Rock Me Gently (Andy Kim song)
| "Rock Me Gently" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Andy Kim | ||||
| from the album Andy Kim | ||||
| B-side | "Rock Me Gently" (instrumental) | |||
| Released | June 22, 1974 | |||
| Format | Single 45 RPM | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Capitol Records 3895 | |||
| Writer(s) | Andy Kim | |||
| Producer(s) | Andy Kim | |||
| Andy Kim singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rock Me Gently was a Billboard #1 hit song for Andy Kim in 1974.
The Canadian singer, who had achieved several hits from 1968 to 1971, had not had a Top 100 single since September 1971, and had been without a record label since early 1973. Nevertheless, he said in a 1974 interview, "I never mentally admitted defeat in spite of three years off the charts." He formed his own label, Ice Records, and personally financed the recording session that produced "Rock Me Gently". He could afford to record only two sides, and deciding the second side was good enough to be an A-Side, he put an instrumental of Rock Me Gently on its B-Side.[1]
The single impressed Capitol Records executives, who signed Kim to a deal. "Rock Me Gently" debuted on the Hot 100 on June 22, 1974, and took 14 weeks to reach #1 on September 28. It also rose to #2 on the UK Singles Chart, and #10 in Ireland, and remains his only charting song in either the UK or Ireland. Even the instrumental B-Side received substantial airplay on R&B stations. It would be Kim's last top 10 hit in either country.[1]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Later uses
Part of the song was used in a 1970s UK TV commercial for Lever Brothers' Jif cleaning cream, using the lyric "When Jif’s your cleaner - Tough dirt goes - Away so gently - And it shows - Your home has never been loved like this before".[10]
The song resurfaced in 2008 in a television commercial for Jeep Liberty.[11] It was also played at the end (and titles) of season 4 finale of Ray Donovan.
Michelle Wright version
| "Rock Me Gently" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Michelle Wright | ||||
| from the album Do Right by Me | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:31 | |||
| Label | Savannah | |||
| Producer(s) |
Steve Bogard Rick Giles | |||
| Michelle Wright singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1989, Canadian country singer Michelle Wright released a version as a single on her debut album, Do Right By Me. It reached #7 on the Canadian RPM country singles chart.
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[12] | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[13] | 57 |
References
- 1 2 Bronson, Fred (1988). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard.
- ↑ David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992"
- ↑ "Top 100 1974". top-source.info. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending September 28, 1974 at the Wayback Machine (archive index). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ↑ Bac-lac.gc.ca
- ↑ http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1974.shtml
- ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
- ↑ http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/1974YESP.html
- ↑ Video on YouTube accessed 9/9/2011
- ↑ Lippert, Barbara (2007-10-22). "Critique: Jeep Rocks The '70s". Adweek.
- ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 6559." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 23, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1989". RPM. December 23, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
| Preceded by "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single September 28, 1974 (one week) |
Succeeded by "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John |