Town Without Pity (song)
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"Town Without Pity" is a song written by composer Dimitri Tiomkin and lyricist Ned Washington. The track, produced by Aaron Schroeder,[1] was originally recorded by Gene Pitney for the 1961 film of the same title. In the US, the Gene Pitney recording went to #13 on the Hot 100.[2]
This tragic song, in the key of B Minor, first ends the chorus in D Major, before going up a key in the refrain to C Minor, with the coda ending the song in the same minor key.
Awards[]
In 1962, the song received a Golden Globe Award for Best Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song (losing to "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's).
Other versions[]
Pitney also recorded versions in German (lyrics by Frank Zieboltz[3]), entitled "Bleibe bei mir" ("Stay With Me") and Italian, entitled "Città Spietata". Many artists and bands have recorded cover versions over the years since its release, including:
| Year | Performer | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Danny Williams | Only Love |
| 1967 | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Sounds Like... |
| 1978 | Ronnie Montrose | Open Fire |
| 1980 | Paul Warren & Explorer | Takin' Her Back |
| 1982 | The Nylons | One Size Fits All |
| 1987 | Mathilde Santing | Out Of This Dream |
| 1988 | Thin White Rope | Red Sun |
| 1989 | The Dickies | Second Coming |
| 1990 | The Stray Cats | Let's Go Faster! |
| 1992 | Zen for Primates | Albatross[4] |
| 1992 | Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords | Town Without Pity (single) |
| 1993 | Neil Zaza | Thrills & Chills |
| 1996 | Eddi Reader | Candyfloss and Medicine |
| 1996 | The Brian Setzer Orchestra | Guitar Slinger |
| 1999 | Mandy Barnett | A Walk on the Moon (film soundtrack) |
| 2001 | Snakeman Show | Radio Snakeman Show, Vol. 1[5] |
| 2001 | The Quiets | Take a flight with The Quiets[6] |
| 2004 | Los Straitjackets | Play Favorites |
| 2006 | Richie Cole & The Alto Madness Orchestra | Risë's Rose Garden[7] |
| 2007 | Vidar Busk & The Voo Doodz | Jookbox Charade |
Use in other media[]
- In an early episode of Saturday Night Live (3/26/77), Laraine Newman played Indira Gandhi with John Belushi as her son Sanjay, who must vacate the premises after losing the election to Morarji Desai (Garrett Morris), but not before bursting into the song.[8]
- The song is heard in the 1988 film, Hairspray.
- Jess Harnell covered the song for the 1988 film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.
- The song was also sung by John Travolta to Kirstie Alley in the 1989 romantic comedy, Look Who's Talking.
- The lyrics are referenced by Foetus (James Thirwell) in the song, "Descent into the Inferno."
- The song was also performed by The Voice season 12 finalist Lilli Passero on the May 1, 2017 episode.[9]
- The song can be heard in the series Cold Case in Season 1, Episode 7, "A Time to Hate."
References[]
- ^ Pitney, Gene, Gene Pitney:25 All-Time Greatest Hits, Varese Sarabande, 1999, liner notes
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 661.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Albatross - Zen for Primates | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 2003-05-19. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "スネークマン・ショー「ラジオ・スネークマン・ショーVOL.01」｜ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン". Wmg.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-06-18. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "The Quiets - Take A Flight With (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "Risë's Rose Garden: Richie Cole & The Alto Madness Orchestra: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ^ "03.26.1977". SNL Archives. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ Gemmill, Allie (2017-05-01). "Lilli Passero Sang Her Heart Out On 'The Voice'". Bustle. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
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- 1961 songs
- 1961 singles
- Danny Williams (singer) songs
- Gene Pitney songs
- Herb Alpert songs
- Stray Cats songs
- Songs written for films
- Songs with lyrics by Ned Washington
- Songs with music by Dimitri Tiomkin
- Best Original Song Golden Globe winning songs
- 1960s song stubs