"Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" | ||||
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Single by The Tams | ||||
from the album A Little More Soul | ||||
B-side | "That Same Old Song" | |||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1968 | |||
Length | 2:06 | |||
Label | ABC Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Whitley, J.R. Cobb | |||
Producer(s) | Joe South | |||
The Tams singles chronology | ||||
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"Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" | ||||
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Single by Sonia | ||||
from the album Sonia | ||||
B-side | "Used To Be My Love" | |||
Released | 31 August 1991 | |||
Format |
CD Single 7" Single 12" Single |
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Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:56 | |||
Label | IQ Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Robert Whitley, J.R. Cobb | |||
Producer(s) | Nigel Wright | |||
Sonia singles chronology | ||||
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"Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" is a soul song. It was first recorded in 1967 by The Sensational Epics, and was originally released on Warner Bros. Records. The song has also been recorded by the Jimmy Castor Bunch, The Gentle Touch, Booker T. and the M.G.'s and others.
The Tams version was released as a single in 1968, in the US, and was a moderate success, peaking at #26 on the R&B singles chart and #61 on the Hot 100. Sometime later, in March 1970, it peaked at #32 in the UK Singles Chart. It has since become one of the most popular beach music songs, especially in the American South, where the song and the group enjoy continued popularity and recognizability, as do all of the hits by the group. The song is also still popular in the United Kingdom amongst fans of Northern soul. Noddy Holder, lead singer with 70s British Glam rock band Slade, claimed in a newspaper interview that his band was playing the song live long before its Northern Soul success.
Sonia's cover version was produced by Nigel Wright for her second studio album, Sonia (1991). The song was released in August 1991 as the album's second single, with another album track "Used to Be My Love" on the B-side. The song reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1992, the track was released as the lead single off the album in the USA, with a different single mix than in the UK. It peaked at #13 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.