Released February 1962 Recorded 1962 Length 2:19 | Format 7" single Genre Pop | |
B-side "Where's It Gonna Get Me" | ||
"Johnny Angel" is a song written and composed by Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. The song was originally recorded by both Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee, however these two versions were not successful. It first became a popular hit single in 1962 when covered by Shelley Fabares who took it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. British singer Patti Lynn had a moderate hit with her cover of "Johnny Angel" the same year on the UK Singles Chart. The American pop music duo The Carpenters also covered "Johnny Angel" in 1973 as part of a medley of oldies on side two of their album Now & Then.
Contents
Background
"Johnny Angel" is the debut pop single by Shelley Fabares. Her cover version of the song was released in 1962 on the Colpix label. The track was the first single taken from Fabares' debut solo album Shelley!, which was produced and arranged by Stu Phillips.
The single premiered on an episode, "Donna's Prima Donna" of Fabares' sitcom, The Donna Reed Show, during the fourth season (episode 20). It also has a sequel song entitled "Johnny Loves Me", which tells the story of how the girl won Johnny's heart.
Darlene Love and her group, the Blossoms, sang backup vocals on the track. Fabares is quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One Singles by Fred Bronson as saying she was intimidated by Love's group and their "beautiful" voices and was terrified at the prospect of becoming a recording artist, as she did not consider herself a singer, but was expected to sing on the show anyway. The song also featured an echo chamber, where the intro of the repeated title words: "Johnny Angel, Johnny Angel" was used by Fabares and the backup singers.
The song is an expression of a teenage girl's romantic longing for a boy who doesn't know she exists, to the point where she declines other boys' propositions for dates because she would rather concentrate on the boy she loves.
Although Fabares' career as an actress stayed strong for three decades, her career as a singer came to an end within a few years of "Johnny Angel" when she was unable to come up with another Top 20 hit. However, the song has become an oldies radio airplay favorite.
Reception
"Johnny Angel" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 7, 1962, during a 15-week run on the chart. It was a number one hit on the Top 100 Best Sellers chart in April 1962 as published by Cashbox. It charted at number one in both Canada and in New Zealand. "Johnny Angel" also peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles chart. It sold over one-million copies and was awarded a gold disc. 2 Weeks later the next #1 was her Girl Happy Co-Star Elvis and his song Good Luck Charm.
Track listings
- "Johnny Angel" - 2:19
- "Where's It Gonna Get Me" - 2:08
In the media
Background
British pop singer Patti Lynn released a cover version of "Johnny Angel" for the Fontana Records label in March 1962. It was produced by Harry Robinson. Her version of the song charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 37 in May 1962.
Track listings
- "Johnny Angel" - 2:16
- "Tonight You Belong To Me" - 2:12
Background
The pop music duo the Carpenters recorded a cover version of "Johnny Angel" and included it on their fifth studio album Now & Then in May 1973. The song was produced by Richard Carpenter and his sister Karen and was issued on the A&M record label. The song was included on Side "B" of the album as part of an oldies medley.