"Oh! Carol" is an international hit written by American singer, songwriter and pianist Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in early 1959, and recorded by Sedaka. The song is noted for Sedaka's spoken recitation of the verse, the second time around. It was written explicitly as a sound-alike to other popular hit records of the era, after his previous single had sold so poorly that his record label threatened to drop him if his next record was not a hit. It spent 18 weeks on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart, reaching #9 on December 6, 1959, while reaching #3 on the UK's ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'' chart. It also earned Sedaka his first #1 ranking when it went to #1 in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

. After its release as a single, it was included in the 1961 album '' Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits''. On October 7, 1972, it entered the UK chart again at #49 and charted for 14 weeks, peaking at #19 on December 2, 1972. "Carol" was a reference to Carol Klein, Sedaka's ex-girlfriend from high school and a fellow songwriter at the Brill Building. She had since married Gerry Goffin, who took the tune, and wrote the playful response "Oh! Neil", which she recorded and released as an unsuccessful single the same year (1959) under the stage name

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

. The B-side song, " One Way Ticket", also earned Sedaka a No. 1 ranking in Japan for several months in 1960.

Charts

Sales

Other notable versions

* General Saint featuring Don Campbell had a minor UK hit in 1994 with their version of "Oh! Carol", peaking at No. 54. In Iceland, it became a top-40 hit, peaking at No. 36.

References

{{Authority control 1958 songs 1959 singles 1994 singles Hep Stars songs Neil Sedaka songs RCA Victor singles Songs written by Neil Sedaka Songs with lyrics by Howard Greenfield Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles