"The Wheel of Hurt" is the title of a popular song from 1966 (see

1966 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1966. Specific locations * 1966 in British music *1966 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1966 in country music *1966 in jazz Events * January 8 – ''Shindig!'' is broadcast for ...

). The song was written by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Two versions of "The Wheel of Hurt" were released in late 1966 at virtually the same time. One version was sung by

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

singer

Al Martino Al Martino (born Jasper Cini; October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop croone ...

, and this was a modest hit, peaking at #59 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and at #12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart in late 1966. The second version of "The Wheel of Hurt" was by the American performer

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

, a noted singer who had over 40 charting hit

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

in the U.S. between 1946 and 1954. Released from her album of the same name, "The Wheel of Hurt" was Whiting's attempt at a comeback; in an interview with ''Billboard'' magazine from 1966, Whiting told Claude Hall that she "wanted to have a hit record again.

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, Pop music, pop, rock and roll, Folk music, folk, Swing music, swing, and country music. He started his car ...

and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

proved it could be done." "The Wheel of Hurt" was Whiting's final song to hit the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

on the Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at #26. Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 6th Edition (Billboard Publications) The song also spent four weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening chart in November 1966. Other artists have recorded "The Wheel of Hurt", including

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

References

1966 singles Margaret Whiting songs Eddy Arnold songs Songs written by Eddie Snyder Songs written by Charles Singleton (songwriter) 1966 songs London Records singles {{1960s-pop-song-stub

See also

References