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Revision as of 22:39, 9 November 2009

For the Tanpopo song, see Last Kiss (Tanpopo song).
For the 2006 movie, see The Last Kiss.

"Last Kiss" is a song that was written by Wayne Cochran in 1962 and originally performed by Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders, although their version of the song had little success.[1] The song was later covered by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, Wednesday, Pearl Jam, and several international artists, all of whom had success with the song.

Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders' version

"Last Kiss"
Song

Wayne Cochran was initially inspired to write "Last Kiss" after having lived near a dangerous highway where several accidents had occurred yearly.[1] Cochran began writing the song in 1956. He came up with the song's chord progression, first verse, and chorus, although more than five years would pass before Cochran finished the song.[1]

Lyrical inspiration

Cochran based the rest of "Last Kiss" on an incident in which several teens were killed and two seriously injured when their car struck a flatbed logging truck.[2] Sixteen-year-old Jeanette Clark was out on a date in Barnesville, Georgia on December 22, 1962, the Saturday before Christmas. She was with a group of friends in a 1954 Chevrolet. J. L. Hancock, also sixteen, was driving the car in heavy traffic and while traveling on Highway 341, collided with a trailer truck. Clark, Hancock, and another teenager were killed, and two other teens in the car were seriously injured.[3] Cochran finished the song, which he titled "Last Kiss", and dedicated it to Clark.

J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers' version

"Last Kiss"
Song
B-side"That's How Much I Love You"

"Last Kiss" caught the attention of record promoter Sonley Roush. Roush brought the song to a group that he managed, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, with the idea of having them cover the song. The song was recorded in a tense four-hour session and led to a disagreement leading to the departure of the lead guitarist, Sid Holmes. On a concert trip to Ohio the band's car collided with a truck, killing Roush and severely injuring Wilson.[4] In 1964, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers had the first real commercial success with the song. The cover was released in June 1964 and reached the Top 10 in October. It eventually reached number 2 on the Top 40 pop charts,[3] and also earned the band a gold record.

Other cover versions

In the 1960s, the Mexican rock singer Leopoldo Sanchez Labastida (Polo) recorded a cover of "Last Kiss" in Spanish, reaching number one on Mexican radio, and the Peruvian rock band Los Doltons recorded a cover of "Last Kiss" in Spanish, reaching number one on Peruvian radio. In the mid-1960s, the Colombian singer Alci Acosta recorded a cover of "Last Kiss" that became a hit in his country. In the early 1970s, the Venezuelan bands IMPALA and Los 007 recorded covers of "Last Kiss" in Spanish.

In late 1973, the Canadian pop band Wednesday recorded a cover of "Last Kiss", reaching number two in Canada and number 34 on the U.S. charts.[5] In 1989, the Mexican pop-rock singer Gloria Trevi included an extended Spanish version of "Last Kiss" on her first album, ¿Qué Hago Aquí?, and it became popular on Mexican pop radio. The Filipino rock band Kamikazee recorded a cover of "Last Kiss" for its 2002 album, Kamikazee. The Canadian band The Havingas recorded a cover of "Last Kiss" for its 2007 album, Knockin on Heaven's Door.[6]

Pearl Jam's version

"Last Kiss"
Song
B-side"Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)"

"Last Kiss" was also covered by the American rock band Pearl Jam, becoming the band's biggest hit to date.[7]

Origin and recording

The idea to cover "Last Kiss" came about after vocalist Eddie Vedder found an old record of the song at the Fremont Antique Mall in Seattle, Washington.[8] He convinced the rest of the band to try out the song and it was performed a few times on the band's 1998 tour. The band eventually recorded the song at a soundcheck at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and released it as a 1998 fan club Christmas single.[9][10] The band spent only a couple thousand dollars mixing the song.[11] Bassist Jeff Ament said, "It was the most minimalist recording we've ever done."[10]

