"Black Pearl" is a song written by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

Toni Wine Toni Wine (born June 4, 1947 in Washington Heights, New York City, United States) is an American pop music songwriter, who wrote songs for such artists as The Mindbenders (" A Groovy Kind of Love"), Tony Orlando and Dawn (" Candida"), and Checkm ...

and

Irwin Levine Irwin Jesse Levine (March 23, 1938 – January 21, 1997)
- accessed April 11, 2012 was an American songwriter, who co-wrote ...

, and performed by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. It was inspired by the 1968 Sidney Poitier film ''

For Love of Ivy ''For Love of Ivy'' is a 1968 romantic comedy film directed by Daniel Mann. The film stars Sidney Poitier, Abbey Lincoln, Beau Bridges, Nan Martin, Lauri Peters, and Carroll O'Connor. The story was written by Poitier with screenwriter Robert Alan ...

'' about Ivy Moore, a maid who after nine years of service leaves to go to secretarial school. The song reached No. 8 on the U.S.

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart, and No. 31 in Australia in 1969. The song was featured on the group's 1969 album, '' Love Is All We Have to Give''. The song was produced by

and arranged by Perry Botkin, Jr.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

described it as "one of the great Phil Spector productions, a phenomenal song with his extraordinary sound." The single ranked #66 on ''Billboard's'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1969.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

* Horace Faith released a version of the song as a single in 1970 which reached No. 13 on 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 ...

.Horace Faith, "Black Pearl" chart position
Retrieved January 26, 2016. *New Zealand group

Moana and the Moahunters Moana Maree Maniapoto (born 22 June 1961) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and documentary maker. Widely considered one of New Zealand's most successful indigenous acts, her music is described as a fusion of traditional Māori haka, chants ...

covered the song for their debut album, ''Tahi''. It peaked at No. 2 on the New Zealand music charts in 1991.

References

1969 songs 1969 singles 1970 singles Songs written by Phil Spector Songs written by Toni Wine Songs written by Irwin Levine Checkmates, Ltd. songs Horace Faith songs Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements A&M Records singles Bell Records singles {{1960s-single-stub