Yellow River (song)

"Yellow River" is a popular song recorded by the British band Christie. Written by band leader Jeff Christie, it was offered to The Tremeloes, who recorded it with the intention of releasing it as a single early in 1970. However, after the success of their then most recent single, "Call Me Number One", and after considering it too pop-oriented for their future direction, they decided to follow it up with another of their own compositions, "By the Way", which was only a minor Top 40 success.

"Yellow River"
Single by Christie
from the album Christie
B-side"Down the Mississippi Line"
Released23 April 1970 (1970-04-23)
GenrePop rock
Length2:44
LabelCBS (UK) Epic (US)
Songwriter(s)Jeff Christie
Producer(s)Mike Smith
Christie singles chronology
"Yellow River"
(1970)		 "San Bernadino"
(1970)
Alternative cover
Music video
"Yellow River" on YouTube

Producer Mike Smith therefore took their vocals off the recording and added those of Jeff Christie. Released on 23 April 1970, it became an international hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for one week in June 1970. In the US, it reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[1]

The actual location of Yellow River in this song is not specified, although the author, Jeff Christie, is on record as saying that it was inspired by the idea of a soldier going home at the end of the American Civil War.[2] As the song was released during the Vietnam War, it has been interpreted as being about a soldier leaving the U.S. Military at the end of his period of conscription.

Chart performance

Other versions

"Yellow River" has spawned a host of cover versions by artists as diverse as R.E.M., Leapy Lee, Elton John, The Compton Brothers, Middle of the Road, Chris Rea, Bernd Spier, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Joe Dassin (his cover named "L'Amérique" reached No.1 in French charts).[10]

In Australia, Christie's version of Yellow River gained only limited airplay due to the 1970 radio ban. Local bands Jigsaw from Melbourne and Autumn from Sydney both had success with cover versions.[11]

In the USSR, the band Singing Guitars (Поющие гитары) used the melody of Yellow River paired with the words to a Russian children's song called Fat Carlson (Толстый Карлсон).[12]

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 126.
  2. Youtube recording of interview, copyright to Nederlandse Programma Stichting, 2003, uploaded to Jeff Christie's Youtube channel, 4 February 2011 |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyza1A00AxA&t=1m46s
  3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 16 September 1971. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  5. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 26, 1970". Retrieved 3 March 2008.
  6. Flavour of New Zealand, 14 September 1970
  7. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1970" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. "All the Number One Singles: 1970". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  10. http://chartssinglestop40france.blogspot.fr/p/197.html
  11. "Yellow River - Autumn". PopArchives.com.au. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  12. http://childrens-songs.ru/slova-detskix-pesen/tolstyj-karlson.html
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