Beechwood 4-5789: Difference between revisions

"Beechwood 4-5789"
"Beechwood 4-5789"
Single by Carpenters
from the album Made in America
B-side	"Two Sides"
Released	January 1982
Recorded	1980–1981
Genre	Pop
Length	3:06
Label	A&M; 2344
Songwriter(s)	Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson, George Gordy
Producer(s)	Richard Carpenter
Carpenters singles chronology

"Beechwood 4-5789"
"Beechwood 4-5789"
Single by the Marvelettes
from the album Playboy
B-side	"Someday, Someway"
Released	July 11, 1962
Recorded	May 19, 1962
Genre	Rock and roll, soul, doo-wop, R&B
Length	2:13
Label	Tamla
Songwriter(s)	Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson, George Gordy
Producer(s)	William "Mickey" Stevenson
The Marvelettes singles chronology

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 03:21, 17 December 2024

"Beechwood 4-5789" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy. It was a 1962 hit single for the Motown girl group the Marvelettes on Motown's Tamla subsidiary record label. The song became a hit again when it was covered by the pop duo the Carpenters in 1982.

The song's title is derived from the now-defunct use of telephone exchange names in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234–5789.

The Marvelettes version

Background

The lyrics are about the singer wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to "have a date, any ol' time." As with all the Marvelettes' other singles during the first phase of the group's career, the lead vocal was by Gladys Horton. The song's co-writer Marvin Gaye played drums on the track, which William Stevenson produced. The single was taken from the group's 1962 album Playboy.

Reception

"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period, but it was not one of the label's biggest hits. However, it reached the Pop Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 as number 17 in the autumn of 1962. The track also reached the R&B Top Ten where it achieved double A-side status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching number 7 and the flip "Someday, Someway" number 8;^[1] the latter track was a ballad from the writing-and-production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Freddie Gorman and featured Berry Gordy Jr.'s wife Raynoma Liles as organist.

Chart performance

Chart (1962)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[2]	17
US Billboard R&B	7

Personnel

Lead vocals by Gladys Horton
Background vocals by Wanda Young, Georgeanna Tillman, Wyanetta ("Juanita") Cowart, and Katherine Anderson
Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
- Richard "Popcorn" Wylie - piano
- Eddie Willis - guitar
- James Jamerson - bass
- Hank Cosby - tenor saxophone
- Andrew "Mike" Terry - baritone saxophone
- Marvin Gaye - drums
- Eddie "Bongo" Brown - percussion

Carpenters version

Background

A remake of "Beechwood 4-5789" was featured on Made in America, a 1981 album by the Carpenters whose 1975 remake of the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" had reached number one.

Although Richard Carpenter typically exercised control over the Carpenters' song choice, the idea to remake "Beechwood 4-5789" was evidently Karen Carpenter's. Mike Curb recalls Karen playing him the original over the phone after telling him: "I've gotta play a song for you! You'll get a kick out of it! It is really fun! It'll bring back memories." When the record ended, Karen asked Curb; "So, what do you think of this as a single?" Although Curb saw no hit potential in a remake of "Beechwood 4-5789" he responded positively to her question, not having the heart to dampen her enthusiasm.

Reception

"Beechwood 4-5789" would be issued as the fourth single from Made in America¹⁾ on March 2, 1982, Karen Carpenter's thirty-second birthday. The track debuted on the A/C chart in Billboard dated March 27, 1982 and entered the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 24, 1982 at number 83 becoming the twenty-seventh single by the Carpenters to reach the Hot 100, all the group's singles since their major label debut in 1969 having appeared on the chart.

The last single release by the Carpenters prior to Karen Carpenter's death on February 4, 1983, "Beechwood 4-5789" did not become a major hit, rising no higher than number 74 on the Hot 100; the track's A/C chart peak was number 18. "Beechwood 4-5789" did reach number 10 in New Zealand in March 1982 – the single having been released there that February prior to its US issue – making the track the last evident top ten hit by the Carpenters on a major national chart.

Music video

A 1960s nostalgia-themed video for the Carpenters' "Beechwood 4-5789" was shot on A&M's Chaplin Stage. The video's setting is divided between a soda shop where a scene shows the song's single to be put in a jukebox by a man and then the couples in their chairs dance and Karen sings, and a young woman's bedroom (implied to be that of Karen's character) where Karen sings seated in front of a dresser. Karen is then shown seated and singing alongside Richard playing the keyboard; the footage is superimposed onto the dresser in the bedroom, making the duo appear miniature, especially alongside a pink Princess telephone. The video ends with Richard and Karen singing along with the band performing in the shop in front of the couples dancing on seats.^[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1982)	Peak position
New Zealand (RIANZ)^[4]	10
US Cashbox^[5]	88
US Billboard Hot 100^[6]	74
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	18

Personnel

Karen Carpenter – lead and backing vocals
Richard Carpenter – backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, orchestration
Tim May – electric guitar
Joe Osborn – bass
Ron Tutt – drums
Gayle Levant – harp
Tom Scott – baritone and tenor saxophones
Uncredited – castanets, tambourine, cowbell

Other versions

A cover of "Beechwood 4-5789" served as the debut single for Ian and the Zodiacs in September 1963.
Harpers Bizarre remade "Beechwood 4-5789" for their 1976 album As Time Goes By.
St. Louis ska band Isaac Green and the Skalars recorded a version for their 1996 album, Skoolin' with the Skalars.
The song appears on Dionne Bromfield's 2009 debut album Introducing Dionne Bromfield.

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 379.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Schmidt, Randy L. (2010). Little Girl Blue: the life of Karen Carpenter (1st ed.). Chicago IL: Chicago Review Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-55652-976-4.
^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART, 28 March 1982. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

External links

List of cover versions of "Beechwood 4-5789" at SecondHandSongs.com
The Marvelettes - Beechwood 4-5789 on YouTube

[1] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 379.

[2] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[Little_Girl_Blue-3] Schmidt, Randy L. (2010). Little Girl Blue: the life of Karen Carpenter (1st ed.). Chicago IL: Chicago Review Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-55652-976-4.

[4] "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART, 28 March 1982. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.

[Cash_Box-5] Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.

