Pop Archives

Anne Hawker - Boom Bang-A-Bang (1969)

(Peter Warne - Alan Moorhouse)
Australia Australia
#23 Sydney #9 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #10 Adelaide #5 Perth

Single on Astor March 1969 by Melbourne singer whose biggest chart success was a cover of Cinderella Rockefella (1968) with her husband, the orchestra leader and arranger Johnny Hawker.

Listen at YouTube

Why did they bother with Boom Bang-A-Bang? Well, just like Cinderella Rockefella, it co-charted with the original version all over the country.

See also Timothy, a cover of Carike Keuzencamp’s #1 South African hit.

Suggestion from Terry Stacey.


Peggy March - Boom Bang-A-Bang (1969)

(Peter Warne - Alan Moorhouse)
USA USA

RCA single March 1969 with writer credits to Warne-Moorhouse, arranged by Johnny Arthey and produced by Jimmy Duncan.

Listen at YouTube


Lulu - Boom Bang-A-Bang (1969)

(Peter Warne - Alan Moorhouse)
UK UK
Original version
#2 UK #23 Sydney #9 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #10 Adelaide #5 Perth

Single on Columbia March 1969, a Mickie Most production, arranged by Johnny Harris, Britain’s entry and joint winner in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest.

Listen at YouTube

Co-charted with Anne Hawker’s cover version in Australia where one Boom Bang-A-Bang was apparently not enough.

This was the highest charting UK single for Glasgow-born Marie Laurie (b.1948) whose first hit was Shout  (1964, #7 UK) as Lulu And The Luvvers, the band she split with in 1966 to go solo. Lulu also acted, notably with Sidney Poitier in To Sir with Love, the theme song of which was her only big American hit (1967, #1 USA).

Not to be confused with Bing Tiddle-Tiddle Bong: that was Monty Python taking the mickey: see the Europolice Song Contest.

Further reading: 1969 Eurovision Song Contest (official).


Peggy March - Boom Bang-A-Bang (German version) (1969)

(Peter Warne - Alan Moorhouse - Lilibert)
Germany Germany
Later version

German single on RCA Victor with lyrics by Lilibert, May 1969, by American singer (b.1948). As Little Peggy March she had a big hit with I Will Follow Him (1963, #1 USA), an English version of Petula Clark’s 1962 French hit Chariot.

Listen at YouTube

Peggy March moved to Germany in 1969. Her German-language version of Boom Bang-A-Bang also appeared on her 1969 album Hey, Das Ist Musik Für Mich, produced by Wolf Kabitzky.

Since the 60s, Peggy March has particularly sustained her popularity in Germany and Japan. See, for example, her 1990s albums Memories of Heidelberg and Sings in Japanese [Amazon links].

On Memories Of Heidelberg she sings in German and includes a version of Boom Bang-A-Bang with Benny Thomas.

Further reading: 1. Peggy March at Wikipedia. 2. Official site is at PeggyMarch.net but there is something disfunctional about the navigation. 3. German recording of Boom Bang-A-Bang and album details, 1969, at SwissCharts.com.