Montego Bay (song)

"Montego Bay"
Single by Bobby Bloom
from the album The Bobby Bloom Album
B-side"Try a Little Harder"
ReleasedSeptember 1970
GenrePop, soul, calypso
Length2:53
LabelL&R Records
Songwriter(s)Jeff Barry, Bobby Bloom
Producer(s)Jeff Barry
Bobby Bloom singles chronology
"Sign of the V"
(1969) 		"Montego Bay"
(1970) 		"Make Me Happy"
(1970)
Music video
Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay • TopPop on YouTube

"Montego Bay" is a song co-written and performed by Bobby Bloom about the city in Jamaica of the same name. The song was a top ten hit for Bloom in the Fall of 1970 on both sides of the Atlantic. It reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] No. 5 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart,[2] No. 7 on the Australian Go-Set Singles Chart and No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was co-written and produced by Jeff Barry. In the master tape of the song, Bloom breaks into a chorus of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" at the end of the recording. The song features a whistler, as well as Jamaican instruments in a calypso style.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF) [3] 7
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 9
Australia (Go-Set) 7
Austria (Hitradio Ö3)[5] 12
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 12
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[7] 44
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[8] 15
Canada RPM Top Singles[9] 5
France (IFOP)[10] 43
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 17
New Zealand (Listener)[14] 12
Singapore Rediffusion, Singapore[15] 1
South Africa (Springbok)[16] 5
UK Singles Chart[17] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 8
US Billboard Easy Listening 18
US Cash Box Top 100[19] 6
Freddie Notes & the Rudies cover
Chart (1970) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[20] 45
Sugar Cane cover
Chart (1978) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[21] 54
Jon Stevens cover
Chart (1980) Peak
position
New Zealand (RIANZ)[22] 1
Quarrington/Worthy cover
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[23] 15
Allniters cover
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 19
Amazulu cover
Chart (1986–1987) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 14
South Africa (Springbok)[26] 16
UK Singles Chart[27] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 90

Year-end charts

Chart (1970) Rank
Australia[29] 84
Canada[30] 77
UK[31] 41

Jon Stevens version

"Montego Bay"
Single by Jon Stevens
from the album Jezebel
B-side"Sha La La"
ReleasedJanuary 1980
GenrePop rock
LabelCBS
Songwriter(s)B. Bloom, J. Barry
Producer(s)Jay Lewis
Jon Stevens singles chronology
"Jezebel"
(1979) 		"Montego Bay"
(1980) 		"Don't Let Love Go"
(1980)

In January 1980, New Zealand recording artist Jon Stevens released a version as a single. It peaked at No.1 in New Zealand, allowing Stevens to replace himself at No.1,[32] and stayed there for two weeks.[22]

Track listing

Vinyl, 7-inch, 45 RPM

  1. "Montego Bay" 2:50
  2. "Sha La La" 4:25

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Montego Bay"
Chart (1980) Peak
position
New Zealand (RIANZ)[33] 1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Montego Bay"
Chart (1980) Position
New Zealand (RIANZ)[34] 43

Other recordings

See also

References

  1. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  2. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  3. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 12 December 1970. p. 61. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Ö3-HITPARADE - 12.12.1970". austriancharts.at. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "Bobby Bloom – Montego Bay" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Bobby Bloom – Montego Bay" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  9. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  10. ^ "InfoDisc : Accès direct à ces Artistes > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Montego Bay". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1970" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Bobby Bloom – Montego Bay" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  14. ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 14 December 1970
  15. ^ Billboard, December 19, 1970 - Page 60 Billboard HITS OF THE WORLD, SINGAPORE, This Week 1, Last Week 1
  16. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 16 October 1970. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  18. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  19. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 5, 1970
  20. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1970-10-10. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  21. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1978-09-03. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  22. ^ a b "Jon Stevens singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  24. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0796." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Mar 28, 1987. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 1986. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1986-09-13. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  28. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  29. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  30. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  31. ^ "All the Number One Singles: 1970". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  32. ^ "Jon Stevens". Sergent.com.au. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  33. ^ "Jon Stevens singles". charts.nz/. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  34. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles of 1980". Recorded Music NZ. 1980. Retrieved 6 December 2022.