0128 SONG REVIEW – Johnny Remember Me
SONG: Johnny Remember Me
ARTIST: John Leyton
YEAR: 1961
Listen to it here:
THE SONG:
“Johnny Remember Me” was written by Geoff Goddard and first released in 1961 by John Leyton. At the time of the song’s release, Leyton was playing a rock star in the TV show Harpers West One, and he performed the song surrounded by his adoring fans. This gave the song a lot of exposure and helped it climb the UK charts to number 1. The song has been covered many times, especially by international artists.
THE ARTIST:
John Leyton was born in Frinton-On-Sea, Essex, England on February 17, 1936. After his service with the Royal Army Service Corps, John went to school for drama, earning bit roles in movies and TV. After some success with the television adaptation of “Biggles”, John’s notorious manager Robert Stigwood convinced him to audition for a record producer and recorded a cover of dead girl song “Tell Laura I Love Her”. Turns out Ricky Valance literally just released the same song, so they pulled John’s version, but no matter, he had another dead girl song up his sleeve with “Johnny Remember Me” which charted at number 1. Unfortunately, the times were a-changin’ in Britain and people weren’t as interested in John’s style, but he was a mainstay in television shows through to the 2000s. John continues to tour in the UK and Scandinavia.
FACTOID CORNER:
Despite the lyrics being changed from “the girl I loved who died a year ago” to “the girl I loved and lost a year ago”, the BBC still banned it and other ‘death discs’ for being spooky. Or death adjacent.
The ghostly, ethereal woman’s voice heard in the song turned out to be a signature style for producer Joe Meek.
KELLY’S REVIEW:
I have previously never heard of neither the song nor the artist! And I was fine with that! Ok but seriously as soon as I saw this guy’s hair I knew we were going to have problems. When the song started I thought we were in for Bobby Darin/Runaway type of number, but John and his ghoulish backup singers proved me wrong. It sounds like it was plucked from a western, some tale of a white hatted-sharp shooter whose lovely and young wife was murdered in cold blood by some dastardly black-hatted outlaw and our hero (Johnny, I suppose) must hunt him down and is forever haunted by his late wife howling “Joooooohhhhnnnnnyyyyyy reeeeemmmmmmmeemmmmberrrrrr” all the damn time. When he sings about the girl he ‘lost long ago’ did she die or did she dump him? The woman’s voice does sound like a cartoon ghost and so do the ‘ooooo’s’ when he’s talking about the wind blowing in the trees. John’s voice is fine. Dishwater. Mayonnaise. What you would expect from a song from a white dude in 1961. Instrumentally there is really not much going on – what’s most prevalent to me is the ‘tick ticky tick’ from the drums. I feel like Bobby Darin’s already done it – and he did it better.
HOLLY’S REVIEW:
This artist and song are totally new to me, and right off the top it kind of reminds me of a Johnny Horton song – we go into story-teller mode, and the instrumentalists and background evoke dusty cowboy vibes. From a 2023 lens, this is kind of over-the-top in a way that makes it perfect for a Quentin Tarantino film or something. The background singers are really sweet and saccharin in contrast to the relentless drums and guitar chunking. I think I can hear some bass in the waaaaay background, and then John Leyton is telling his tale with his weird guttural start to almost every word. Just to really emphasize the lead singer, we’ve got the reverb boosted all the way up for good measure. I’m not sure what in this song makes it have a place on this list, but even so, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it – it’s kind of fun!
Average mark out of 10:
Holly: 6.5/10
Kelly: 5.5/10
Other notable versions of this song:
In a medley by Britain’s 80s synth-pop duo Bronski Beat:
PUNK ROCK with Hot Rod Frankie (I dunno)
Listen with us!
Link to 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die spotify playlist:
Holly & Kelly Music Review 