[6] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1962 single by The Marvelettes}}
 {{More citations needed|date=January 2012}}
 {{Infobox song
@@ Line 5: / Line 6: @@
 | alt        =
 | type       = single
-| artist     = [[The Marvelettes]]
+| artist     = [[the Marvelettes]]
 | album      = [[Playboy (The Marvelettes album)|Playboy]]
 | B-side     = Someday, Someway
@@ Line 13: / Line 14: @@
 | genre      = [[Rock and roll]], [[soul music|soul]], [[doo-wop]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
 | length     = 2:13
-| label      = [[Motown|Tamla]]<br><small>T 54065</small>
+| label      = [[Motown|Tamla]]
 | writer     = [[Marvin Gaye]], [[William "Mickey" Stevenson]], George Gordy
 | producer   = William "Mickey" Stevenson
@@ Line 24: / Line 25: @@
 }}
-"'''Beechwood 4-5789'''" is a song written by [[Marvin Gaye]], [[William "Mickey" Stevenson]] and George Gordy. It was a 1962 hit single for the [[Motown]] [[girl group]] [[The Marvelettes]] on Motown's Tamla subsidiary record label. The song became a hit again when it was covered by the [[pop music|pop]] duo [[The Carpenters]] in 1982.
+"'''Beechwood 4-5789'''" is a song written by [[Marvin Gaye]], [[William "Mickey" Stevenson]] and George Gordy. It was a 1962 hit single for the [[Motown]] girl group [[the Marvelettes]] on Motown's Tamla subsidiary record label. The song became a hit again when it was covered by the [[pop music|pop]] duo [[the Carpenters]] in 1982.
-The song's title is derived from the now-defunct use of [[telephone exchange names]] in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234-5789.
+The song's title is derived from the now-defunct use of [[telephone exchange names]] in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234–5789.
 ==The Marvelettes version==
@@ Line 33: / Line 34: @@
 ===Reception===
-"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period, but it was not one of the label's biggest hits. However, it reached the Pop Top 20 of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] as number 17 in the autumn of 1962. The track also reached the R&B Top Ten where it achieved [[double A-side]] status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching number 7 and the flip "Someday, Someway" number 8;<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=379}}</ref> the latter track was a ballad from the writing-&-production team of [[Brian Holland]], [[Lamont Dozier]] and [[Freddie Gorman]] and featured [[Berry Gordy|Berry Gordy Jr]]'s wife [[Ray Singleton|Raynoma Liles]] as organist.
+"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period, but it was not one of the label's biggest hits. However, it reached the Pop Top 20 of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] as number 17 in the autumn of 1962. The track also reached the R&B Top Ten where it achieved [[double A-side]] status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching number 7 and the flip "Someday, Someway" number 8;<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=379}}</ref> the latter track was a ballad from the writing-and-production team of [[Brian Holland]], [[Lamont Dozier]] and [[Freddie Gorman]] and featured [[Berry Gordy|Berry Gordy Jr.]]'s wife [[Ray Singleton|Raynoma Liles]] as organist.
 ===Chart performance===
@@ Line 51: / Line 52: @@
 *Background vocals by [[Wanda Young]], [[Georgeanna Tillman]], [[Juanita Cowart|Wyanetta ("Juanita") Cowart]], and [[Katherine Anderson]]
 *Instrumentation by [[The Funk Brothers]]
+**[[Richard "Popcorn" Wylie]] - piano
+**[[Eddie Willis]] - guitar
+**[[James Jamerson]] - bass
+**[[Hank Cosby]] - tenor saxophone
+**[[Andrew "Mike" Terry]] - baritone saxophone
 **[[Marvin Gaye]] - drums
+**[[Eddie "Bongo" Brown]] - percussion
 ==Carpenters version==
@@ Line 84: / Line 91: @@
 "Beechwood 4-5789" would be issued as the fourth single from ''Made in America''<sup>1)</sup> on March 2, 1982, Karen Carpenter's thirty-second birthday. The track debuted on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|A/C chart]] in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' dated March 27, 1982 and entered the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] dated April 24, 1982 at number 83 becoming the twenty-seventh single by the Carpenters to reach the Hot 100, all the group's singles since their major label debut in 1969 having appeared on the chart.
-The last single release by the Carpenters prior to Karen Carpenter's February 4, 1983 death, "Beechwood 4-5789" did not become a major hit, rising no higher than number 74 on the Hot 100; the track's A/C chart peak was number 18. "Beechwood 4-5789" did reach number 10 in New Zealand in March 1982 – the single having been released there that February prior to its US issue – making the track the last evident top ten hit by the Carpenters on a major national chart.
+The last single release by the Carpenters prior to Karen Carpenter's death on February 4, 1983, "Beechwood 4-5789" did not become a major hit, rising no higher than number 74 on the Hot 100; the track's A/C chart peak was number 18. "Beechwood 4-5789" did reach number 10 in New Zealand in March 1982 – the single having been released there that February prior to its US issue – making the track the last evident top ten hit by the Carpenters on a major national chart.
-*<sup>1)</sup> ''Made in America'' also included the track "[[I Believe You]]", which had been a 1978 single release.
 ===Music video===
@@ Line 108: / Line 113: @@
 !Peak<br />position
 |-
-|[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand]] <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=2988 |title=The Official New Zealand Music Chart|website=THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART, 28 March 1982}}</ref>
+|[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand]] ([[RIANZ]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=2988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418043117/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=2988 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |title=The Official New Zealand Music Chart|website=THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART, 28 March 1982}}</ref>
-| style="text-align:center;"|9
+| style="text-align:center;"|10
+|-
+|US [[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]<ref name="Cash Box">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996]]|publisher=Sheridan Books, Inc.|year=2014|isbn=978-0-89820-209-0}}</ref>
+| style="text-align:center;"|88
 |-
 |US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
@@ Line 125: / Line 133: @@
 * [[Ron Tutt]] – drums
 * Gayle Levant – harp
-* [[Tom Scott (musician)|Tom Scott]] – baritone and tenor saxophones
+* [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]] – baritone and tenor saxophones
 * Uncredited – castanets, tambourine, cowbell
@@ Line 131: / Line 139: @@
 * A cover of "Beechwood 4-5789" served as the debut single for [[Ian and the Zodiacs]] in September 1963.
 * [[Harpers Bizarre]] remade "Beechwood 4-5789" for their 1976 album ''[[As Time Goes By (Harpers Bizarre album)|As Time Goes By]]''.
+* St. Louis ska band Isaac Green and the Skalars recorded a version for their 1996 album, ''Skoolin' with the Skalars''.
 * The song appears on [[Dionne Bromfield]]'s 2009 debut album ''[[Introducing Dionne Bromfield]]''.
@@ Line 137: / Line 146: @@
 * [[867-5309/Jenny]]
 * [[Pennsylvania 6-5000 (song)]]
+* [[Fictitious telephone number]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 142: / Line 152: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{MetroLyrics song|the-carpenters|beechwood-4-5789|version=The Carpenters' cover}}
 * [https://secondhandsongs.com/work/121760/versions List of cover versions of "Beechwood 4-5789"] at SecondHandSongs.com
 * {{YouTube|neuY5AGJPbk|The Marvelettes - Beechwood 4-5789}}
@@ Line 158: / Line 167: @@
 [[Category:Songs written by Marvin Gaye]]
 [[Category:Songs written by William "Mickey" Stevenson]]
+[[Category:Songs written by George Gordy]]
 [[Category:Songs about telephone calls]]
 [[Category:A&M Records singles]]

