The 20th of February 1975
Official UK Singles Chart results from Sunday the 16th to Saturday the 22nd of February 1975
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 15th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 16th,
published on Tuesday the 18th,
and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday the 23rd of February 1975.
Johnny Mathis
I’m Stone In Love With You
At No.17, on “The Top 50 UK Singles Chart”, the week of my 3rd Birthday, is Johnny Mathis with I’m Stone In Love With You.
After my previous post…
…(see below) here is another artist who is making a welcome return to the UK charts. However, this guy has had to wait over ten years since making his last appearance; and fourteen years since as substantial a hit as this current one.
The music of Johnny Mathis has been known to me from a very young age, and there were various records in both my Aunties’ collections on my mother’s side. According to Mum, Johnny was Auntie Maureen’s (Mum’s younger sister) favourite artist; and I distinctly recall my Auntie Vi (Mum’s older sister) having “Maria” on a 45rpm single, which I used to play a lot due to trying to compete singing that final refrain for as long as he could hold it on the record. I used to get close, but he basically won it every single time. To this day though, if I ever hear that song from West Side Story, my mind takes me to Johnny’s version of it, which to me, is the best.
My mother herself had two albums of his when I was a young age. They were re-issued LPs on the Embassy label; Warm, and Heavenly. Both weren’t played that often due to either Perry Como or Michael Holliday taking precedence on the turntable. However, she did also have this new single, and I remember loving to play it when I had the opportunity. I also loved the lyric, and there were times I would have gladly dreamed of, not so much being a great big movie star or a scary Wall Street businessman sitting behind a desk, but the idea of living on the moon appealed to me.
The track…
…is of course already familiar to many from a few years before, originally released by the Stylistics, who had a UK Top 10 hit with it in November 1972.
Back then, it was bringing with it that new smooth Philly sound which is now proving so popular during the middle of the seventies.
This new version by Johnny…
…had in fact been recorded within a year of that original version. However, it’s taken over a year to finally get its own release; and where that initial Stylistics interpretation was smooth, this new version, with that Mathis magic, gets to make it even smoother.
It also gets the official seal of approval from one of the originators who created it, as legendary co-writer Thom Bell also arranges, conducts and produces this single as well.
With all the signs to show this will be a surefire hit, it’s great to see Johnny moving with the times and finally bringing that vast vocal talent, which doesn’t seem to have aged a day, to a new generation; and that includes a 3-year-old me.
My Aunties may be familiar with his classic sweeping strings style, but for me, this is how I first know him; and this deservedly went a long way to justify to many new listeners like myself, just what a stunning talent Johnny really was, and undoubtedly still is.
The single…
…had finally entered the UK chart at No.48 on the 19th of January and then began its journey up the numbers, breaking into the Top 40, then the Top 30, until this week, when it breaks into the Top 20.
From here…
…the single actually falters, and slips a couple of places, but then recovers at the beginning of March and scales up to No.11; and then a week later, reaches the Top 10.
The middle of that month sees it begin its descent back down as the weeks go by, eventually falling away after the 12th of April, with spring in the air and Johnny having completed a solid 12-week run, with a new contemporary spring in his step once again.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
“I’m Stone In Love With You” Soul Train appearance
“I’m Stone In Love With You” TV appearance
“I’m Stone In Love With You” Promotional Video
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