Come Go with Me

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This article is about the doo-wop song originally by the Del-Vikings. For other uses, see Come Go with Me (disambiguation).
"Come Go With Me"
Single by the Del-Vikings
B-side"How Can I Find True Love"
ReleasedDecember 1956 (Fee Bee)/
January 1957 (Dot Records)
Recorded1956
GenreDoo-wop
Length2:40
LabelFee Bee, Dot
Songwriter(s)Clarence Quick
The Del-Vikings singles chronology
"Come Go With Me"
(1956) 		"Whispering Bells"
(1957)

"Come Go With Me" is a song written by C. E. Quick (a.k.a. Clarence Quick), an original member (bass vocalist) of the American doo-wop vocal group the Del-Vikings.[1] The song was originally recorded by The Del-Vikings in 1956 and was released on Fee Bee Records.

Norman Wright was the lead vocalist on this song.[2] When the group signed with Dot Records in 1957, the song became a hit, peaking at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[3] It also reached #2 on the R&B chart.

Written in just five minutes, "Come Go with Me" was recorded in the basement of Pittsburgh disc jockey Barry Kaye.

The song was later featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), Diner (1982), Stand by Me (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and Set It Up (2018).[4] It was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[5] It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[6]

Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 449 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7]


The Beach Boys version[]

"Come Go With Me"
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album M.I.U. Album
B-side"Don't Go Near the Water"
ReleasedOctober 2, 1978 (album)
November 2, 1981 (single)
GenreDoo-wop
Length2:08
LabelCaribou Records
Songwriter(s)Clarence Quick
Producer(s)Al Jardine, Ron Altbach
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"The Beach Boys Medley"
(1981) 		"Come Go With Me"
(1978) 		"Getcha Back"
(1985)

"Come Go With Me" was later covered by American rock band the Beach Boys and was included on their 1978 album, M.I.U. Album. Although not released as a single at the time, the song was included on a Beach Boys compilation album, Ten Years of Harmony, in 1981. After being released as a single to promote the compilation, it rose to No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1982.[8] According to Al Jardine, he requested bandmate Brian Wilson to contribute the horn arrangement; Wilson devised it on the spot at Sunset Sound Recorders while dressed in a bathrobe.[9]

Personnel[]

Partial credits from 2000 liner notes.[10]

The Beach Boys

Additional musicians

  • Michael Andreas – saxophone, horn arrangements
  • Charles Lloyd – saxophone
  • Lance Buller – trumpet
  • John Foss – trumpet
  • Rod Novak – saxophone
  • Charlie McCarthy – saxophone
  • Bob Williams – saxophone
  • Matt Jardine, Michael Sherry – handclaps, finger snaps

Chart history[]

Chart (1981-82) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles 20
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[11] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 18
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 11
US Cash Box Top 100[13] 20

Other versions[]

Dion covered a version of the song on his 1962 album, Lovers Who Wander. Released as a single (Laurie 3121), it reached No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.[14]

The Quarrymen, a precursor to the Beatles, played "Come Go with Me" at the fete at St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool, on July 6, 1957. This was the first time Paul McCartney heard John Lennon performing. McCartney noticed how Lennon did not seem to know all the words, so he was ad-libbing instead, with phrases like "come and go with me... down to the penitentiary" which he thought was clever. After the set, McCartney impressed Lennon with his guitar and piano skills, and Lennon invited McCartney to join the band.[15] In 2000, several ex-Quarrymen performed a version of the song for the film Two of Us.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  2. ^ Hinckley, David. "Fox's 'Glee' rehabilitates 1980s radio hits like 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler". nydailynews.com.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 172.
  4. ^ "Set It Up (2018) Music Soundtrack & Complete List of Songs - WhatSong Soundtracks". What-song.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 90. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 51.
  9. ^ Scoppa, Bud (May 2016), "I Know There's an Answer...", Uncut
  10. ^ Tamarkin, Jeff (2000). M.I.U./L.A. Light Album (booklet). The Beach Boys. California: Capitol Records.
  11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1982-02-06. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  12. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  13. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 6, 1982
  14. ^ Dion's charting singles Retrieved 09-23-11
  15. ^ Shenk, Joshua Wolf (2010). "Two of Us". Slate. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "The Beatles Anthology" DVD (2003) (Episode 1 – 0:21:56) Lennon talking about meeting McCartney.

External links[]

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