Doctor's Orders (song)
Encyclopedia
"Doctor's Orders" is a song written by Roger Cook
, Roger Greenaway
and Geoff Stephens
which in 1974 was a hit in the UK for Sunny of Sue and Sunny
; in the US the song was a hit for Carol Douglas
.
for the group Brotherhood of Man
; Greenaway and Roger Cook — who had been writing songs together since 1965 as well as recording as David and Jonathan
— were both house writers for Hiller's production company.
By 1973, the Brotherhood of Man's original members had opted out of the group and although Sue and Sunny had generally recorded as a team Sunny recalls that at this time "Sue decided she wanted to spend some time having babies, so I was just left to get on with things by myself. Roger Cook knew that I was going solo and rang me up to say that he had a song for me. Anyway, I went round to see him, heard the song and thought it might do something."
Sunny cut the track in November 1973 with Roger Greenaway producing while Chris Gunning
provided the arrangement and conducted.
Shopped to CBS
for a January 1974 release, "Doctor's Orders" gained momentum through club play but met resistance from BBC Radio
, unsavoury undertones being read into the storyline of a woman consulting a doctor over intimate concerns. "Doctor's Orders" finally broke into the UK Top 50 chart
dated March 30, 1974 at #42 to rise to a #7 peak on 4 May.
http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=6335
The single was also a hit in Ireland
(#4) http://www.irishcharts.ie/ and — in the summer of 1974 — in South Africa
(#16). http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(S).html
Doctor's Orders was also the title of Sunny's album released in January of 1974 which, besides "Doctor's Orders", featured the Cook/Greenaway/Stephens compositions "Couldn't I Change Your Mind" and "Never Say Never" plus "Oh My Joe" (Cook/Greenaway/Tony Macaulay
), "A Warm and Tender Romance" (Greenaway/Macaulay) and "Somebody Warm Like Me" (Macaulay). The album also featured the Brotherhood of Man track "Maybe the Morning" plus Sunny's renditions of the Drifters
' hit "Like Sister and Brother" (Cook/Stephens) and White Plains
' hit "My Baby Loves Lovin'" (Cook/Greenaway). The other tracks were "It's Only When You're Feeling Lonely" (the B-side of "Doctor's Orders"), "Don't Come Back" and "Lean on Me".
"A Warm and Tender Romance" backed with "Don't Come Back" was released as a follow-up single to "Doctor's Orders" but failed to chart.
who ran an ad in Showbiz magazine specifically to recruit a singer to cover Sunny's UK hit for the US market: the successful applicant, Carol Douglas, was a veteran performer who had remained an unknown recording artist.
Douglas recalled when she first auditioned she was told "I sounded great, but too black. [The track's] producers wanted to capture my more melodic Pop/commercial tones which undeniably made me sound white on the radio." http://www.eurweb.com/printable.cfm?id=16301
Douglas' version, recorded at Groove Sound Studio in New York City, was produced by Meco Monardo but because of contractual complications the production credit was assigned to Midland International vice-president Ed O'Loughlin.http://www.disco-disco.com/tributes/meco.shtml One of the players on the session was guitarist Jerry Friedman who according to Monardo invented the "bubble guitar" effect of "playing on a single muffled note" which would become a trademark of disco music as did the "gallop" effect provided by Carlos Martin pounding the conga with his fists.
In the autumn of 1974, Midland International issued test pressings of Douglas' "Doctor's Orders" to New York City discos where the positive response led to the track's rush release that November, with 100,000 units being sold the first week — mostly in the New York City area — and sales of 200,000 reported by 20 November 1974, the date of the Billboard Hot 100
chart on which Douglas' single debuted at #79 to debut on the Top 40 that December on its way to a #11 peak (#9 R&B) in February 1975.1 "Doctor's Orders also reached #2 on the disco chart which Billboard
had recently launched. The eventual U.S. sales tally for "Doctor's Orders" was cited as 900,000 units — 300,000 in the New York City area.
Also in February 1975, Douglas' "Doctor's Orders" hit #1 in RPM
which published the charts for Canada while in France, Douglas'"Doctor's Orders" reached #4. The UK success of the Sunny original did not preclude a January 1975 UK release of Douglas' version: this was not a success but "Doctor's Orders" would afford Douglas a Top Ten hit in Italy (#8), New Zealand (#6) and Spain (#2), with her version also charting in Australia (#31) Belgium and Germany (#37). In June 1975, Midland International reported that global sales of the Carol Douglas single "Doctor's Orders" totaled one million units.
