"With a Girl Like You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Troggs | ||||
B-side | "I Want You" | |||
Released | 8 July 1966[1] | |||
Studio | Olympic, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:08 | |||
Label | Fontana | |||
Songwriter(s) | Reg Presley [4] | |||
Producer(s) | Larry Page [4] | |||
The Troggs singles chronology | ||||
|
"With a Girl Like You" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in July 1966. On the back of the success of " Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" topped the charts in the UK, and was similarly a success across Europe, but did not fare as well in the US, only peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. [5] [6]
"With a Girl Like You" was written by the Troggs' lead vocalist Reg Presley whilst he was a bricklayer. He took inspiration from the vocals in " Barbara Ann", which became a hit for the Beach Boys in early 1966. [7] "With a Girl Like You" was recorded at Olympic Studios at the same time as their previous single "Wild Thing". Both songs were recorded in two takes because they only had a short amount of recording time; manager Larry Page got them into the studio at the end of a session for his orchestra. [8] [9] The hook, with Presley shouting "Ba ba ba ba ba", was initially planned to be performed on trumpets, though the band opted for vocals instead. [7]
"Wild Thing" had been simultaneously released in the US in May 1966 on two record labels, Atco and Fontana. Atco had released "With a Girl Like You" as the B-side, whereas Fontana released "Wild Thing" with the Presley-penned "From Home". Therefore, in July, Fontana released "With a Girl Like You" as a A-side single with "I Want You", written by Page and Colin Frechter, as the B-side, which is the same as the release in the UK. [10] [11]
Reviewing for New Musical Express, Derek Johnson wrote that "With a Girl Like You" "doesn't have the novelty spoken passages and tempo breaks of "Wild Thing" but it does have another gimmick – at the end of each line. The soloist repeats the melody in a sort of scat vocal that everyone can join in. It's a catchy mid-tempo tune, fairly simple in construction, and therefore quickly assimilated". [12] Record Mirror wrote that it "should be every bit as big as "Wild Thing"" and similarly that "the boys plunge into a steady mid-tempo, with rasping lead voice, and sturdy beat and several vocal gimmicks on a teen song if ever there was one". [13] Cash Box described it as "a low-down, funky, blues-soaked romancer". [14]
Chart (1966–67) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia ( Go-Set) [15] | 4 |
Australia ( Kent Music Report) [16] | 8 |
Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40) [17] | 6 |
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders) [18] | 12 |
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [19] | 8 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM) [20] | 16 |
Denmark ( Danmarks Radio) [21] | 3 |
Finland ( Soumen Virallinen) [22] | 13 |
Germany ( Official German Charts) [23] | 2 |
Ireland ( IRMA) [24] | 2 |
Italy ( Musica e dischi) [25] | 11 |
Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40) [26] | 1 |
Netherlands ( Single Top 100) [27] | 1 |
New Zealand ( Listener) [28] | 1 |
Norway ( VG-lista) [29] | 2 |
Rhodesia ( Lyons Maid) [30] | 1 |
South Africa ( Springbok Radio) [31] | 1 |
Spain ( Promusicae) [32] | 6 |
Sweden ( Kvällstoppen) [33] | 2 |
Sweden ( Tio i Topp) [34] | 1 |
UK Disc and Music Echo Top 50 [35] | 1 |
UK Melody Maker Top 50 [36] | 1 |
UK New Musical Express Top 30 [37] | 1 |
UK Record Retailer Top 50 [5] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 29 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [38] | 41 |
Wild Thing was followed by two mid-tempo pop-rock songs, With A Girl Like You and / Can 't Control Myself, also hits in 1966.