Last Kiss
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- For the Tanpopo song, see Last Kiss (Tanpopo song). For the 2006 movie, see The Last Kiss.
"Last Kiss" is a song that was written by Wayne Cochran in 1962 and originally performed by Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders, although their version of the song had little success.[1] The song was later covered by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, Pearl Jam, and several international artists, all of whom had success with the song.
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[edit] Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders' version
| “Last Kiss” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders | ||
| Released | 1963 | |
| Format | Vinyl | |
| Recorded | 1963 in Vidalia, Georgia (Original version) 1963 in Macon, Georgia (Re-recorded version) |
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| Genre | Rhythm and blues, rock and roll, teenage tragedy | |
| Label | Gala Records (Original version) King Records (Re-recorded version) |
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| Writer(s) | Wayne Cochran | |
Wayne Cochran was initially inspired to write the song after having lived near a dangerous highway where several accidents had occurred yearly.[1] Cochran began writing the song in 1956. He came up with the song's chord progression, first verse, and chorus, however five years would pass before Cochran finished the song.[1]
[edit] Lyrical inspiration
Cochran based the rest of the song on an incident in which several teens were killed and two seriously injured when their car struck a flatbed logging truck.[2] Sixteen-year-old Jeanette Clark was out on a date in Barnesville, Georgia on December 22, 1962, the Saturday before Christmas. She was with a group of friends in a '54 Chevrolet. J. L. Hancock, also sixteen, was driving the car in heavy traffic and while traveling on Highway 341, collided with a trailer truck. Clark, the driver and another teenager were killed, and two other teens in the car were seriously injured.[3] Cochran finished the song, which he titled "Last Kiss", and dedicated it to Miss Clark.
[edit] J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers' version
| “Last Kiss” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers | ||
| B-side | "That's How Much I Love You" | |
| Released | June 1964 (U.S.) | |
| Format | Vinyl | |
| Recorded | 1964 in San Angelo, Texas | |
| Genre | Pop, rock and roll, teenage tragedy | |
| Label | Josie Records | |
| Writer(s) | Wayne Cochran | |
| Producer | Sonley Roush | |
The song caught the attention of record promoter Sonley Roush. Roush brought the song to a group that he managed, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, with the idea of having them cover the song. In 1964, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers had the first real commercial success with the song. The cover was released in June 1964 and reached the Top 10 in October. It eventually reached number 2 on the Top 40 pop charts,[3] and also earned the band a Gold record.
[edit] International cover versions
- In the 1960s, the Mexican rock singer Leopoldo Montañez (Polo) performed this song in Spanish, reaching number 1 on Mexican radio.
- In the 1960s, the Peruvian rock band Los Doltons performed this song in Spanish, reaching number 1 on Peruvian radio.
- Colombian singer Alci Acosta made a version that became a hit in his country in the mid-1960s.
- In the early 1970s, Latin American bands IMPALA and 007 covered and performed this song in Spanish.
- The song was remade by the Canadian band Wednesday in late 1973, reaching number 2 in Canada and number 34 on the U.S. charts.[4]
- In 1989, rock singer Gloria Trevi included an extended Spanish version on her first album and it became popular on Mexican pop radio.
[edit] Pearl Jam's version
| “Last Kiss” | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Pearl Jam from the album No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees |
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| B-side | "Soldier of Love" | |||||||||||||
| Released | June 8, 1999 | |||||||||||||
| Format | CD single, Cassette, Vinyl | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | September 19, 1998 at Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. | |||||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, teenage tragedy | |||||||||||||
| Length | 3:16 | |||||||||||||
| Label | Epic Records | |||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Wayne Cochran | |||||||||||||
| Producer | Pearl Jam | |||||||||||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||||||||||||
| Pearl Jam singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"Last Kiss" was also covered by Pearl Jam, becoming the band's biggest hit to date.[5]
[edit] Origin and recording
The idea to cover the song came about after lead singer Eddie Vedder found an old record of the song at the Fremont Antique Mall in Seattle.[6] He convinced the rest of the band to try out the song and it was performed a few times on the band's 1998 tour. The band eventually recorded the song at a soundcheck at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and released it as a 1998 fan club Christmas single.[7][8] The band spent only a couple thousand dollars mixing the song.[9]
[edit] Release and reception
In the following year the cover began to be played by radio stations and was ultimately put into heavy rotation across the country. By popular demand the cover was released to the general public as a single on June 8, 1999, with all of the proceeds going to the aid of refugees of the Kosovo War. The cover was also featured on the compilation No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees.[10] The song helped earn around 10 million dollars for Kosovo relief.[9]
The cover would end up reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This remains Pearl Jam's highest position on the Billboard Hot 100. Regarding the cover, guitarist Stone Gossard said, "You can try album after album to write a hit and spend months getting drum sounds and rewriting lyrics, or you can go to a used record store and pick out a single and fall in love with it."[11] Pearl Jam included "Last Kiss" on the B-sides and rarities album Lost Dogs and on the compilation rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991–2003.
[edit] Live performances
Pearl Jam premiered its cover of the song live at the band's May 7, 1998 concert in Seattle, Washington.[12] Live performances by Pearl Jam of "Last Kiss" can be found on the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set.
[edit] Formats and track listing
Information taken from various sources.[13][14][15][16][17]
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[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | |
| US Top 40 Mainstream | 4 | |
| US Adult Top 40 | 5 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 | |
| US Top 40 Tracks | 6 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 7 | |
| US Top 40 Adult Recurrents | 15 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 19 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 42 | |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 77 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian. "Best Of '99: Author Of Pearl Jam's Biggest Hit Has God To Thank". VH1.com. July 12, 1999.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "J. Frank Wilson: Bio". All Music Guide.
- ^ a b "Last Kiss by J. Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers". songfacts.com.
- ^ www.wednesdayrocks.com
- ^ Farley, Christopher John. "Last Kiss". Time. July 19, 1999.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs". Billboard.com. 2003.
- ^ Rosen, Craig. "Pearl Jam's 'Last Kiss' Becomes Band's First No. 1 Single". Yahoo! Music. July 1, 1999.
- ^ Stout, Gene. "Pearl Jam's Ament has smaller fish to fry at festival". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. July 30, 1999.
- ^ a b (2003) Album notes for Lost Dogs by Pearl Jam, [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music.
- ^ "The Sky I Scrape: Pearl Jam FAQ". theskyiscrape.com.
- ^ Anderman, Joan. "Wisdom of Pearl". The Boston Globe. May 24, 2006.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Last Kiss"". pearljam.com.
- ^ Last Kiss [US CD Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Last Kiss [Australia CD Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Last Kiss [UK CD Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Last Kiss Single. Lukin.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ pjcollectors.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ PEARL JAM - LAST KISS (SINGLE) (12663). Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Pearl Jam Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ PEARL JAM - LAST KISS (SONG). New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Billboard.com / Pearl Jam / Longplay. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Chart Log: 1994-2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
| Preceded by "If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez |
Canadian number-one single (first run) (Pearl Jam's cover version) July 3, 1999 - August 6, 1999 |
Succeeded by "The Day the World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails |
| Preceded by "If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez |
ARIA Charts (Australia) number-one single (Pearl Jam's cover version) August 1, 1999 - September 18, 1999 |
Succeeded by "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega |
| Preceded by "The Day the World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails |
Canadian number-one single (second run) (Pearl Jam's cover version) August 21, 1999 - September 3, 1999 |
Succeeded by "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera |
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