soundtrack '' Two a Penny''. * Cilla Black on her 1969 album '' Surround Yourself with Cilla''. *Eggchair recorded a version that was played in the 2004

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, '' 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 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 " ...

recorded a live version in 1967 that was not released until their 1997 compilation album '' Old Friends''. *American

ska punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hard ...

group

Streetlight Manifesto Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, formed in 2002. They released their first album, '' Everything Goes Numb'', which was distributed by Victory Records, on August 26, 2003. The band h ...

for their 2010 album, ''

99 Songs of Revolution ''99 Songs of Revolution: Vol. 1'' is the fourth studio album by the American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto, released March 16, 2010. It was proposed to be the first part of a multi-album cover songs project by several associated acts inclu ...

''. *

Nellie McKay Nell Marie McKay (born April 13, 1982) is a singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in ''The Threepenny Opera'' (2006). Early life and education McKay was born in London to an English father, writer-director Malcolm McKay, and an ...

on her 2015 album, ''My Weekly Reader''. *

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit "Runaway". In 1999, he was induc ...

*The short-lived bluegrass supergroup Spectrum ( Bela Fleck,

Jimmy Gaudreau Jimmy Gaudreau is a singer and mandolinist playing traditional and progressive bluegrass music. He is best known for his solo albums, and his work with The Country Gentlemen, Tony Rice, and J. D. Crowe. Biography Early life In high school in the ...

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'C ...

, 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