"Sitting in the Park" is a 1965 song written and performed by

Billy Stewart William Larry Stewart II (March 24, 1937 – January 17, 1970) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist who was popular during the 1960s. Biography Stewart was 12 years old when he began singing with his younger brothers Johnny, James ...

. The single was Stewart's fourth and most successful entry on the soul chart in the United States. "Sitting in the Park" peaked at number four on the soul chart and number twenty-four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was featured on his 1965 album, ''I Do Love You''. The song was arranged by Phil Wright.

Cover versions

*In 1966,

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

went to number twelve on UK charts with his version of the song. *In 1969, Owen Gray and Maximum Breed released a version of the song as a single in the UK. *In 1973,

Keith Hampshire Keith Hampshire (born 23 November 1945) is an English-born singer and actor. He recorded three songs which were top ten hits in Canada, and hosted the CBC Television show ''Keith Hampshire's Music Machine''. His voice has been compared to Davi ...

released a version of the song as a single in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. *In 1973,

Slim Smith Slim Smith (born Keith Smith; 1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 1972) was a ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. In their book ''Reggae: The Rough Guide'' (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge i ...

released a version of the song on his album ''Memorial''. *In 1974,

Mike Patto Mike Patto (born Michael Thomas McCarthy, 22 September 1942 – 4 March 1979) was an English musician, who was primarily notable as lead singer for Spooky Tooth, Patto and Boxer. Life and career Patto was born in Cirencester, England, and fir ...

released a version of the song as a single in the UK. *In 1976, Winston Francis released a version of the song as a single in the UK. *In 1976,

Dr Alimantado Dr Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson; 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica), also known as ''The Ital Surgeon'', is a Jamaican reggae singer, DJ, and producer.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, ...

released a version of the song as a single in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. *In 1980, Bobby Thurston recorded a cover that featured as the ‘B’ side of the single "Check Out The Groove", this version also featuring on his album ''You Got What It Takes''. *In 1980, GQ peaked at number nine on the soul chart with their version and number 101 on the pop chart. *In 1980,

Bobby McClure Bobby McClure (April 21, 1942 – November 13, 1992) was an American soul singer. Biography McClure was born in Chicago, Illinois. By the age of two his family had moved to St. Louis, where he sang in church and gospel groups in his youth. He ...

released a version of the song as a single, but it did not chart. *In 1981,

Flo & Eddie Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie). The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turtl ...

released a version of the song on their album ''

Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie ''Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie'', also known as ''Prince Flo & Jah Edward I'', is the fifth studio album by Flo & Eddie. Released in 1981, the album consists of rocksteady and reggae music. The album was recorded at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingsto ...

''. *In 1986,

Steve Beresford Steve Beresford (born 6 March 1950) is a British musician who graduated from the University of York He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, electronics, trumpet, euphonium, bass guitar and a wide variety of toy instruments, such ...

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

Tonie Marshall Tonie Marshall (29 November 1951 – 12 March 2020) was a French-American actress, screenwriter, and film director. In 2000, she became the first female director to win a César award for her film ''Venus Beauty Institute.'' Life and career Ma ...

, and

David Toop David Toop (born 5 May 1949) is an English musician, author, curator, and Emeritus Professor. From 2013 to 2021 he was professor of audio culture and improvisation at the London College of Communication. He was a regular contributor to British m ...

released a version of the song on their album ''

Deadly Weapons ''Deadly Weapons'' is a 1974 American exploitation film directed and produced by Doris Wishman. It stars burlesque performer Chesty Morgan and porn star Harry Reems. Plot Crystal is an advertising executive who tracks down the mobsters who k ...

''. *In 1987

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re-f ...

released a live version on their album, ''God Bless Us All'' (Rounder Records) *In 1997,

The Zombies The Zombies are an English rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two fu ...

released a live version of the song on their album ''

Zombie Heaven ''Zombie Heaven'' is a 1997 four-disc box set comprising roughly the entire catalog of British invasion band The Zombies. The first disc comprises their debut '' Begin Here'' and assorted singles. The second disc features their second album '' ...

''. *In 2002,

Quix*o*tic Quix*o*tic was a rock band active from 1997 to 2002 in the area of Washington, D.C., United States. They were known for their blend of R&B and doo wop with a Gothic outlook. History Quix*o*tic formed in 1997. The original line-up was guitarist/voca ...

released a version of the song on their album ''Mortal Mirror''. *Jamaican singer,

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

covered the song in a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

version, but it did not chart.

Sampled versions

* In 1992,

Hi-C Hi-C is a fruit juice–flavored drink made by the Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Company. It was created by Niles Foster in 1946 and released in 1947. The sole original flavor was orange. History Niles Foster, a former bakery and b ...

sampled the song on his song of the same title, from his album ''

Skanless ''Skanless'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Hi-C from Compton, California. It was released on December 10, 1991, via Skanless Records. The album peaked at number 152 on the Billboard 200, number 53 on the Top R&B Albums chart, and nu ...

''. * In 1995,

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

sampled the song on his song ''

Sittin' in My Car "Sittin' in My Car" is the second single released from Slick Rick's third album, ''Behind Bars (Slick Rick album), Behind Bars''. It was released on February 14, 1995 and was produced by Vance Wright, with a remix done by Jermaine Dupri and beatbox ...

'', from his album '' Behind Bars''. *In 2015, Tomppabeats sampled the song in his song "Good Morning". * In 2018,

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...

sampled the song in the introduction to her song "Cake", from her album '' No Shame''.

References

1965 songs 1965 singles 1966 singles 1973 singles 1974 singles 1976 singles 1980 singles 1992 singles Billy Stewart songs Songs written by Billy Stewart Georgie Fame songs GQ (band) songs The Zombies songs Chess Records singles Imperial Records singles A&M Records singles Arista Records singles {{1960s-R&B-song-stub