v t e The Marvelettes
Gladys Horton Katherine Anderson Wanda Young Ann Bogan Georgeanna Tillman Juanita Cowart Georgia Dobbins
Albums	Please Mr. Postman (1961) The Marvelettes Sing aka Smash Hits of '62 (1962) Playboy (1962) The Marvelous Marvelettes (1963) The Marvelettes Recorded Live on Stage (1963) The Marvelettes Greatest Hits (1966) The Marvelettes (1967) Sophisticated Soul (1968) In Full Bloom (1969) The Return of The Marvelettes (1970) The Marvelettes Anthology (1975) The Best of The Marvelettes (1975)
Singles (US/UK Top 40)	"Please Mr. Postman" (1961) "Twistin' Postman" (1961) "Playboy" (1962) "Beechwood 4-5789" (1962) "Too Many Fish in the Sea" (1965) "I'll Keep Holding On" (1965) "Don't Mess with Bill" (1966) "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" (1967) "When You're Young and in Love" (1967) "My Baby Must Be a Magician" (1968)
Categories	Albums Songs

v t e The Carpenters
Karen Carpenter Richard Carpenter
Studio albums	Offering (Ticket to Ride) (1969) Close to You (1970) Carpenters (1971) A Song for You (1972) Now & Then (1973) Horizon (1975) A Kind of Hush (1976) Passage (1977) Christmas Portrait (1978) Made in America (1981) Voice of the Heart (1983) An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984) Lovelines (1989) As Time Goes By (2001)
Live albums	Live in Japan (1975) Live at the Palladium (1976)
Compilation albums	The Singles: 1969–1973 (1973) The Singles: 1974–1978 (1978) The Very Best of the Carpenters (1982) Yesterday Once More (1984) Only Yesterday (1990) From the Top (1991) Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration (1995) Love Songs (1997) Reflections (1998) The Singles: 1969–1981 (2000) The Essential Collection: 1965–1997 (2002) Carpenters Perform Carpenter (2003) Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition (2004) The Ultimate Collection (2006) 40/40 (2009) Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2018)
Solo albums	Time (1987) Karen Carpenter (1996) Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor (1998)
Singles	"Looking for Love" "Ticket to Ride" "(They Long to Be) Close to You" "We've Only Just Begun" "Merry Christmas, Darling" "For All We Know" "Rainy Days and Mondays" "Superstar" "Bless the Beasts and Children" "Hurting Each Other" "It's Going to Take Some Time" "Goodbye to Love" "Sing" "Yesterday Once More" "Top of the World" "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" "I Won't Last a Day Without You" "Please Mr. Postman" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" "Only Yesterday" "Solitaire" "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" "I Need to Be in Love" "Goofus" "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" "Sweet, Sweet Smile" "I Believe You" "Touch Me When We're Dancing" "(Want You) Back in My Life Again" "Those Good Old Dreams" "Beechwood 4-5789" "Make Believe It's Your First Time" "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" "Little Altar Boy" "Honolulu City Lights" "Something in Your Eyes" "If I Had You" "Ave Maria" "The Rainbow Connection"
Other songs	"Let Me Be the One" "A Song for You" "This Masquerade" "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" "Can't Smile Without You" "I Just Fall in Love Again" "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" "Where Do I Go from Here"
Television series and specials	Make Your Own Kind of Music (1971) Live at the BBC (1971) Very First TV Special (1976) Space Encounters (1978) A Christmas Portrait (1978) Music, Music, Music (1980)
Music video releases	Gold: Greatest Hits (1991 VHS / 2002 DVD) Interpretations (1995 VHS / 2003 DVD)
Documentaries	Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters (1998) Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (2007)
Related	Discography Songs John Bettis Tony Peluso If I Were a Carpenter Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story The Karen Carpenter Story Classic Carpenters
Category

Latest revision as of 03:21, 17 December 2024

The Marvelettes version

Background

Reception

Chart performance

Personnel

Carpenters version

Background

Reception

Music video

Chart performance

Personnel

Other versions

See also

References

External links