A Thousand Shadows

"A Thousand Shadows"
Single by The Seeds
from the album Future
B-side"March of the Flower Children"
ReleasedJune 1967
Recorded1967
Length2:25
LabelGNP Crescendo
Songwriter(s)Sky Saxon, Daryl Hooper, Jan Savage
Producer(s)Marcus Tybalt
The Seeds singles chronology
"Can't Seem to Make You Mine"
(1967) 		"A Thousand Shadows"
(1967) 		"The Wind Blows Your Hair"
(1967)

"A Thousand Shadows" (sometimes written "1000 Shadows") is a song by American rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon, keyboardist Daryl Hooper, and guitarist Jan Savage. Produced by Marcus Tybalt, it was released as a single in 1967 and peaked at number 72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Background and release

The Seeds premiered "A Thousand Shadows" during a March 1967 performance at the Daisy club in Beverly Hills, California.[1] In June, the song was released as the lead single from the band's third album, Future.[2] The single came in a pink sleeve adorned with gray four-leaf clovers outlining a negative photograph of the band members next to a sign that says "Wishing Well - Help Us Grow."[3]

Reception

A review of "A Thousand Shadows" in a June 1967 issue of Billboard magazine stated "with the flower theme throughout, this smooth rhythm entry [is] well written, performed and produced."[4] Joe Viglione of Allmusic wrote that the song's melody and feel were similar to those of the band's earlier single "Pushin' Too Hard".[3] Music historian Domenic Priore described the lyrics to "A Thousand Shadows" as "ambitious (but never ambiguous)" and said "the music retains the taut incision of 1950s rock 'n' roll."[5] The single spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 72.[6] It reached number 86 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 chart.[7]

Track listing

7" Vinyl
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Thousand Shadows"Sky Saxon, Daryl Hooper, Jan Savage2:25
2."March of the Flower Children"Saxon, Hooper1:45

Chart performance

Chart (1967) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] 72
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[7] 86

References

  1. ^ "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1967-04-01. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1841953359.
  3. ^ a b Viglione, Joe. "'Future' - Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  4. ^ "Pop Spotlights". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 25. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1967-06-24. p. 18. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ Priore, Domenic (2007). Riot On Sunset Strip. London: Jawbone Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-1906002046.
  6. ^ a b "'A Thousand Shadows' - The Seeds - Chart History". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  7. ^ a b "Cash Box Top 100 8/5/67". Cashbox Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2012-10-17.