"Summerlove Sensation" is a song originally recorded by theBay City Rollers. It was part of their 1974 albumRollin'. In the same year, it was also released as asingle five months prior. The single peaked at no. 3 on theUK Singles Chart.[3] It also spawned two successfulcover versions in the late 1970s, first aFrench adaption performed by French pop singerSylvie Vartan, and a cover by American singerBobby Vinton that was a minor hit in the charts.[4][5]
The song was later reworked into French under the title "Petit rainbow" (meaning "Little rainbow"). It was recorded bySylvie Vartan and released in August 1977 as the lead single off of her 1977 studio albumGeorges. In France her version of the song spent one week at no. 1 on the singles sales chart (from 7 to 13 October 1977).[8] The song also reached Number 1 on the French Belgian charts for two weeks in 1977, charting in Belgium from 17 September to 24 December 1977.[9] The song was also adapted intoGerman from French byMichael Kunze as "Ein kleines Herz auf der Haut" (English: "A little heart on the skin", French: "Un petit coeur sur la peau") in 1978 but failed to chart.[10]
Bobby Vinton covered "Summerlove, Sensation" (adding a comma to the title) in 1978 as a non-album single, released that August onElektra Records. His version reached #44 on the U.S.BillboardEasy Listening chart during the summer of that year, with Coulter returning to produce Vinton's version.[13] Vinton's version was also released as apromotional single in Canada around the same time but failed to chart.[14] Vinton and Coulter also co-wrote the single's B-side, "My First, My Only Love".[15]
