Red Red Wine

"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed, and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967. It is included on Diamond's second studio album, Just for You. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a person who finds that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his woes.

"Red Red Wine"
Single by Neil Diamond
from the album Just for You
B-side"Red Rubber Ball"
Released1967 (1967)
Genre
Length2:42
LabelBang
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"New Orleans"
(1968)		 "Red Red Wine"
(1967)		 "Brooklyn Roads"
(1968)

UB40 recorded a cover version in 1983 that went to #1 in the UK and was moderately successful in the United States; it was re-released in 1988 and went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Neil Diamond version

When Diamond left the Bang Records label in 1968, the label continued to release Diamond's singles, often adding newly recorded instruments and background vocals to album tracks from Bang's two Diamond albums. For the "Red Red Wine" single, Bang added a background choir without Diamond's involvement or permission. Diamond's version reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. A live version was released on Diamond's The Greatest Hits (1966–92), but the 1968 single version has never been issued on a vinyl album or CD.

Several artists covered the song shortly after Diamond's recording was released:

  • In 1968, Dutch singer Peter Tetteroo (from the band Tee-Set) had a hit with a version that reached #6 on the Dutch Top 40 chart.
  • Jamaican-born singer Tony Tribe recorded a reggae version of the song in 1969 that reached #46 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] It became Trojan Records' first chart hit.[2]

Chart performance
Chart (1968) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 62

UB40 version
"Red Red Wine"
Single by UB40
from the album Labour of Love
B-side"Sufferin'"
Released
  • 8 August 1983 (1983-08-08)
  • 1988–2000 (re-releases)
Recorded1982
GenreReggae fusion
Length5:20 (album/12" version)
3:01 (shortened version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)
UB40 singles chronology
"I've Got Mine"
(1983)		 "Red Red Wine"
(1983)		 "Please Don't Make Me Cry"
(1983)

UB40 recorded their version of "Red Red Wine" for their album of cover versions, Labour of Love. According to UB40 member Astro, the group's former vocalist and trumpet player, the band were only familiar with Tony Tribe's version and did not realize that the writer and original singer was Neil Diamond. Astro told the Financial Times, "Even when we saw the writing credit which said 'N Diamond,' we thought it was a Jamaican artist called Negus Diamond."[4]

UB40's version features a lighter, reggae-style flavor compared to that of Diamond's somber, acoustic ballad. The UB40 version adds a toasted verse by Astro, opening: "Red Red Wine, you make me feel so fine/You keep me rocking all of the time," which was edited from the single that reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1983 and #34 in the United States in March 1984.

In 1988, UB40 performed the song at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert. Soon after in June 1988, Guy Zapoleon, program director of KZZP in the Phoenix, Arizona market,[5] believed that the song should be given a second chance and put the full version, including Astro's "rap", on the station's playlist and it soon became the station's most popular song. With UB40 ready to release Labour of Love II, Virgin Records promotion man Charlie Minor asked UB40 to hold off on releasing the album so that the label could reissue and promote "Red Red Wine". On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of 15 October 1988 the song hit #1 in the U.S.[6] In September 2014, the Official Charts Company announced that sales in the UK had reached one million.[7]

The song reached No. 1 on the South African Springbok charts in February 1984, remaining in that position for a total of 12 weeks. It also ended in the No. 1 position on that country's year end charts.

Neil Diamond has stated that UB40's "Red Red Wine" is among his favorite covers of his songs.[8] He frequently performs the song live using the UB40 reggae arrangement rather than that of the original version.

"Notorious Boozehound" Rich Stewart (Barroom Rambler) ranked UB40's cover at #24 in a magazine article for Modern Drunkard [9] featuring a rundown of drinking songs. In his book The Top 151 Drinking Songs it came in at #27. [10]

Charts
Chart (1983–2001) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 5
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1
Denmark (Hitlisten)[14] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[18] 10
Poland (LP3)[19] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 14
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[24] 12

Year-end charts
Chart (1988) Position
United States (Billboard)[25][26] 39

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Platinum 1,245,324[30]
United States (RIAA)[31] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other cover versions

References
  1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 565. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. "History - Trojan Records".
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 237.
  4. Lisi, Brian. "The untold story behind UB40's hit reggae song 'Red Red Wine' - NY Daily News".
  5. Molanphy, Chris (28 April 2017). "Hit Parade: The Rogue DJ Edition". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. "35 Years After 'Red Red Wine,' UB40's 'Labour of Love' Continues". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  7. Moss, Liv (22 September 2014). "Now That's What I Call A Million tracklisting revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  8. "Singer/songwriter Neil Diamond here, AMA!". Reddit. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  9. Stewart, Rich (November 2002). The Top 86 Drinking Songs — Modern Drunkard. p. 4.
  10. Stewart, Rich (2003). The Top 151 Drinking Songs — Craphouse Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-9704312-7-9.
  11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – UB40 – Red Red Wine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4468." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  14. https://www.ukmix.org/showthread.php?63915-Danish-Charts-Archive
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Red Red Wine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  16. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 39, 1983". Archived from the original on 14 September 2008.
  17. "Charts.nz – UB40 – Red Red Wine". Top 40 Singles.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – UB40 – Red Red Wine". VG-lista.
  19. "Notowanie nr 80" (in Polish). 29 October 1983. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  20. "Swedishcharts.com – UB40 – Red Red Wine". Singles Top 100.
  21. "Swisscharts.com – UB40 – Red Red Wine". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. "UB40 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – UB40 – Red Red Wine". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  25. "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 100 (52): Y-20. 24 December 1988.
  26. "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  27. "Canadian single certifications – UB40 – Red Red Wine". Music Canada.
  28. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart – 20 November 1983". Recorded Music NZ.
  29. "British single certifications – UB40 – Red Red Wine". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Red Red Wine in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  30. Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company.
  31. "American single certifications – UB40 – Red Red Wine". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  32. https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13404/jimmy-james-and-the-vagabonds/
  33. YouTube - The Painted Garden - Red Red Wine (Neil Diamond Cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izB_TDKAtAE
  34. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 70.
  35. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 110.
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