Blackberry Way

"Blackberry Way"
German picture sleeve
Single by The Move
B-side"Something"
Released28 November 1968 (UK)
Recorded1968 at Olympic Studios, London
GenreBaroque pop[1]
Length3:38
LabelRegal Zonophone (UK)
A&M (US)
Songwriter(s)Roy Wood
Producer(s)Jimmy Miller
The Move singles chronology
"Wild Tiger Woman"
(1968) 		"Blackberry Way"
(1968) 		"Curly"
(1969)
Performance video"Blackberry Way" (on Beat Club) on YouTube

"Blackberry Way" is a 1968 single by British band The Move. Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1969.[2]

The Move vocalist Carl Wayne refused to sing on the song, so Wood handled the lead vocal.[3] Richard Tandy, who later played keyboards with Wood's next band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), played harpsichord on "Blackberry Way". Despite the success of the single, the style of psychedelia-tinged pop sat uneasily with guitarist Trevor Burton. He left the group shortly after.

The B-side, "Something", was specially written for the band by David Scott-Morgan and was produced by Denny Cordell and Tony Visconti.

Wood said in a 1994 interview that "Blackberry Way" is his favourite Move song of all time, commenting that it could have been performed in any era and still worked.[3]

Personnel

The Move
Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1968–1969) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set)[5] 14
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] 20
Denmark (Salgshitlisterne Top 20)[9] 17
Denmark (Tipparaden)[10] 5
Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[11] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 2
Italy (Musica e dischi)[13] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 14
New Zealand (Listener)[16] 10
Norway (VG-lista)[17] 3
Rhodesia (Lyons Maid)[18] 4
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[19] 7
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[20] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 1
West Germany (GfK)[22] 7

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ Horning, Rob (15 February 2007). "Electric Light Orchestra: Too Much at Once Can Blow the Fuse". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 228. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ a b Sharp, Ken (30 September 1994). "Roy Wood: The Wizzard of Rock". The Move Online. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008.
  4. ^ "Planet Mellotron Album Reviews: M14".
  5. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 23 April 1969". www.poparchives.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 September 2007.
  6. ^ "The Move – Blackberry Way" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  7. ^ "The Move – Blackberry Way" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  8. ^ "The Move – Blackberry Way" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  9. ^ "Salgshitlisterne Top 20 - Uge 8". Danske Hitlister. 10 February 1969. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Salgshitlisterne Top 20 - Uge 8". Danske Hitlister. 24 February 1969. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  11. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 178. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  12. ^ "Irish Singles charts 1967-1969". 26 August 2012.
  13. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Move".
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 15, 1969" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. ^ "The Move – Blackberry Way" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Listener - The Move". Flavour of New Zealand. New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  17. ^ "The Move – Blackberry Way". VG-lista.
  18. ^ Kimberley, C (2000). Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book. p. 32.
  19. ^ Hallberg, Eric (193). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 – 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. ISBN 9163021404.
  20. ^ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. ISBN 919727125X.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Move – Blackberry Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON The Move"
  23. ^ "Discografia Nazionale della canzone italiana". Discografia.dds.it. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: E". Hitparadeitalia.it. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2016.