Reet Petite
| "Reet Petite" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original U.S. issue of "Reet Petite" | ||||
| Single by Jackie Wilson | ||||
| from the album 'He's So Fine' | ||||
| Released | August 1957 | |||
| Format | Vinyl record 45rpm (7"), 78rpm (10") | |||
| Length | 2:40 | |||
| Label |
Brunswick US (1957) 9-55024 Coral UK (1957) Q 72290 SMP UK (1985) SKM 3 BR Music Belgium (1985) 1245095 Columbia US (1987) 07329 Carrere France (1987) 72012 | |||
| Writer(s) | Berry Gordy, Roquel Billy Davis, Gwen Gordy Fuqua | |||
| Producer(s) | Dick Jacobs | |||
| Jackie Wilson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)" (originally subtitled "The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet") is a song made popular by Jackie Wilson. It was his first solo hit after leaving the Dominoes and, over the years, has become one of his biggest international chart successes.
History
The song was written by Berry Gordy, Gwen Gordy Fuqua and Wilson's cousin Roquel "Billy" Davis[1] (though credited under his pseudonym Tyran Carlo on the record) and produced by Dick Jacobs, and its title was taken from the Louis Jordan song "Reet, Petite and Gone". It was Jackie Wilson's first recording as a solo artist. The song peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1957 and reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart. With the success of the song, Gordy was able to fund the launch of Motown Records.[2]
The song was reissued in 1986 following the showing of a clay animation video on the BBC Two documentary series Arena.[3] The video was directed by Giblets, a London-based animation studio.
The reissued version proved so popular that in December 1986, almost three years after Wilson's death, the song became a No. 1 in the UK for four weeks (selling over 700,000 copies), some 29 years after its chart debut.[4] This was the record for the longest time between a song's debut on the chart and it reaching number one, until it was overtaken by Tony Christie's "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" in 2005.
The clay animation video used was only ever meant for a showreel, thus one verse was cut out of the song on the music video.
Track lists
| Side | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Original release | ||
| A | "Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet)" | 2:40 |
| B | "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" | 2:17 |
| 1986 re-release | ||
| A | "Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)" | 2:40 |
| B1 | "You Brought about a Change in Me" | 2:46 |
| B2 | "I'm the One to Do It" | 2:34 |
Charts
| Chart | Date | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | September 1957 | #62 |
| United Kingdom | November 1957 | #6 |
| United Kingdom | November 1986 | #1 (4 weeks)[4] |
| Ireland | December 21, 1986 | #1 [5] |
| The Netherlands | February 14, 1987 | #1 (2 weeks)[6] |
| Switzerland | March 8, 1987 | #3 [7] |
| Austria | March 15, 1987 | #3 [8] |
| France | April 11, 1987 | #24 [9] |
| Germany | March 1987 | #4 [10] |
| Norway | February 1987 | #5 [11] |
| New Zealand | May 31, 1987 | #4 [12] |
Cover versions
- The song was covered in 1963 by Dee Dee Sharp.
- The song was covered in September 1964 by Dinah Lee and reached the #1 position in New Zealand[13] and a #6 position in Melbourne (Australia did not have a national chart yet).[14]
- The song was covered in 1972 by Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets
- The song was covered in 1979 by Darts
- The song was covered in 2006 by Colin James, on the album Colin James & The Little Big Band 3
- The song is covered in Neil Innes and Fatso's 2008 UK tour: it is sung by guitarist, Billy Bremner
- This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the Van Morrison song "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" from his 1972 album, Saint Dominic's Preview
- This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the David Bowie song "Red Money"
- This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the Marah song "Christian Street"
- This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the Warrant song "In The Sticks"
- This song was covered by Cee-Lo Green in 2011 for Jools Holland's Hootenanny
- This song was covered by Marcus Collins in 2011 in the Eight Series of The X Factor UK
- This song was covered by The Overtones in 2012, on their album Higher
See also
References
- ↑ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 nr.1 hits uit de Top 40, page 235, 9023009444 (Book in Dutch)
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 25 - The Soul Reformation: Phase two, the Motown story. [Part 4]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- ↑ "NUMBER ONE'S OF THE EIGHTIES: 1986 Jackie Wilson: Reet Petite". Eightiesnumberones.blogspot.com. 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 470. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Jaclyn Ward. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 7, 1987". Radio538.nl. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ "INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ "Long Way To The Top". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ↑ "Reet Petite - DINAH LEE (1964) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s". Pop Archives. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
External links
| Preceded by "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin Stevens |
UK Christmas Number One single
Reet Petite 1986 |
Succeeded by "Always on My Mind" by Pet Shop Boys |
| Preceded by "Caravan of Love" by The Housemartins |
UK number one single December 21, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Jack Your Body" by Steve 'Silk' Hurley |
