Montego Bay (song)

"Montego Bay" is a song co-written and performed by Bobby Bloom about the city in Jamaica of the same name. The song was a Top 10 hit for Bloom in the Fall of 1970 on both sides of the Atlantic. It reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] #5 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart,[2] #7 on the Australian Go-Set Singles Chart and #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was co-written and produced by Jeff Barry. In the master tape of the song, Bloom breaks into a chorus of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" at the end of the recording, but the single version fades out before that. Apparently, that was done to avoid paying royalties for use of the Rodgers & Hammerstein song, though the full version does appear on the Bobby Bloom Album and has since received frequent airplay. The song features a whistler, as well as Jamaican instruments to illustrate the section called "Montego Bay," in a Calypso genre.

"Montego Bay"
Single by Bobby Bloom
from the album The Bobby Bloom Album
B-side	"Try a Little Harder"
Released	September 1970 (U.S.)
Genre	Pop, Soul, Calypso
Label	L&R Records
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Barry, Bobby Bloom, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Producer(s)	Jeff Barry
Bobby Bloom singles chronology
"Sign of the V" (1969) "Montego Bay" (1970) "Make Me Happy" (1970)

Bloom's recording of the song appeared in the 1997 film The Ice Storm.

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1970) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 9 Australia (Go-Set) 7 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[4] 15 Canada RPM Top Singles[5] 5 Ireland (IRMA)[6] 14 New Zealand (Listener)[7] 12 South Africa (Springbok)[8] 5 UK [9] 3 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 8 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 18 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[11] 6 Freddie Notes & the Rudies cover Chart (1970) Peak position UK [12] 45 Sugar Cane cover Chart (1978) Peak position UK [13] 54 Jon Stevens cover Chart (1980) Peak position New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] 1 Quarrington/Worthy cover Chart (1980) Peak position Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[15] 15 Allniters cover Chart (1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 19 Amazulu cover Chart (1986) Peak position Canada 6 Ireland (IRMA)[6] 14 South Africa (Springbok)[17] 16 UK [18] 16 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19] 90

Year-end charts Chart (1970) Rank Australia [20] 84 Canada [21] 77 UK [22] 41 U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[23] 78

Jon Stevens version

"Montego Bay"
Single by Jon Stevens
from the album Jezebel
B-side	"Sha La La"
Released	January 1980
Genre	Pop rock
Label	CBS Records
Songwriter(s)	B. Bloom, J. Barry
Producer(s)	Jay Lewis
Jon Stevens singles chronology
"Jezebel" (1979) "Montego Bay" (1980) "Don't Let Love Go" (1980)

In January 1980, New Zealand recording artist Jon Stevens released a version as a single. It peaked at number 1 in New Zealand, knocking himself from the top of the charts.[24] "Montego Bay" remained number 1 for seven weeks in 1980. [25]

Track listing

Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM

1. "Montego Bay"
2. "Sha La La"

Charts

Chart (1980)	Peak position
New Zealand Singles Chart[26]	1

Other recordings

• (1970) Freddie Notes & The Rudies - (Trojan Records)
• (1971) The Bar-Kays on their album Black Rock
• (1971) James Last on his album Happyning
• (1974) Foster, Pat, & Angie Sylvers on their album Foster Sylvers Featuring Pat & Angie Sylvers
• (1978) Sugar Cane - a minor UK disco hit for the U.S. male/female vocal group - highest position in UK Singles Chart - #54
• (1983) Allniters - a Top 20 hit for an Australian ska band.
• (1986) Amazulu - a minor hit in the U.S. in September 1986, it reached #16 in the UK and #6 in Canada.
• (2005) Les Fradkin - on his CD Under The Covers.

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
2. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
4. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Montego Bay". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
7. Flavour of New Zealand, 14 December 1970
8. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 16 October 1970. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
9. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 5, 1970
12. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-10-10. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
13. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1978-09-03. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
14. "Jon Stevens singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
17. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 1986. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
18. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1986-09-13. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
19. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
20. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
21. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
22. "All the Number One Singles: 1970". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
23. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
24. "Jon Stevens". Sergent.com.au. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
25. "'Montego Bay' hits number one". Nzhistory.net.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
26. "Jon Stevens singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2016.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• NZ On Screen - Montego Bay music video