Major Lance - Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um

On this day September 14, 1963, Major Lance recorded the Curtis Mayfield composition "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um."

"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" is a song, written by Curtis Mayfield. The first recording of the song to be released was by Major Lance; it was released as a single in December 1963. The single was produced by Okeh label president, Carl Davis. The song was Major Lance's third release to make the Billboard Hot 100 and his most successful hit with a #5 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1964 with a #1 peak on the Cash Box R&B chart (Billboard did not run an R&B chart November 1963-January 1965).

The song's title refers to the mournful noise the narrator is puzzled to overhear made by a man sitting on a park bench. A considerable time later the narrator, having been left by the woman he loves, empathetically realizes what likely motivated the man on the bench's moaning.

In the UK a concurrent release of Major Lance's "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" reached #40 the artist's only UK chart appearance. The song would become a major UK hit in the autumn of 1964 via a rendition by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders which reached #5.

In the mid-1970s Major Lance would remake "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" as a disco track: recorded in the UK, this version reached #59 R&B in 1974.

Johnny Rivers remade the song for for his 1977 album Outside Help from which it was issued as the followup single to the Top Ten hit "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)": River's version of "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" renamed the song "Curious Mind" after a lyric in the second verse, the full title of the Rivers' version being "Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)". "Curious Mind..." was heavily supported by Easy listening radio with a February 1978 peak of #4 on the Easy Listening chart in "Billboard" and almost afforded Rivers' a Top 40 hit with a #41 peak on the "Billboard" Hot 100 where it would be Rivers' final charting.

"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" has also been recorded by Ian and the Zodiacs, Steve Marriott, Katy Moffatt and Ola and the Janglers, and is performed by Huey Lewis and the News as part of their Live at 25 concert CD and DVD. (Info Wiki)