"I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" was a hit single in 1967 composed by British songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway.[1] It was a novelty record, performed mostly by whistling. The name Whistling Jack Smith, credited on the most commercially successful recording, was a play on the name of the baritone singer of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Whispering Jack Smith.
| "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Whistling Jack Smith | |
| B-side | "The British Grin and Bear" |
| Released | 1967 |
| Genre | Novelty |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Deram 45-DEM-85005 |
| Songwriter(s) | Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook |
Production
editThe tune was written by Greenaway and Cook and was originally titled "Too Much Birdseed".[2] It was recorded as a single for Deram Records by record producer Noel Walker, using studio musicians together with the Mike Sammes Singers. The whistling on the record was, according to most sources, by John O'Neill, a trumpeter and singer with the Mike Sammes Singers who was known for his whistling skill,[3][4] though other sources credit Noel Walker.[2] The song is noted for its false ending: after the last chorus, a male voice shouts "Oi" (on the album version) and "Hey" (on the single version), and the tune starts up again with the repeated chorus, then fades out.
Performances
editCredited to Whistling Jack Smith, the record rose up the UK singles chart. When it was featured on Top of the Pops, actor Coby Wells was used to mime the whistling, and later toured as the public face of Whistling Jack Smith. Wells' real name was Billy Moeller, a brother of Tommy Moeller, lead vocalist, guitarist, and pianist with Unit 4 + 2.[5][6] The recording reached #5 on the UK singles chart in March 1967, staying in the chart for 12 weeks.[7] In America (where listeners may have confused the title character with the other Batman, who had a hit TV series at the time), it peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.[8]
Pat Boone recorded a whistling version of the song in 1967. A vocal version of the song, as "Ich war der Putzer vom Kaiser", was recorded in German by Die Travellers, in the late 1960s. The German lyrics were credited to Fred Oldörp, a member of the group.[9] The lyrics concern the batman, or Putzer ("cleaner") of the Kaiser, who evades combat because of his position. It has been suggested that the words derive from a First World War marching song, but that is unconfirmed.[10]
Charts
edit| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] | 5 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] | 21 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[14] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[17] | 20 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[18] | 8 |
References
edit- ^ Paul Simpson (2003), The rough guide to cult pop, ISBN 9781843532293
- ^ a b Artist Biography by arwulf arwulf, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 November 2015
- ^ Terry Rawlings (2002-12-01), Then, now and rare British beat 1960-1969, ISBN 9780711990944
- ^ "Whistling in the wind for a good tune", Western Daily Press, Oct 11, 2005
- ^ ""I was Kaiser Bill's batman": Whistling Jack Smith". Dangerous Minds. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
- ^ "I was Kaiser Bill's batman". dustbury.com. Charles G. Hill. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
- ^ "WHISTLING JACK SMITH". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 654. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ "Ich war der Putzer vom Kaiser", Discogs.com. Retrieved 10 November 2015
- ^ "How old are the lyrics of Kaiser Bill's Batman / Ich War Der Putzer Vom Kaiser ?", Google Groups Retrieved 10 November 2015
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "Whistling Jack Smith Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
Further reading
edit- Jancik, Wayne (1990). "Whistling Jack Smith". The Billboard book of one-hit wonders. New York: Billboard Books. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-0-8230-7530-0. (Open Library loan available)
External links
edit- "Whistling Jack Smith - I was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (Video). March 6, 2020 [1967] – via YouTube.