B-side "Everyday" Recorded August 12, 1960 Length 2:17 | Released Late 1960 Genre Pop | |
Label Liberty Records F-55287 | ||
"Rubber Ball" was an early 1961 hit for Bobby Vee on Liberty Records. It was the record which made Vee an international star. The song was recorded on August 12, 1960, in a four-song, three-hour session at United in Hollywood. It was produced by a 19-year-old Texan, Thomas "Snuff" Garrett, arranged by Ernie Freeman, and was co-written at the Brill Building in New York by Gene Pitney, using his mother's maiden name (Orlowski), and by Aaron Schroeder. Veteran session drummer Earl Palmer played drums at the session.
The song was Vee's fifth single release in the US, where it made #6 on the Billboard charts; it was a breakthrough hit for him in the UK, where it reached #4. In Australia, it was Vee's only #1 record, where it stayed for three weeks in early 1961. The record also marked Vee's first use of overdubbing his second vocal.
The song was covered as a single by British singer Marty Wilde, who also had chart success when it went to #9 in 1961.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys revived the song in 1966 on their album Hits Again!.