| "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDean Martin | ||||
| B-side | "Humdinger" | |||
| Released | July 1960 (1960-07) | |||
| Recorded | May 10, 1960 | |||
| Genre | Swing | |||
| Length | 2:24 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Composer | Jimmy Van Heusen | |||
| Lyricist | Sammy Cahn | |||
| Producer | Lee Gillette | |||
| Dean Martin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Visualizer video | ||||
| "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" onYouTube | ||||
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head" is aswing song written in1960 with music byJimmy Van Heusen and lyrics bySammy Cahn. It was first recorded on May 10 of that year byDean Martin in a swinging big bandjazz arrangement conducted byNelson Riddle. The song was featured in the 1960heist filmOcean's 11, where Martin performed it in an alternate arrangement featuring vibraphonistRed Norvo and his quartet.
The song was covered in 2004 by Irishboy bandWestlife on their sixth studio album,...Allow Us to Be Frank. Despite not charting in Ireland and failing to appear on theUK Singles Chart, their cover of the song reached No. 4 on theUK Download Chart, peaked at No. 5 in Denmark, and charted within the top 50 inFlanders, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
Van Heusen and Cahn wrote the song specifically for the 1960 filmOcean's 11, though it was initially referred to press as "Ain't That a Kick in the Seat".[1]Dean Martin's single was released before the film's premiere on August 10, 1960. In the film, Martin performs the song inside a Las Vegas casino.
Despite being listed on the "Very Strong Sales Potential" list inBillboard's "Reviews of This Week's Singles",[2]Dean Martin's initial release of "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" failed to chart and never technically was a hit in terms of sales or radio play.[3][4]
The song languished in obscurity and remained unreleased on LP or CD for many years after its initial single release.[5] However, in 1989, producerRon Furmanek was assembling material for a new Dean Martin compilation album in theCapitol Collectors Series and decided to include the tune.[5] Furmanek located the three-track stereo session master tape and remixed the song in true stereo for the first time.[5] The album sold well, eventually achievingGold status, and the song has become strongly associated with Martin, in part due toOcean's 11.[5][6]
The Furmanek mix has been released on a number of subsequent Dean Martingreatest hits albums, such asDino: The Essential Dean Martin and Capitol's andEMI's separate yet identically-titled MartinGreatest Hits releases,[7][8] as well as many swing and easy listening genre compilations.[9]
Aside from the performance inOcean's 11, the song has been used in a variety of popular media since its release. The song is heard in the 1990 feature filmA Bronx Tale.[10] It is featured in the 2010 video gameFallout: New Vegas, where it is played on the in-game radio station Radio New Vegas.[11] It was also featured in the 2011 filmMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol during the film's prison break sequence.[citation needed] It was used again in the trailer for the 2025 filmMickey 17.[12]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byWestlife | ||||
| from the album...Allow Us to Be Frank | ||||
| B-side | "Moon River" | |||
| Released | November 1, 2004 (2004-11-01) | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer | Jimmy Van Heusen | |||
| Lyricist | Sammy Cahn | |||
| Producer | Steve Mac | |||
| Westlife singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" onYouTube | ||||
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 47 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[15] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] | 41 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100)[17] | 74 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 20 |
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[19] | 4 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | November 1, 2004 | CD | [20] | |
| Sweden | November 3, 2004 | [21] |
| Westlife | |
|---|---|
| Coast to Coast | |
| World of Our Own | |
| Unbreakable | |
| Turnaround | |
| ...Allow Us to Be Frank | |
| Face to Face | |
| The Love Album | |
| Back Home | |
| Where We Are | |
| Gravity | |
| Greatest Hits | |
| Spectrum | |
| Wild Dreams |
|
| Other songs | |
