(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
Australia
#31 Sydney
Single on Festival by Sydney pop star, known as ‘Australia’s Little Miss Sweetheart’. Noeleen Batley (b.1944) was most popular in Sydney, where she had nine charting singles 1960-1964, but her biggest hit was Barefoot Boy, an original release that was a hit all over Australia. See also Little Treasure From Japan.
Released in 1963, on the Sydney charts January-March 1964.
Further reading: Noeleen Batley page at Milesago.
Suggestion from Terry Stacey.
(Hal David - Burt Bacharach - Vline Buggy )
France
On Barclay EP Bobbi Oh Bobbi by singer, dancer and actress Claire Ferval, born Claire Thérèse Ferullo in Marseille, 1939, more often known as Claire Chevalier. Her career included film roles from 1957, twisting and singing from 1961, and releasing this EP in 1963, her first record on Barclay. She continued to record over the years while also working in Spain and – most successfully – in Brazil. She adopted other stage names along the way, notably Claire Chevalier which came after meeting with Maurice Chevalier.
The adaptation
The French lyrics (= tell me again) are by prolific songwriter and adapter Liliane Konyn (1929-2026). Her pseudonym Vline Buggy (or Vline-Buggy) combines Vline after her sister Evelyne (1926-1962), and Buggy, the name that had been used for collaborations between the two sisters. See also Danyel Gérard – Hélas trois fois hélas (original version of Butterfly) and entry at discogs.com.
Further listening: Claire Chevalier channel at YouTube.
Remerciement: Le premier paragraphe est basé sur une recherche de Philippe Edouard.
(Burt Bacharach - Hal David)
USA
Original version
#117 USA [Billboard] #99 USA [Cash Box] #6 Vancouver [CFUN] #9 Toronto [CHUM]
Single on Kapp, produced by composer Burt Bacharach, orchestra conducted by Chuck Sagle.
Details about Babs Tino are hard to find. She was from Camden County, New Jersey, which borders Philadelphia and is part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Press notices from 1963 mention her living in Pennsauken Township, Camden County.
Her first record (1957) was on Philadelphia label Cameo before she switched to Kapp (1961-63).
She often featured in ads for New Jersey nightspots where she was billed 1957-58 as Camden’s New Recording Sensation. In 1959 she appeared as Babs Tino And The Gaytones and from around 1964 as Babs Tino And Her Escorts.
Babs Tino recorded the original version of Keep Away From Other Girls (1962), another Bacharach composition (lyrics by Bob Hilliard) that was covered by Helen Shapiro (1962, #40 UK).
Further reading: 1. For the full extent of the Bacharach oeuvre see, for example, the list of hit recordings and selected discography at BacharachOnline.com. 2. Release details at HalDavid.com.
Family connection: In recent years Suzanne Rumba has added comments on Babs Tino songs at YouTube, for example, “Thanks for the compliments. She’s my mom!” (c. 2020).
[The] laborious search for little-known Bacharach compositions will force you to investigate singers you probably never heard of (Jane Morgan, Babs Tino) …
Serene Dominic, Burt Bacharach, song by song (2007)