"Souvenirs" is a song written by

Cy Coben Seymour "Cy" Coben (4 April 1919 – 26 May 2006) was an American songwriter whose hits were recorded by bandleaders, country singers, and other artists such as The Beatles, Tommy Cooper and Leonard Nimoy. Biography Early life Coben was born i ...

and originally recorded and released by American singer Barbara Evans backed by Canadian composer

Mort Garson Morton Sanford Garson (20 July 1924 – 4 January 2008) was a Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pioneer of electronic music. He is best known for his albums in the 1960s and 1970s, such as '' Mother Earth's Plantasia'' (1976). He also ...

and his Orchestra, the song was released in April 1959. The song failed to chart, peaking at 111 in the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

in June 1959. Two successful non-English covers would follow, such as in German by expatriate American singer Bill Ramsey in June of that same year (peaking at Number 1 in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

in September 1959), and the most successful in French by French singer

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

, released in June 1960.

Track listing

7-inch single RCA Victor 47-7519 (US) :A. "Souvenirs" (2:00) :B. "Pray for Me Mother" (2:10)

Bill Ramsey version (in German)

In the same year, the song was adapted into German by German poet Jonny Bartels. Sung by expatriate American Jazz singer Bill Ramsey as the b-side to "''Mach Keinen Heck-Meck''" ("''Don't make a fuss''") , it reached number one in

in September 1959. The song was also released as a single in the US by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in February 1960 but failed to chart.

Johnny Hallyday version (in French)

Later the song was adapted into French by . French singer

released it (under the title "Souvenirs, souvenirs") as an EP in June 1960 and would be featured on his debut album "''Hello Johnny''" later that year.

Track listing

7-inch EP Disques Vogue EPL 7755 (1960, France) :A1. "Souvenirs, souvenirs" :A2. "Pourquoi cet amour" :B1. "Je cherche une fille" :B2. "J'suis mordu" :: "J'suis mordu" is a French adaptation of "

I Got Stung "I Got Stung" is a 1958 song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single written by Aaron Schroeder and David Hill and published by Elvis Presley's company Gladys Music, Inc. It was a number one hit in the UK in 1959 and again in 2005 as a ...

Charts

References

External links

Johnny Hallyday – "Souvenirs, souvenirs" (EP)
at

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{{Authority control 1959 songs 1959 singles 1960 singles Bill Ramsey (singer) songs Johnny Hallyday songs Disques Vogue singles Songs written by Cy Coben