| "Like to Get to Know You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Spanky and Our Gang | ||||
| from the album Like to Get to Know You | ||||
| B-side | "Three Ways from Tomorrow" | |||
| Released | March 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Sunshine pop, blue-eyed soul | |||
| Length | Single: 3:19 Album: 2:15 (single), 0:59 (coda) | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Stuart Scharf | |||
| Producer(s) |
Bob Dorough Stuart Scharf | |||
| Spanky and Our Gang singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Like to Get to Know You" is a 1968 song from Spanky and Our Gang. Written by Stuart Scharf, the song debuted at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 20, 1968, and peaked at No. 17 on June 8, 1968. [1] It became a minor hit on the Billboard Easy Listening chart at the same time, eventually rising to No. 24 the same week it peaked on the Hot 100. [2] In Canada, the song reached No. 5 on the RPM Magazine charts. [3] On the album of the same name, the song is broken into two parts: the full vocal, and a coda that echoes the chorus and conversation from the song.
Recording
As on their previous hit single, their new producer, Stuart Scharf, also employed session musicians to create the instrumental backing track while the group members provided lead and background vocals. This was the first hit they recorded in Los Angeles—all of their previous records were cut in New York with Jerry Ross producing. Session players on this recording included Max Bennett on bass; Larry Knechtel on piano; Mike Deasy on guitar; Hal Blaine on drums; Ralph Schaffer, Sid Sharp, Harry Bluestone, Marvin Limonick, Nathan Kaproff, William Hymanson and Mischa Russell on violins; Leonard Selic and David Burk on violas; Paul Bergstrom and Armand Kaproff on cellos; and Jules Chaikin on trumpet. Additional instruments were also played by Stuart Scharf, William Kurasch, and Bob Dorough with most of them playing wind instruments. [4]
A performance of this song was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show on March 24, 1968. [5] In the uniquely staged presentation, the members of the group appear to be at a cocktail party (interacting in a way that tracks the song's lyrics), while the song is performed by the same group on a stage behind them.
Chart history
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Uses in popular culture
The song is heard in a 2016 TV commercial for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Other versions
Covers
- The Johnny Mann Singers featured it on the album Sixties Mann.
- Julie London, for her 1969 album Yummy, Yummy, Yummy.
Samples
- Lancaster, California-based act Cleen & DJ Hoppa's 2007 single "Get to Know You".
- J. Rawls & John Robinson feat. Invizible Handz's 2009 single "Know U". [11]
References
- ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 225.
- ^ a b "Item Display - RPM". Library and Archives Canada. June 15, 1968. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ^ "Like to Get to Know You Artist List". Sound Recording Division Performing Artists. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ Original version performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on YouTube
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 225.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". June 8, 1968. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM". Library and Archives Canada. January 6, 1969. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". December 28, 1968. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ JayAre and Invizible Handz version on YouTube
