Denise (song)

"Denise"
Single by Randy & the Rainbows
B-side "Come Back"
Released 1963
Genre Doo-wop[1]
Length 1:57
Label
  • Rust Records (USA)
  • Philips (UK)
Writer(s) Neil Levenson
Producer(s) Bright Tunes Productions
Randy & the Rainbows singles chronology
"Denise"
(1963)		 "Why Do Kids Grow Up"
(1963)

"Denise" is a song written by Neil Levenson. The song was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak.[2] In 1963, the song became a popular top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, when recorded by the American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows. A cover version by the American new wave group Blondie, re-titled "Denis", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978. Dutch actress and singer Georgina Verbaan covered "Denis" in 2002 and reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Randy & the Rainbows version

The American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows recorded "Denise" with the producers of The Tokens, releasing it as their single in 1963. The group's version of the song spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, charting at no. 10,[3] peaking at no. 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart,[4] and reaching no. 5 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade.[5]

Track listings

  1. "Denise" (Levenson) – 1:57
  2. "Come Back" 2:17

Chart performance

Chart (1963) Peak
position
Canada (CHUM)[5] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 10
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[4] 18

Blondie version

"Denis"
Single by Blondie
from the album Plastic Letters
B-side
  • "I'm on E" (US)
  • "Contact in Red Square" / "Kung-Fu Girls" (UK)
Released
  • February 1978 (UK)
  • May 1978 (US)
Format 7" & 12" vinyl
Recorded 1977
Genre New wave[7]
Length 2:18
Label Chrysalis
Writer(s) Neil Levenson
Producer(s) Richard Gottehrer
Certification Gold (UK, Netherlands)
Blondie singles chronology
"Rip Her to Shreds"
(1976)		 "Denis"
(1978)		 "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear"
(1978)

"Denis" (changing the name to its masculine form, pronounced without the final "s") is a 1977 cover of the song by the American new wave band Blondie. The cover of the song helped the band break into the international market. It featured on the band's second studio album, Plastic Letters (1978), and was the second UK single release by Blondie on Chrysalis records.

The initial Blondie version contained a verse with partly improvised lyrics in French by the group's vocalist Debbie Harry. Although Chrysalis insisted that the band re-record the song with a grammatically correct French translation, both the band and producer Richard Gottehrer preferred the first take. Harry stood her ground on the matter, and the version containing the "pidgin French" lyrics was released. The second, re-recorded version had its debut as a bonus track on EMI UK's 1994 re-issue of Plastic Letters.

"Denis" was released in February 1978 and reached number 2 in the UK and broke into the Top 20 in most European countries including number 1 in Netherlands. In the UK, the song was kept at number 2 for four weeks, first by Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" and then by Brian and Michael's "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Just like "Rip Her to Shreds", the single was issued on both 7" and 12" formats in the UK, and both feature two B-sides, "Contact in Red Square" from Plastic Letters and "Kung-Fu Girls" from Blondie. "Denis" was the only single released in the US from Plastic Letters (with "I'm on E" as the B-side) though it never charted. In 1988, a remixed version of the track was issued as a single from the Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation Once More into the Bleach. This time the single reached number 50 in the UK. In 2014, the Blondie track was included in the opening credits to the movie The Skeleton Twins.

Track listings

1978 Release
UK 7" and 12" (CHS 2204)
  1. "Denis" (Levenson) – 2:18
  2. "Contact in Red Square" (Destri) – 2:01
  3. "Kung-Fu Girls" (Destri, Harry, Valentine) – 2:33
US 7" (CHS 2220)
  1. "Denis" (Levenson) – 2:18
  2. "I'm on E" (Harry, Stein) – 2:13
1988 Release
UK 7" (CHS 3328)
  1. "Denis '88" – 5:26
  2. "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02
UK 12" (CHS 12 3328)
  1. "Denis" (The Danny D Remix) – 5:26
  2. "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02
  3. "Rapture" (The Teddy Riley Dub Version) – ?:??
UK CD (CHS CD 3328)
  1. "Denis '88" – 5:26
  2. "Rapture (The Teddy Riley Remix) – 7:02
  3. "Heart Of Glass" – 4:00
  4. "Atomic" – 3:32

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 1
France (IFOP)[12] 50
Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 19
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 2
Chart (1988) (Remix) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 50
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20] 139
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 30

Year-end charts

Chart (1978) Rank
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 18
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 6

Georgina Verbaan version

"Denis"
Single by Georgina
from the album Sugar Spider
B-side "No More Lies"
Released 2002
Label Jive
Writer(s) Neil Levenson
Georgina singles chronology
"This Christmas"
(2001)		 "Denis"
(2002)

In 2002, Dutch actress and singer Georgina Verbaan recorded a cover version of "Denis" for her debut studio album Sugar Spider. Her version of the song was issued on the Jive Records label as a single and it reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Track listings

  1. "Denis"
  2. "No More Lies"

Chart performance

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[25] 30
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26] 30

See also

References

  1. ↑ Seida, Linda. "Randy & the Rainbows – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  2. ↑ Tunzi, Kristina (February 2, 2008). "Mileposts" (PDF). Billboard. p. 60.
  3. ↑ "Randy & the Rainbows: The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. Vol. 75 no. 39. September 28, 1963. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. 1 2 CHART NUMBER 336 – Monday, August 19, 1963 at the Wayback Machine (archived November 7, 2006). CHUM.
  6. ↑ "Randy & the Rainbows – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ "The goddess still rocks". The Advocate. No. 780. March 2, 1999. p. 57. ISSN 0001-8996.
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Blondie – Denis" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blondie – Denis" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived June 14, 2006). MusicSeek.info.
  12. ↑ "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Blondie" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blondie – Denis". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Denis". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Blondie - Denis search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Blondie – Denis" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Blondie – Denis". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1978-03-18" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1988-12-04" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received May 24, 2016". Imgur. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Blondie – Denis". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1978" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1978" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Georgina - Denis search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Georgina – Denis" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
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