The 20th of February 1974
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 17th to Saturday the 23rd of February 1974
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 16th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 17th,
published on Tuesday the 19th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 24th of February 1974.
Andy Williams
Solitaire
At No.7, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart”, the week of my 2nd Birthday, is Andy Williams with Solitaire.
Another multi-covered composition;..
…another classic song; Another iconic singer.
For this rendition, Andy Williams gave it its biggest presence, out of all the other versions, in the UK Singles Charts. Originally co-written and composed by the superb talent of Neil Sedaka, with strong lyrical assistance from Phil Cody; a man who was writing his own divorce out of his system at that time, literally playing the card game which gave the song its name, as an escape mechanism to block out the emotional struggles he faced at the time.
For the music side of things, Neil took inspiration from contemporary singer / songwriter and fellow pianist Roberta Flack for the verses, and from his favourite classical composer, Poland’s Frédéric François Chopin for the chorus.
Neil’s original version had been recorded at 10cc‘s Strawberry Studios, with the band themselves providing the backing.
As for the singer…
…of this version of the song, Andy himself was also dealing with his own separation from his wife. The couple had married in 1961, separated in 1970, and at this point were still being dragged through the divorce courts. For the song to fit his own personal narrative, he modified some of the lyrics, mainly the latter half of the chorus, to make it his own.
This was also a new musical direction for the classic crooner, who was now looking for more contemporary material to stay relevant.
Collectively, the journey of this song would be a spiritual experience for all men involved. For Phil, it would go some way to help heal the hurt; for Neil, it would be a defining moment that would go some way in restoring his own self belief as a singer/songwriter; and for Andy, he was stepping into unknown unfamiliar musical territory, which is a scary place for anyone, when you don’t know where it’s going to lead you.
The single…
…crept in to sit at No.49 last year on the 2nd of December 1973, and then initially moved a little further, up to No.46, where it sat at that same position, all the way until Christmas.
The song would then show a more dramatic rise as this new year of 1974 dawned; gradually at first, breaking into the Top 40 to sit at No.36, before breaking the Top 30 the following week and landing at No.22, then moving up a further 8 places to No.14. Whether this attention was linked to anything to do with a load of holiday family break-ups, or mother-in-laws coming over to stay during the festive period is anyone’s guess (a little of my dark humour spilling in right there).
A month ago, Andy broke into the Top 10, to first sit at No.9, then No.6, before ultimately reaching a peak of No.4 at the beginning of February; after which he began to shuffle back a little. This week would be his last in the Top 10.
From here,..
…the single begins to fall further and faster; although it will take more than a month of steady sales before it eventually falls out of the charts altogether after the 6th of April, with an impressive tally of 18 weeks on chart.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Andy Williams – Solitaire (TV performance)
Andy Williams – Solitaire (TV performance)
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