"Surrender" is a 1946 song co-written by
Bennie Benjamin
Claude August "Bennie" Benjamin (November 4, 1907 – May 2, 1989) was a Virgin Islands-born American songwriter. He had particularly successful songwriting partnerships with Sol Marcus, with whom he wrote "I Don't Want To Set The World On F ...
and
George David Weiss
George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger, who was a president of the Songwriters Guild of America.
He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Biography
Weiss was born in a Jewish fa ...
. It was originally performed by
Perry Como and covered by various artists including
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...
,
George Olsen
George Edward Olsen Sr. (March 18, 1893 - March 18, 1971) was an American bandleader.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Olsen played the drums and attended the University of Michigan, where he was drum major. There he formed his band, George Olsen an ...
, and
Bob Chester
Bob Chester (March 20, 1908 – October 29, 1966) was an American jazz and pop music bandleader and tenor saxophonist.
He was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Chester's stepfather ran General Motors's Fisher Body Works. He began his ...
. Como's version of "Surrender" peaked at number one on the
Billboard Best Selling Popular Retail Records chart and sold over a million copies.
Background
The lyrics of "Surrender" are thought to be inspired by the surrender of Japan and Germany in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and the connections between surrendering in love and war.
Perry Como version
On April 2, 1946, Perry Como recorded "Surrender" with
Russ Case
Russ Case (March 19, 1912 – October 10, 1964) was an American trumpeter and bandleader who led jazz and light music orchestras.
Biography
Case was born in Hamburg, Iowa. His professional career began when he was hired at WOC (AM) in ...
and his Orchestra.
After the song was released in June 1946,
[ Billboard called Como's version of "Surrender" a "slow dreamy arrangement" ]
Chart performance
Como's version of "Surrender" peaked at #2 on the Most Played Juke Box Records chart on July 20, 1946. A few weeks later on August 3, 1946, "Surrender" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Best Selling Popular Retail Records and #2 on the Records Most Played on the Air chart. Outside of Billboard, Como's rendition of "Surrender" peaked at number 2 on Your Hit Parade
''Your Hit Parade'' was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year ru ...
.
Woody Herman version
In June 1946, Woody Herman released a cover of "Surrender" with the Blue Flames. Billboard said Herman's rendition of "Surrender" with the Blue Flames had an enjoyable saxophone performance and did "full justice to the ballad plait".
Chart performance
From July to October 1946, Herman's version peaked at #8 on Billboard's Records Most Played on the Air and #12 on Most Played Jukebox Records charts.
Other versions
Throughout 1946, multiple versions of "Surrender" were released. Billboard said that Phil Brito's cover was apt for his vocals while Tony Pastor's version was "pure corn".
Other recorded versions of "Surrender" include:
See also
* List of Billboard number-one singles of 1946
References
{{Perry Como
1946 songs
1946 singles
Perry Como songs
Number-one singles in the United States
Songs written by Bennie Benjamin
Songs written by George David Weiss