Bigger in Oz: tracks that were more popular in Australia than in their countries of origin.
See also: Only in Melbourne.
(Edward Louis Goldman)
Musicor single #MU 51331 (USA) October 1968
CBS single #BA-152275 (Australia) December 1968
US charts: #92 (Billboard and Cash Box)
Australian charts: #13 Melbourne, #24 Brisbane, #13 Adelaide | #31 Australia
Gene Pitney's lesser known song Billy You're My Friend (1968) is like a slice of opera, with mood swings from lightheartedness to anguish, pumped up by ersatz classical orchestration and pointed tempo changes.
It wasn't a national hit in the US, but we can see examples of Billy You're My Friend charting modestly in US cities, on charts posted at the Airheads Radio Survey Archive: Bakersfield CA (#43), Allentown PA (#36), Saint Charles MO (#13), Springfield MA (#51), Wilkes-Barre PA (#39) and New Haven CT (#15).
No doubt there were other cities, not enough to turn it into a national hit but enough to get it to #92 at both Billboard and Cash Box. Not enough, either, to get it onto your average Gene Pitney Best of collection.
The writer is listed at BMI as Edward Louis Goldman, about whom I can find nothing. (Eddy Goldman? Ted Goldman?)
Composer Ed Goldman emailed after he saw this post. See my later post about the writing of Billy You're My Friend.
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| My copy from '68 survives. |
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Australian chart positions from Gavin Ryan's Australian chart books and Barry McKay's Go-Set chart collection.
US charts: Charts at Airheads Radio Survey Archive from October-December 1968 for KAFY Bakersfield CA, WAEB Allentown PA, KIRL St Charles Missouri, WHYN Springfield MA, WARM Wilkes-Barre PA, and WAVZ New Haven CT. Billboard chart positions at AMG; Randy Price's Cash Box charts site.
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