Cherish (The Association song)
Encyclopedia
"Cherish" is a pop song
written by Terry Kirkman
and recorded by The Association
. Released in 1966
, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
in September of that year and remained in the top position for three weeks. In Canada, the song also reached number one. The single version was slightly edited by removing one of the two "And I do cherish you" lines near the end of the song. This edit was done as a means of keeping the track from exceeding the three minute mark, as radio programmers then frowned upon songs that went beyond three minutes. However, even with the edit, the song still ran over. Instead of editing further, producer Curt Boettcher intentionally listed 3:00 on the label as the song's running time.
Session musician
Doug Rhodes
, also member of The Music Machine
, played the Celesta
on the recording. Producer Curt Boettcher added some vocals, most notably the high-pitched "told you" and "hold you" on the final verse.
David Cassidy
recorded his own version on his 1972
album Cherish
. His version reached number nine on the Hot 100 chart, spent one week at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, , peaked at number three in Canada and hit number one in both Australia and New Zealand.
Other artists to have covered the song include Nina Simone
, Petula Clark
(Colour My World album), The Four Tops, Jodeci
, Barry Manilow
, and Pat Metheny
.
The original Association version of the song appears in the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink
and The Nanny
season 5 episode, "The Engagement".
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
written by Terry Kirkman
Terry Kirkman
Terry Kirkman, in Salina, Kansas, U.S., is a musician and writer of the hit songs "Cherish", "Everything That Touches You", and "Six Man Band". He left the band Men in 1962 to become a founding member and sometime leader of the musical group The Association. Kirkman co-wrote some material with...
and recorded by The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
. Released in 1966
1966 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work it Out".*January 8 – Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who...
, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in September of that year and remained in the top position for three weeks. In Canada, the song also reached number one. The single version was slightly edited by removing one of the two "And I do cherish you" lines near the end of the song. This edit was done as a means of keeping the track from exceeding the three minute mark, as radio programmers then frowned upon songs that went beyond three minutes. However, even with the edit, the song still ran over. Instead of editing further, producer Curt Boettcher intentionally listed 3:00 on the label as the song's running time.
Session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
Doug Rhodes
Doug Rhodes
Doug Rhodes, multi-instrumentalist, performed with 1960s rock bands The Music Machine and The Millennium.Growing up in Garden Grove, California, Rhodes began his music career as a jazz saxophonist at the age of 16, playing with older brother Robbie Rhodes. Eventually, he became the member of a...
, also member of The Music Machine
The Music Machine
The Music Machine was an American garage rock and psychedelic band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. The band sound was often defined by fuzzy guitars and a Farfisa organ...
, played the Celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
on the recording. Producer Curt Boettcher added some vocals, most notably the high-pitched "told you" and "hold you" on the final verse.
David Cassidy
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
recorded his own version on his 1972
1972 in music
-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...
album Cherish
Cherish (album)
Cherish is the debut solo album by American singer David Cassidy, produced by Wes Farrell and released by Bell Records in early 1972.- Recording :...
. His version reached number nine on the Hot 100 chart, spent one week at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, , peaked at number three in Canada and hit number one in both Australia and New Zealand.
Other artists to have covered the song include Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
(Colour My World album), The Four Tops, Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, and Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
.
The original Association version of the song appears in the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
and The Nanny
The Nanny (TV series)
The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
season 5 episode, "The Engagement".
See also
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1966
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1966 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1972 (U.S.)