Winchester Cathedral

New Vaudeville Band

About Winchester Cathedral

"Winchester Cathedral" is a song by The New Vaudeville Band, a British novelty group established by the song's composer, Geoff Stephens, and was released in late 1966 by Fontana Records. It reached #1 in Canada on the RPM 100 national singles charts and shortly thereafter in the U. S. on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Stephens was a big fan of tunes from the British music hall era (or what Americans would call "vaudeville"), so he wrote "Winchester Cathedral" in that vein, complete with a Rudy Vallée soundalike (John Carter) singing through his hands to imitate a megaphone sound. Although the song was recorded entirely by session musicians, when it became an international hit, an actual band had to be assembled, with Fontana trying unsuccessfully to recruit the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The recording is one of the few charting songs to feature a bassoon. The band toured extensively under the tutelage of Peter Grant, who later went on to manage The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. The tune went to No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It went all the way to the top in the U. S., however, displacing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes on December 3, 1966. After a one-week run at No. 1, "Winchester Cathedral" was knocked off the summit by the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations", only to rebound to the top spot the following week. After two additional weeks, it was knocked off the top for good by "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees. 


Year:
2017
2:25
97 
#1

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
You let her walk by

Now everyone knows just how much I needed that gal
She wouldn't have gone far away
If only you'd started ringing your bell

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


New Vaudeville Band

The New Vaudeville Band was a group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record his novelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and a Rudy Vallee megaphone-style vocal. To his surprise, the song became a transatlantic hit that autumn, reaching the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and rising to No. 1 in the United States. The New Vaudeville Band initially was a studio group composed of session players, but Stephens quickly assembled a permanent group to continue recording and to play live shows. The group has been periodically revived since, without Stephens' participation. The New Vaudeville Band placed several singles in the US and UK Top 40 through 1967. The group was nominated for two Grammy Awards, on… more »

1 fan

Written by: GEOFF STEPHENS

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Artist Variation
"Winchester Cathedral" has been covered by many artists. While it was originally recorded by The New Vaudeville Band, it has been covered by artists like Frank Sinatra and The Four Freshmen.
Chart Topper
The original song by The New Vaudeville Band peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966.
Grammy Winner
The song received the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Recording.
Sinatra's Version
Frank Sinatra's cover was mainly instrumental and featured the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, a big departure from The New Vaudeville Band's more vocal-heavy version.
Release Date
Sinatra's version of "Winchester Cathedral" was released as a part of his album "That's Life" in 1966.
The Four Freshmen's Cover
The Four Freshmen were known for their vocal harmonies. Their distinctive style can be heard in their version of "Winchester Cathedral".
Theme
The song uses the image of the historic Winchester Cathedral in England as a metaphor, symbolizing a place of solace for the singer, who has been jilted by his lover.
Genre
The original song by The New Vaudeville Band is sometimes regarded as part of the British Invasion. The song's style, reminiscent of music from the 1920s and '30s, was quite unique for the time.
Distinctive Sound
The New Vaudeville Band used an old-fashioned megaphone when recording the song to give the vocals a distant and vintage feel, adding to the old timey vibe of this song.
Versatility
"Winchester Cathedral" was vintage yet fresh, which might explain why it attracted artists from different generations and genres – from the new wave of British musicians to an established American star like Sinatra, to a vocal harmony group like The Four Freshmen.

Discuss the Winchester Cathedral Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Winchester Cathedral Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/31969272/New+Vaudeville+Band/Winchester+Cathedral>.

    Missing lyrics by New Vaudeville Band?

    Know any other songs by New Vaudeville Band? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    Winchester Cathedral

    71,841
    837     21

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1966

    Billboard #1


    more tracks from the album

    The British Invasion [Time Life]

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    "Rivers of Babylon" is a hit song sung by which outstanding musical group?
    A Bee Gees
    B Chilly
    C Boney M.
    D ABBA

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    New Vaudeville Band tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!

    Movies soundtrack

    Winchester Cathedral

    »