"Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by

Lou Christie Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (February 19, 1943 – June 17, 2025), known professionally by his stage name Lou Christie, was an American pop music, pop and soft rock singer-songwriter known for several hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 US ch ...

and

Twyla Herbert Twyla Herbert (born Twila Moody; July 27, 1921 – July 11, 2009) was an American songwriter known for her long songwriting partnership with the singer Lou Christie. Beginnings Twila Moody was born in Riverside, California, and as a child mov ...

, and recorded by Christie on the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

label. It was a hit in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, making it to No. 1 in Canada in February 1966 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Singles chart, then to No. 1 in the U.S. 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 advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

in February, No. 3 on the New Zealand ''Listener'' chart in May, and No. 11 on the UK ''Record Retailer'' chart. It attained

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

certification on March 3, 1966, garnering gold status for selling over one million copies.

Personnel

The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by

Charles Calello Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track r ...

and was recorded on September 3, 1965. The song featured backing vocals from Bernadette Carroll,

Peggy Santiglia Margaret "Peggy" Santiglia (born May 4, 1944) is an American pop singer of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit " My Boyfriend's Back" with The Angels, which she recorded at the age of 18. Biography Santigli ...

and Denise Ferri of the Delicates. Session personnel included

Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name o ...

and

George Young George Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Young (filmmaker), Australian stage manager and film director in the silent era * George Young (rock musician) (1946–2017), Australian musician, songwriter, and record producer * G ...

on baritone sax; Ray DeSio on trombone;

Stan Free Hot Butter were an American instrumental band fronted by the keyboard player and studio musician Stan Free. The other band members were John Abbott (arranger, guitar), brothers Bill (producer, engineer, percussion) and Steve Jerome (producer, ...

on piano; Lou Mauro on bass; Charlie Macy, Ralph Casale, and

Vinnie Bell Vincent Edward Gambella (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019), known as Vinnie Bell, was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music. Life and career Vinnie Bell was born in Brooklyn">p> Life ...

on guitar; and

Buddy Saltzman Buddy Saltzman (born Hilliard Saltzman; October 17, 1924 – April 30, 2012) was an American session drummer who played on many hit songs during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He is especially remembered for his work with The Four Seasons. On " Da ...

on drums. Ralph Casale's "stuttering" guitar solo was an overdub.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1965 songs 1965 singles 1966 singles Songs written by Twyla Herbert Songs written by Lou Christie Lou Christie songs Jan and Dean songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles MGM Records singles {{1960s-single-stub