| "Goin' Out of My Head" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byLittle Anthony and the Imperials | ||||
| from the album Goin' Out of My Head | ||||
| B-side | "Make It Easy on Yourself" | |||
| Released | October 13, 1964 (1964-10-13)[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | DCP | |||
| Songwriters | Teddy Randazzo,Bobby Weinstein | |||
| Producers | Teddy Randazzo,Don Costa | |||
| Little Anthony and the Imperials singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Goin' Out of My Head" is a song written byTeddy Randazzo andBobby Weinstein, initially recorded byLittle Anthony and the Imperials in 1964. Randazzo, a childhood friend of the group, wrote the song especially for them, having also supplied the group with their previous Top 20 Hit "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)".[2] Their original version of the song was aBillboard Top 10 Pop smash, reaching No. 6 on theBillboard Hot 100,[3] and No. 1 in the CanadianRPM-list in 1965. The song peaked at No. 8 on Cashbox magazine's R&B chart (Billboard was in a chart recess for R&B listings at that time). The Little Anthony and the Imperials original recording is the best-known version of the song, although it has since been covered by many other artists, including the Zombies, who released a rendition as their last single onDecca Records.
| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 1 |
| USBillboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| USCash Box R&B | 8 |
| "Goin' Out Of My Head" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swedish picture sleeve | ||||
| Single bythe Zombies | ||||
| B-side | "She Does Everything for Me" | |||
| Released | 17 March 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 23 October 1966 | |||
| Studio | Kingsway, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Ken Jones | |||
| The Zombies UK singles chronology | ||||
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In 1967, the English rock bandthe Zombies recorded the song as a single. It was the group's finalDecca Records single.[4] Throughout 1965 and 1966, their commercial success had been declining in the US,[5] while they had completely failed to reach theRecord Retailer chart since 1965's "Tell Her No".[6] Decca primarily put this fault on the group's keyboardistRod Argent and bassistChris White, who composed virtually all of the group's music.[7] According to Decca, their own compositions were "too uncommercial", including "I Want You Back Again", which Decca cited among their least commercial singles.[8] Therefore, Decca chose covers for the band to record.[9] The first cover song the group released as a single in the UK was "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself", which was a chart failure, not being noted on the chart at all.[6]
The group also suffered the issue of finding suitable material to cover, "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself" happened by chance.[9] However, also by a stroke of luck, the band remember hearing Little Anthony and the Imperials perform alongside them on theDick Clark tour, which they embarked on in April 1965.[10] One of the tracks on their setlist was "Goin' Out Of My Head", which the Zombies then promptly picked up and incorporated into their own setlist.[11] Decca then wanted the band to record it as a follow-up to "Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself", which the band, initially reluctant, did not want to do.[11] This was because the band at the time once again wanted to record original material, which was turned down by Decca.[11] The band eventually had to accept the offer after the record company threatened to drop the act from their label.[11]
For the first time since around May or June 1966, the Zombies returned to a studio to record in October of that year.[12] As the group did not want to record atDecca Studios, Kingsway Studios (laterDe Lane Lea Studios) was booked on 23 October, something Argent recalls quite clearly.[4] He states that the band met guitaristJimi Hendrix on his way out of the studio before they entered.[4] Hendrix had just recorded his debut single "Hey Joe" at the studio.[4] The Zombies rendition was, although slightly different to the original, apparently a homage to Little Anthony.[4] ProducerKen Jones, who had been the group's standard producer for their Decca material,[7] was also present during recording.[4] Lead vocalistColin Blunstone was overdubbed atAdvision Studios in order to give the single "extra-kick.", since Jones felt that the vocals "weren't strong enough"[4]
The release of "Goin' Out Of My Head" was a highlight in the Zombies career, as they had gotten incredibly popular in thePhilippines.[13] This meant that they had started earning money as well as their commercial success once again started increasing.[13] In hearing this, Decca, who had been keeping "Goin' Out Of My Head" in their vaults for around half a year, decided to release it.[14] So on 17 March 1967, "Goin' Out Of My Head" was released in the UK.[15] As their contract withParrot Records had expired, the song never got a release in the US.[15] It was backed by "She Does Everything For Me", which was a song Argent had composed.[12] Like all singles by the Zombies after "Tell Her No", it failed to reachRecord Retailer.[6] This was to the disappointment of Decca, who thought it would become a big hit, while the Zombies did not attempt to promote it.[9]
The single received generally favourable reviews in the British press. In a review forDisc and Music Echo, criticPenny Valentine called the song "splendid treatment" of the original,[16] hoping it would reach the charts.[16] According to author Claes Johansen, this was expected, as she loved the Zombies music.[17] Derek Johnson ofNew Musical Express also praised the single, calling it an "exceptionally good tune."[18] He does however, state that it was "too recent" to the original for making the charts.[18] Other than that, he writes that song is "well worth hearing", noting the "colourful" harmonies and its "big-bash treatment".[18] He ends the review by stating that their rendition is "highly creditable."[18] Peter Jones ofRecord Mirror called the song their "best, performance wise."[19] He notes the vocal arrangement, but just like Johnson, negatively notes the song for being "too early."[19] All in all it was ranked four stars.[19]
The band members put the blame of the lack of chart success on producer Jones.[4] Without the band's consent, Jones dubbed overhorns which in turn muddied out some of the vocals.[4] This was disliked by the band, even though they could not do anything against it.[4] As a result, some of the vocal harmonies on the record were also removed, which was another problem for some band members.[4] Argent stated that the demo version of the song they recorded weeks prior sounded better because the "harmonies were massive."[4] Decca'sTony Hall thought that Blunstone was low in the mix, which led to him forcefully having to overdub the vocals.[4] This, combined with the brass track, is largely the biggest contributor to the muddy vocals on the track.[4] Soon after the single, Decca dropped the act, which led to them signingCBS Records later on.[20]