Roger Cook (songwriter)
Roger Cook is an English songwriter who has written many hits for other recording artists. He has also had a successful recording career in his own right.-Early life:Cook was born in Fishponds, Bristol, England...
, Roger Greenaway
Roger Greenaway
Roger Greenaway , is a popular English songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Roger Cook.-Career:...
and Geoff Stephens
Geoff Stephens
Geoffrey 'Geoff' Stephens , was one of the top British songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
which in 1974 was a hit in the UK for Sunny of Sue and Sunny
Sue and Sunny
Sue and Sunny were a vocal duo and session singers operating in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Although sisters, their full stage names were Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie...
; in the US the song was a hit for Carol Douglas
Carol Douglas
Carol Douglas is an American singer whose hit "Doctor's Orders" was a pioneer track in the disco genre.-Early life and acting career:...
.
Sunny version
In 1969, Roger Greenaway along with Sue and Sunny were recruited by Tony HillerTony Hiller
Tony Hiller is a British songwriter. He began his musical career as a member of the song and dance duo The Hiller Brothers, sharing the stage with his brother Irving...
for the group Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
; Greenaway and Roger Cook — who had been writing songs together since 1965 as well as recording as David and Jonathan
David and Jonathan (band)
David and Jonathan was the name used by the British pop music duo Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook.They began working together in 1965 in Bristol, England, and wrote the songs "This Golden Ring" and "You've Got Your Troubles" for the group The Fortunes...
— were both house writers for Hiller's production company.
By 1973, the Brotherhood of Man's original members had opted out of the group and although Sue and Sunny had generally recorded as a team Sunny recalls that at this time "Sue decided she wanted to spend some time having babies, so I was just left to get on with things by myself. Roger Cook knew that I was going solo and rang me up to say that he had a song for me. Anyway, I went round to see him, heard the song and thought it might do something."
Sunny cut the track in November 1973 with Roger Greenaway producing while Chris Gunning
Christopher Gunning
Christopher Gunning is a British composer of concert works and music for films and television....
provided the arrangement and conducted.
Shopped to CBS
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
for a January 1974 release, "Doctor's Orders" gained momentum through club play but met resistance from BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, unsavoury undertones being read into the storyline of a woman consulting a doctor over intimate concerns. "Doctor's Orders" finally broke into the UK Top 50 chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
dated March 30, 1974 at #42 to rise to a #7 peak on 4 May.
http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=6335
The single was also a hit in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
(#4) http://www.irishcharts.ie/ and — in the summer of 1974 — in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(#16). http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(S).html
Doctor's Orders was also the title of Sunny's album released in January of 1974 which, besides "Doctor's Orders", featured the Cook/Greenaway/Stephens compositions "Couldn't I Change Your Mind" and "Never Say Never" plus "Oh My Joe" (Cook/Greenaway/Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay is a British author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career...
), "A Warm and Tender Romance" (Greenaway/Macaulay) and "Somebody Warm Like Me" (Macaulay). The album also featured the Brotherhood of Man track "Maybe the Morning" plus Sunny's renditions of the Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
' hit "Like Sister and Brother" (Cook/Stephens) and White Plains
White Plains (band)
White Plains were a British pop music group, that existed from 1969 to 1976.-Career:White Plains evolved from the late 1960s pop/psychedelic band The Flower Pot Men, composed of Tony Burrows, Pete Nelson, and Robin Shaw together with Neil Landon . The band was primarily a studio project led by John...
' hit "My Baby Loves Lovin'" (Cook/Greenaway). The other tracks were "It's Only When You're Feeling Lonely" (the B-side of "Doctor's Orders"), "Don't Come Back" and "Lean on Me".
"A Warm and Tender Romance" backed with "Don't Come Back" was released as a follow-up single to "Doctor's Orders" but failed to chart.