Release and reception

In the following year the cover of "Last Kiss" began to be played by radio stations and was ultimately put into heavy rotation across the country. By popular demand the cover was released to the public as a single on June 8, 1999, with all of the proceeds going to the aid of refugees of the Kosovo War. The cover was also featured on the 1999 charity compilation album, No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees.[12] The song helped earn around 10 million dollars for Kosovo relief.[11]

The cover would end up reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This remains Pearl Jam's highest position on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number four on the Top 40 Mainstream. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The "Last Kiss" single has been certified gold by the RIAA.[13]

Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Austria, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart and became the band's highest charted song in Canada, and later it charted on the Canadian Rock Top 30 chart where it reached number four and stayed there for two weeks. "Last Kiss" also reached number 22 on the Canadian Year End Rock Top 50. "Last Kiss" reached the top 50 in the UK. "Last Kiss" peaked at number one on the Australian Singles Chart. It reached the top 80 in the Netherlands and was a moderate top 20 success in New Zealand.

Christopher John Farley of Time stated, "It's a spare, morose song with Vedder's voice warbling lovelorn over a straight-ahead drum beat. Going back to basics has put Pearl Jam back on top."[7] Regarding the cover, guitarist Stone Gossard said, "You can try album after album to write a hit and spend months getting drum sounds and rewriting lyrics, or you can go to a used record store and pick out a single and fall in love with it."[14] Pearl Jam included "Last Kiss" on the 2003 B-sides and rarities album, Lost Dogs, and on the 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).

Live performances

Pearl Jam first performed its cover of "Last Kiss" live at the band's May 7, 1998 concert in Seattle, Washington at ARO.space.[15] Live performances by Pearl Jam of "Last Kiss" can be found on various official bootlegs and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set.

Track listing

  1. "Last Kiss" (Wayne Cochran) – 3:15
  2. "Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)" (Buzz Cason, Tony Moon) – 2:54

Chart positions

Chart (1999) Position
Australian Singles Chart[16] 1
Canadian Singles Chart[17] 2
Canadian Rock Top 30[18] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 2
US Modern Rock Tracks[19] 2
US Top 40 Mainstream[20] 4
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] 5
New Zealand Singles Chart[21] 19
UK Singles Chart[22] 42
Dutch Singles Chart[23] 77

References

  1. ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian. "Best Of '99: Author Of Pearl Jam's Biggest Hit Has God To Thank". VH1.com. July 12, 1999.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "J. Frank Wilson: Bio". Allmusic.
  3. ^ a b "Last Kiss by J. Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers". songfacts.com.
  4. ^ Matthew, Brian. "Sounds of the 60s". BBC Radio 2. September 26, 2009.
  5. ^ www.wednesdayrocks.com
  6. ^ www.thehavingas.com.
  7. ^ a b Farley, Christopher John. "Last Kiss". Time. July 19, 1999.
  8. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs". Billboard. 2003.
  9. ^ Rosen, Craig. "Pearl Jam's 'Last Kiss' Becomes Band's First No. 1 Single". Yahoo! Music. July 1, 1999.
  10. ^ a b Stout, Gene. "Pearl Jam's Ament has smaller fish to fry at festival". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. July 30, 1999.
  11. ^ a b (2003) Album notes for Lost Dogs by Pearl Jam, [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music.
  12. ^ "The Unofficial Pearl Jam FAQ". vitalogy.de.
  13. ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  14. ^ Anderman, Joan. "Wisdom of Pearl". The Boston Globe. May 24, 2006.
  15. ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Last Kiss"". pearljam.com.
  16. ^ "PEARL JAM - LAST KISS (SINGLE) (12663)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  17. ^ "Canadian Charts - "Last Kiss"". RPM. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Canadian Rock/Alternative Top 30 – "Last Kiss"". RPM. Retrieved 2007-03-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b c "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  21. ^ "PEARL JAM - LAST KISS (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  22. ^ "Chart Log: 1994-2006". Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  23. ^ "Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
Preceded by Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single
(Pearl Jam's cover version)
August 1 – September 18, 1999 		Succeeded by
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