"When" is a
popular
Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group.
Popular may also refer to:
In sociology
* Popular culture
* Popular fiction
* Popular music
* Popular science
* Populace, the total ...
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
written by Jack Reardon and
Paul Evans and published in 1958.
The Kalin Twins version
The biggest hit version was recorded by
The Kalin Twins
The Kalin Twins (born February 16, 1934), also known as Hal and Herbie, were an American pop singing, songwriting and recording duo, formed in 1958 by twin brothers Harold Kalin and Herbert Kalin. The duo is best remembered for their number one ...
in 1958, a
chart-topper
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
for five weeks,
No. 2 in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and No. 5 in the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100. In French 1958 single charts it spent 18 weeks as number 1, and in the
Netherlands
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the song charted for 30 weeks and was also a number one for 5 weeks.
Cover versions
In 1958, a German version of "When" was recorded as "Wenn" by German
Schlager music
Schlager music (, " hit(s)") is a style of European popular music that is generally a catchy instrumental accompaniment to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, happy-go-lucky, and often sentimental lyrics.
Typical Schlager tracks are eith ...
group Die James Brothers.
In 1977,
Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy are a rock and roll group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 T ...
had a UK No. 3 hit with the song.
The song was revived in 2004 by
Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell, MBE (born 12 December 1961) is an Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist. After rising to public attention in 1983, he has since become a household name in Ireland and Britain; he has also had cons ...
in his album of songs from the 1950s and 1960s, ''The Jukebox Years.''
See also
*
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1950s
The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Record charts in the UK began life in 1952 when Percy Dickins from ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') imitated an idea started in American '' Billboard'' magazine and began ...
References
{{Authority control
1958 singles
1977 singles
Number-one singles in Australia
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Songs written by Paul Evans (musician)
Kalin Twins songs
1958 songs
Brunswick Records singles
Arista Records singles
Song recordings produced by Mike Hurst (producer)