"Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" is a popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

that was a hit during the mid-1950s. It was written by

Calvin Carter Calvin Tollie Carter (May 27, 1925 – July 9, 1986) was an American record producer, record label manager and songwriter of jazz and pop songs. Calvin Carter was born in Gary, Indiana, in 1925. He joined Vee-Jay Records, founded by his sis ...

and James "Pookie" Hudson in 1951, and was first recorded by

The Spaniels The Spaniels were an American R&B and doo-wop group, best known for the hit " Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite". They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group. Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the fir ...

in 1953. It has also been released by some artists as "Goodnight, Well It's Time to Go".

The Spaniels version

The song was originally released by the R&B

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

group The Spaniels in March 1954. The original version peaked at No. 5 on ''

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 advertis ...

''s " Rhythm and Blues Records" chart of "Best Sellers in Stores", No. 5 on ''Billboard''s "Rhythm and Blues Records" chart of "Most Played in Juke Boxes", and No. 3 on ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

''s Rhythm & Blues Top 15. The Spaniels' version was ranked No. 20 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1954's Top R&B Records according to Retail Sales" and No. 15 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1954's Top R&B Records according to Juke Box Plays". It was also ranked No. 16 in ''Cash Box''s ranking of "1954's Top R&B Records as Voted in the ''Cash Box'' Poll".

The McGuire Sisters version

The best-selling version of the song was recorded by

The McGuire Sisters The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters: * Ruby Christine McGuire (July 30, 1926 – December 28, 2018) * Dorothy "Dottie" McGuire (February 13, 1928 – September 7, 2012) * P ...

in 1954. Under the title "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight", their version reached No. 8 on ''Billboard''s chart of "Best Sellers in Stores",The Billboard Music Popularity Charts – Popular Records
, ''

'', August 14, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved April 28, 2018. No. 7 on ''Billboard''s chart of "Most Played in Juke Boxes", and No. 9 on ''Billboard''s chart of "Most Played by Jockeys". A million copies of the McGuire Sisters' single were sold. The McGuire Sisters' version was ranked No. 21 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1954's Top Popular Records according to Juke Box Plays". It was also ranked No. 33 in ''Cash Box''s ranking of "1954's Top Pop Records as Voted in the ''Cash Box'' Poll".

Johnnie & Jack version

It was also recorded in 1954 by

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

duo Johnnie & Jack, whose version reached No. 3 on ''Billboard''s "Country & Western Records" chart "Most Played by Jockeys",The Billboard Music Popularity – Country & Western Records
, ''

'', September 11, 1954. p. 52. Retrieved April 28, 2018. No. 4 on ''Billboard''s "Country & Western Records" chart "Best Sellers in Stores", No. 4 on ''Billboard''s "Country & Western Records" chart "Most Played in Juke Boxes", No. 4 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "The 10 Top Folk & Western Best Sellers", No. 4 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "The Ten Folk and Western Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", and No. 4 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "Hillbilly, Folk & Western Juke Box Tunes". Johnnie & Jack's version was ranked No. 20 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1954's Top C&W Records according to Retail Sales" and No. 21 on ''Billboard''s ranking of "1954's Top C&W Records according to Juke Box Plays". It was also ranked No. 17 in ''Cash Box''s ranking of "1954's Top Country Records as Voted in the ''Cash Box'' Poll".

Other versions

Sunny Gale Sunny Gale (born Selma Segal, February 20, 1927 – 2022) was an American pop singer who was popular in the 1950s. Gale reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 several times throughout the earlier half of the decade, scoring her biggest hit with " Whe ...

also released a version in 1954, which reached No. 27 on ''Billboard''s chart of "Best Sellers in Stores". The song reached No. 8 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 50, in a tandem ranking of the McGuire Sisters, Sunny Gale, the Spaniels, Johnnie & Jack,

Ella Mae Morse Ella Mae Morse (September 12, 1924 – October 16, 1999) was an American singer of popular music whose 1940s and 1950s recordings mixing jazz, blues, and country styles influenced the development of rock and roll. Her 1942 recording of " Cow-Co ...

, and Gloria Mann & Carter Rays' versions, with the McGuire Sisters and Sunny Gale's versions marked as bestsellers, while reaching No. 5 on ''Cash Box''s Top Ten Juke Box Tunes chart, and No. 7 on ''Cash Box''s chart of "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", in a tandem ranking of the McGuire Sisters and Sunny Gale's versions. The song also reached No. 8 on ''Billboard''s "Honor Roll of Hits", with the McGuire Sisters, the Spaniels, and Sunny Gale's versions listed as best sellers.

Later use

The Spaniels re-recorded the song in 1969 for

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

; however, the title was shown as "Goodnight Sweetheart" and the songwriting misattributed to Ray Noble, Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Rudy Vallee, implying they covered the 1930s standard. The song became well known again in the late 1970s as the closing song performed by

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in 1969. The group performed a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs that both revived and parodied the music and the New York City street culture of the 1 ...

on their weekly variety show, as well as because of its appearance in the 1973 movie ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat ...

''. In 1975, Australian band Ol' 55 released a version as their debut single. The song peaked at number 95 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

. The song was sung by

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer, and television producer whose career spans seven decades. She is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, on th ...

, Jackee Harry and

Alaina Reed Hall Alaina Reed Hall (born Bernice Ruth Reed; November 10, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American actress and singer who portrayed Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the PBS children's television series ''Sesame Street'', and Rose Lee ...

in the season 4 episode of

227 Year 227 (Roman numerals, CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

, titled “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Pageant”. In the late 1980s it was used again as a lullaby in the major hit film ''

Three Men and a Baby ''Three Men and a Baby'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the ...

''. For many years,

Dick Biondi Richard Orlando Biondi (September 13, 1932 – June 26, 2023) was an American Top 40 and oldies disc jockey. Calling himself The Wild I-tralian, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as wild antics on a ...

played the song at the end of every show on

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

's 94.7

WLS-FM WLS-FM (94.7 MHz) is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area, and is the radio home of Dave Fogel. The WLS-FM studios are located a ...

.Thanks Ted!
The Dick Biondi Film, November 14, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2018. The Johnnie & Jack version was used by NTV in Tokyo, Japan from 2000 to 2001 when the broadcasting in a day ended and not having the NNN24.

References

{{authority control 1954 songs 1954 singles 1975 singles Vee-Jay Records singles Coral Records singles RCA Victor singles The McGuire Sisters songs Johnnie & Jack songs Ol' 55 (band) songs Songs written by Calvin Carter