Carol Douglas version
The American version of "Doctor's Orders" was recorded for Midland InternationalMidland International Records
Midland International Records was a US record label that existed in the 1970s. It was founded in 1974 by Eddie O'Loughlin and Bob Reno...
who ran an ad in Showbiz magazine specifically to recruit a singer to cover Sunny's UK hit for the US market: the successful applicant, Carol Douglas, was a veteran performer who had remained an unknown recording artist.
Douglas recalled when she first auditioned she was told "I sounded great, but too black. [The track's] producers wanted to capture my more melodic Pop/commercial tones which undeniably made me sound white on the radio." http://www.eurweb.com/printable.cfm?id=16301
Douglas' version, recorded at Groove Sound Studio in New York City, was produced by Meco Monardo but because of contractual complications the production credit was assigned to Midland International vice-president Ed O'Loughlin.http://www.disco-disco.com/tributes/meco.shtml One of the players on the session was guitarist Jerry Friedman who according to Monardo invented the "bubble guitar" effect of "playing on a single muffled note" which would become a trademark of disco music as did the "gallop" effect provided by Carlos Martin pounding the conga with his fists.
In the autumn of 1974, Midland International issued test pressings of Douglas' "Doctor's Orders" to New York City discos where the positive response led to the track's rush release that November, with 100,000 units being sold the first week — mostly in the New York City area — and sales of 200,000 reported by 20 November 1974, the date of the 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...
chart on which Douglas' single debuted at #79 to debut on the Top 40 that December on its way to a #11 peak (#9 R&B) in February 1975.1 "Doctor's Orders also reached #2 on the disco chart which Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
had recently launched. The eventual U.S. sales tally for "Doctor's Orders" was cited as 900,000 units — 300,000 in the New York City area.
Also in February 1975, Douglas' "Doctor's Orders" hit #1 in RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
which published the charts for Canada while in France, Douglas'"Doctor's Orders" reached #4. The UK success of the Sunny original did not preclude a January 1975 UK release of Douglas' version: this was not a success but "Doctor's Orders" would afford Douglas a Top Ten hit in Italy (#8), New Zealand (#6) and Spain (#2), with her version also charting in Australia (#31) Belgium and Germany (#37). In June 1975, Midland International reported that global sales of the Carol Douglas single "Doctor's Orders" totaled one million units.
- 1The track ranked on the Easy Listening chartHot Adult Contemporary TracksThe Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
at #42.
Other versions
- Patsy GallantPatsy GallantPatsy Gallant is a Canadian pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English and French.-Successful beginnings in French :...
had a Canadian single release concurrent with the Carol Douglas version of "Doctor's Orders": Gallant's version reached #83 on the Canadian chart. - Québécois singer Anne Renée had an April 1975 single release of the French rendering "Le docteur m'a dit": Rene AngelilRené AngélilRené Angélil, OQ is a Canadian singer and manager. He is the husband and manager of singer Celine Dion.-Early life:Angélil was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada of a father of Syrian descent and a Canadian mother of Lebanese origin...
- then married to the singer - produced the disc and spoke the "Allo" heard at its opening. - SheilaSheila (singer)Sheila is a French pop singer, who became successful as a solo artist in the 1960s and 1970s and later fronted a disco act called Sheila and B. Devotion. Sheila has sold over 24,000,000 copies of records in France and was the top selling artist in France in the 1960s and 1970s...
recorded the French rendering "C'est le coeur, les ordres du docteur" in 1975: like the Carol Douglas version "C'est le coeur..." peaked at #4 in France. - The song was rendered in Finnish by Lea Laven as "Viittiks Tulla Takas" on the 1975 album Lea.
- "Doctor's Orders" was a 1988 UK single release for Lisa Carter (#78 UK). http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=5210.
- SabrinaSabrina-People:*Sabrina , a feminine given name *Sabrina , British entertainer*Sabrina *Sabrina *Sabrina Salerno , Italian pop singer aka Sabrina...
remade the song for her 1988 album Super SabrinaSuper SabrinaSuper Sabrina is the second studio album by Italian pop singer Sabrina. It was released in 1988 .-Album information:...
. - In 2008, Jane McDonaldJane McDonaldJane McDonald is a British singer, actress and media personality and broadcaster, who first became famous following her appearance on the BBC docusoap The Cruise...
recorded "Doctor's Orders" for her Jane album from which it was issued as a single which did not chart.