The Man in the Raincoat (song)

"The Man in the Raincoat" is a song written by Warwick Webster, which was first released by Priscilla Wright in April 1955,[1] and became a hit in the United States. Another hit version was released by Marion Marlowe later that year.

"The Man in the Raincoat"
Single by Priscilla Wright with Don Wright and The Septette
B-side"Please Have Mercy"
ReleasedApril 1955[1]
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:53
LabelSparton
Songwriter(s)Warwick Webster[2]
Priscilla Wright singles chronology
"The Man in the Raincoat"
(1955)		 "Midnight Train"
(1955)

Priscilla Wright versions

Priscilla Wright's original version was recorded at the studios of CFPL, where Don Wright was station manager.[3] The song was originally recorded for the Canadian Sparton label,[3][4] and was released in the United States on the Unique label.[1][5] Wright was 14 at the time the song was released,[1] and was the daughter of Don Wright,[1] who was the arranger on the recording. Priscilla Wright performed the song on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town on July 3, 1955.[6][3]

Priscilla Wright re-recorded the song in 1988.[7] This version reached No. 8 on RPM's Adult Contemporary chart.[8]

Chart performance

The song reached No. 12 on the Cash Box Top 50 Best Selling Records chart, in a tandem ranking of Priscilla Wright, Marion Marlowe, Karen Chandler, and Lita Roza's versions, with Priscilla Wright and Marion Marlowe's versions marked as bestsellers,[9] while reaching No. 10 on Cash Box's chart of records disk jockeys played most, in a tandem ranking of Priscilla Wright and Marion Marlowe's versions,[10] and No. 11 on Cash Box's chart of "The Nation's Top Ten Juke Box Tunes".[11] The song also reached No. 11 on Billboard's Honor Roll of Hits.[12]

The song was ranked No. 50 on Billboard's ranking of "1955's Top Tunes", based on the Honor Roll of Hits.[13]

Priscilla Wright version
Chart (1955) Peak
position
US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores[14][15] 18
US Billboard Most Played by Jockeys[14][15] 16
US Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes[14][16] 20

Marion Marlowe version
Chart (1955) Peak
position
US Billboard Most Played by Jockeys[17][15] 14
US Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes[17][15] 18

Claudine Longet version

In 1967, Claudine Longet released a version of the song as the B-side of "Small Talk" and on the album The Look of Love.[18]

References
  1. "The Cash Box Canadian Capers", Cash Box, April 30, 1955. p. 18. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  2. "The Cash Box Canadian Capers", Cash Box, May 7, 1955. p. 29. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  3. Hawthorn, Tom. "Singer lowered her voice, and raised her profile", The Globe and Mail, March 28, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  4. "The Cash Box Canadian Capers", Cash Box, April 16, 1955. p. 31. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  5. "Unique Gets Masters by Canadian Lass", Billboard, April 30, 1955. p. 24. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  6. Inman, David M. (2005). Television Variety Shows: Histories and Episode Guides to 57 Programs, McFarland & Company. p. 84. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  7. "Benefactor's Memory Honoured at Tribute Concert", University of Victoria, March 22, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  8. "RPM Adult Contemporary", RPM Weekly, Volume 48, No. 9, June 18, 1988. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  9. "The Cash Box Top 50 Best Selling Records", Cash Box, August 13, 1955. p. 20. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. "The Ten Records Disk Jockeys Played Most This Week", Cash Box, August 13, 1955. p. 10. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  11. "The Nation's Top Ten Juke Box Tunes", Cash Box, August 20, 1955. p. 4. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  12. "Honor Roll of Hits", Billboard, August 6, 1955. p. 48. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  13. "1955's Top Tunes", Billboard, December 31, 1955. p. 29. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  14. Whitburn, Joel (1987) The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 330.
  15. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, August 6, 1955. p. 50. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  16. "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts - Popular Records", Billboard, August 13, 1955. p. 34. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  17. Whitburn, Joel (1987) The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 195.
  18. "The Look of Love – Claudine Longet". AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
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