Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" (1966)
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Small Faces Single Hey Girl 1966
"Hey Girl" was the fourth song single release by Small Faces.
Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" 1966 -Italy cover
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Small Faces single - "Hey Girl"
B-Side: "Almost Grown" Decca Records released: May 6, 1966 charted: May 18, 1966 weeks on UK singles chart: 9 Peaked at: #10 |
Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" 1966 -UK cover
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Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" 1966 -Denmark cover
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Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" 1966 -Belgium cover
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Small Faces Single - "Hey Girl" 1966 -Netherlands cover
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Small Faces - "Hey Girl" video and lyrics
written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane
written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane
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WATCH:
Small Faces single "Hey Girl" - short promo film 1966 |
Girl, hold my hand
Girl, I know you'll understand That I've been waiting for a long, long time Think every thing's gonna turn out fine Hey, hey, it's alright Hey, hey, it's alright Hey, hey, my, my, my Hey, hey, yeah, yeah Girl, treat me kind And girl, I think you'll find That no one can love you better than me Close your eyes and I think you'll see Hey, hey, it's alright Hey, hey, my, my, my Hey, hey, come on children Hey, hey, my, oh, my |
"Hey Girl" was released on May 6, 1966 with the B-side "Almost Grown".
The song, written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, was a compromise between the band and their manager Don Arden, as Arden wanted a very commercial sounding song.
Less than a week later the group's debut album Small Faces (1966) on Decca hit the UK charts, reaching number 3.
Three of the tracks had been released prior to the album, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and "Sha-La-La-La-Lee", along with the track "It's Too Late" which was issued as the B-side of "I've Got Mine", the group's second single, released in 1965.
The band's fourth single "Hey Girl" was released just days before the album release. Ultimately it was not included and can instead be found on their 1967 compilation album From the Beginning.
The single made its chart start at No.23. Within two weeks, it was starting a two-week stay at No.10, while Small Faces enjoyed no fewer than five consecutive weeks at No.3. The LP spent 12 weeks in a row in the Top 10, through to August. By then, the quartet were about to enjoy their ultimate singles success, as “All Or Nothing,” another Marriott/Lane original, went to No.1.
"Hey Girl" was the band's firt self-written hit.
After the success of "Hey Girl" an employee of Robert Stigwood's management company contacted the band to see where they stood. When Don Arden found out, he, along with four "heavies," visited Stigwood's London offices and Arden hung Stigwood by his legs from a balcony window and threatened violence if he interfered with his bands ever again. The story would become common knowledge around the music industry, cementing Arden's tough man reputation.
Small Faces - Shopping on Carnaby Street 1966 BW -photo credit: Pictorial Press LtdAlamy
September 28, 1966 - Small Faces at Offenbach Stadhalle, Germany
German TV "Beat Beat Beat" performing "Hey Girl", "All Or Nothing", "What'cha Gonna Do" & "Sha La La Lee"
German TV "Beat Beat Beat" performing "Hey Girl", "All Or Nothing", "What'cha Gonna Do" & "Sha La La Lee"
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Keyboardist Ian McLagan recalled to Uncut magazine: "Just a little pop song. Steve and Ronnie were being shrewd. After that, they were the writers. I was musically frustrated in the studio at this point, but live we were raw and raucous."
"In those early days, the bridge of 'Hey Girl,' which goes to a minor key became a pattern. Steve would ask me to play a solo on piano and organ for a new song and I'll be thinking, 'hang on haven't played this bridge before?' They were writing very fast."
“Don was confident enough to let Steve and Ronnie write again,” remembered drummer Kenney Jones in a 1992 interview with Record Collector. “They were getting into the very commercial phase that followed on from ‘Sha La La La Lee,’ which got a bit frustrating because we suddenly had all these hits overnight that we had to play live. As our set was only about 20 minutes long, these numbers started to use up all our time.”
Nevertheless, another new hit was a big boost to the profile of their self-titled debut album, released almost simultaneously by Decca — even if the song wasn’t on it. “Hey Girl” hit the streets on May 6, just after their appearance at the NME Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool (later Wembley Arena) in London.
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Small Faces - Record Mirror Magazine Cover March 26, 1966
Small Faces - Fabulous 208 Magazine cover May 21, 1966
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"Hey Girl" - Allmusic Song Review
https://www.allmusic.com/song/hey-girl-mt0044708922
https://www.allmusic.com/song/hey-girl-mt0044708922
Though "Hey Girl" made #10 in Britain in 1966, it's not often cited as one of the Small Faces' best early singles, overlooked in favor of titles like "What'cha Gonna Do About It," "Sha La La La Lee," "All or Nothing," and "My Mind's Eye." But really, "Hey Girl" is a pretty good raver, perhaps drawing the very first and most innocent phase of the Small Faces to a close, as they would lay on heavier soul and psychedelic influences from that point onward.
It was also important to the band as this, their fourth single, marked the first hit they'd written themselves (they'd written their second single, "I've Got Mine," but that hadn't charted).
Like "What'cha Gonna Do About It," "Hey Girl" opens with a nice drum run from Kenney Jones, this one with something of a rat-a-tat rhythm.
The lyrics of "Hey Girl" are pretty basic and innocuous, but the tune is a nice peppy catchy soul-rock blend, with a stiff bouncy rhythm that has just a trace of ska, perhaps. The rhythm gets more mod rocky, and more Who-ish in particular, in the circular burst of guitar power chords and splashing drums in the brief instrumental bit that surfaces at the very beginning and the middle.
Like several other notable early Small Faces songs, the chorus is built around a cool call-and-response pattern between Steve Marriott and the rest of the band, Marriott soul-shouting as the band chants "Hey! Hey!" like football fans.
If you're looking for a strange cover of "Hey Girl," to Anglo ears at least, go no further than the one, in French, by French rock star Ronnie Bird on his En Public album, recorded shortly after the original version hit the market https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sUEQoN18aU
"Hey Girl" Chords - https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/small-faces/hey-girl-chords-84965
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Small Faces Single "Hey Girl" 1966
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Small Faces Single "Hey Girl" 1966
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Small Faces
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Ronnie Lane Complete Album Discography
https://www.ronnielane.com/ronnie-lane-complete-album-discography.html
https://www.ronnielane.com/ronnie-lane-complete-album-discography.html