May 14, 2020 —– Chart #32
Hello Musical Friends,
Welcome to Thursday. Today we are going back to 1970 and a hit song from a very well known movie. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” is a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It won an Oscar for Best Original Song. David and Bacharach also won Best Original Score. The song was recorded by B. J. Thomas in seven takes, after Bacharach expressed dissatisfaction with the first six. In the film version of the song, Thomas had been recovering from laryngitis, which made his voice sound more abrasive than in the 7-inch release. The film version featured a separate vaudeville-style instrumental break in double time while Paul Newman performed bicycle stunts.
The single by B. J. Thomas reached No. 1 on charts in the United States, Canada, Norway and reached No. 38 in the UK Singles Chart. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in January 1970 and was also the first American No. 1 hit of the 1970s. The song also spent seven weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song of 1970. According to Billboard magazine, Thomas’ single had sold over 2 million copies by March 14, 1970, with eight-track and cassette versions also climbing the charts.
Ray Stevens was first offered the opportunity to record it for the film, but turned it down. He chose instead to record the song “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, written by Kris Kristofferson. Bob Dylan is supposed to have been approached for the song, but he, too, reportedly declined. The trumpet solos in the song are performed by Chuck Findley. On December 3, 2013, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that the single would be inducted into the 2014 Grammy Hall Of Fame.
Billy Joe Thomas (born August 7, 1942) is an American singer. He is particularly known for his hit songs of the 1960s and 1970s, which appeared on the pop, country, and Christian music charts. His best-known recordings are the original version of the Mark James song “Hooked on a Feeling” (1968), and Burt Bacharach and Hal David song, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (1969). Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg.
Enjoy this video. There are better ones out there but this is from a British TV show and is priceless. The announcer cites the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundown” (ha ha) and check out those groovy dancers in the background. What a hoot! Oh, and is it just me or does he nearly fall over when he gets up off his chair?
Keep Rockin’,
Stan