"Puppet Man" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was originally recorded by Sedaka on his 1969 Australian LP Workin' on a Groovy Thing, which saw a UK release under the title Sounds of Sedaka. In the UK, "Puppet Man" was released as the B-side of the single "Ebony Angel" on the MCA label
| "Puppet Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The 5th Dimension | ||||
| from the album Portrait | ||||
| B-side | "A Love Like Ours" | |||
| Released | March 1970 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Bell Records | |||
| Songwriter | Sedaka-Greenfield | |||
| Producer | Bones Howe | |||
| The 5th Dimension singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The first hit version was by The Fifth Dimension in 1970. The following year it was also a hit for Tom Jones.
The Fifth Dimension's original of "Puppet Man" reached #24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1970.
Charts
edit| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 19 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[1] | 31 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 24 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 31 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[3] | 22 |
Tom Jones version
edit| "Puppet Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tom Jones | ||||
| from the album Tom Jones Sings She's a Lady | ||||
| B-side | "Every Mile" "Resurrection Shuffle" | |||
| Released | May 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Decca (UK), Parrot (US and Canada) | |||
| Songwriter | Sedaka-Greenfield | |||
| Producer | Gordon Mills | |||
| Tom Jones UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Tom Jones' version was released the following spring. It reached No. 26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, spending 10 weeks on the chart. For the first six weeks the single was backed with "Every Mile," then was changed to "Resurrection Shuffle", which also became a U.S. top 40 hit, reaching No. 38 and keeping the record on the charts an additional five weeks.
Charts
editOther versions
editA cover of the song was performed on The Muppet Show in 1980 by a Muppet version of Pinocchio playing into the literal lyrics of the song.[10]
References
edit- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-05-31. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- 1 2 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 31, 1970
- ↑ "Tom Jones – Puppet Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "Tom Jones – Puppet Man" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-07-10. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ↑ "Search results for "Tom Jones" | Official Chart". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 3, 1971
- ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
- ↑ Finch, Christopher (1981). Of Muppets and Men. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0394520858.
