"The Boy from New York City"
Single by The Ad Libs
B-side"Kicked Around"
ReleasedDecember 1964
Recorded1964
GenreSoul, doo wop
Length2:50
LabelBlue Cat
Songwriter(s)
  • George Davis
  • John T. Taylor
[1]
Producer(s)Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
The Ad Libs singles chronology
"The Boy from New York City"
(1964)		 "I'm Just a Down Home Girl"
(1965)

"The Boy from New York City" is a song originally recorded by the American soul group The Ad Libs,[2] released in 1964 as their first single. Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the chart week of February 27, 1965. Though the group continued to record other singles, they never repeated the chart success of "The Boy from New York City". According to Artie Butler, the track was recorded at A&R Studios in New York, in three separate sessions. The first session was to lay down the rhythm section, then the next session was for the lead and backup vocals, with the last session was just for the horns.

Track listing

  • "The Boy from New York City" - 2:50
  • "Kicked Around" - 1:47

Personnel

  • Mary Ann Thomas: lead vocals
  • Hugh Harris: backing vocals
  • Danny Austin: backing vocals
  • Dave Watt: backing vocals
  • Norman Donegan: backing vocals

Chart history

Weekly charts
Chart (1965) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 8
US Cash Box Top 100[4] 10
Canada RPM [5] 2
Year-end charts
Chart (1965) Rank
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 98

Influence on The Beach Boys

In 1965, The Beach Boys recorded an answer song to "The Boy From New York City" titled "The Girl From New York City" for their album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).[7] The following year Beach Boys songwriter and arranger Brian Wilson took further inspiration from the rhythm of the original Ad Libs song in conceiving a new R&B-inflected composition that would eventually become “Good Vibrations.”[8]

Cover versions

The song was later covered by Darts and The Manhattan Transfer, both becoming chart hits in the UK and US respectively. Darts peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1978,[9] while The Manhattan Transfer's version, featuring Janis Siegel on lead vocals, peaked at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1981. The Manhattan Transfer version was used by pro wrestler Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant as his theme music during his tenure with Jim Crockett promotions in the 1980s.

Darts version

Track listing

  • "The Boy from New York City"
  • "Bones"

Personnel

Chart history

Weekly charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 34
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 9
UK[12] 2
Year-end charts
Chart (1978) Rank
UK[13] 35

The Manhattan Transfer version

"The Boy from New York City"
Single by The Manhattan Transfer
from the album Mecca for Moderns
B-side"(The Word of) Confirmation"
ReleasedMay 1981 (1981)
Length3:40
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
  • George Davis
  • John T. Taylor
Producer(s)Jay Graydon
The Manhattan Transfer singles chronology
"Trickle Trickle"
(1980)		 "The Boy from New York City"
(1981)		 "Smile Again"
(1981)
Live video
The Manhattan Transfer – "The Boys from New York City" (live in Munich, 1991) on YouTube

"To have a hit like that you need a great song. We thought 'Boy from New York City' had a second shot [at success] in it & it did. It's one of those perfect sing-a-long songs. People love to sing it & the key to that song is the bassline at the beginning...that grabs the listener. That song swings."[14]

Track listing

  • "The Boy from New York City"
  • "(The Word Of) Confirmation "

Personnel

The Manhattan Transfer
Additional musicians

Chart history

Weekly charts
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australia KMR[15] 36
Canada RPM Top Singles[16] 8
New Zealand[17] 2
Switzerland [18] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 7
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 4
US Cash Box Top 100[20] 8
Year-end charts
Chart (1981) Rank
Canada [21] 60
New Zealand [22] 28
Switzerland [23] 19
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 36
US Cash Box [25] 49

References

  1. ↑ "The Boy From New York City - The Ad Libs | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  2. ↑ "The Boy From New York City - The Ad Libs | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  3. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  4. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 27, 1965". Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ "RPM Top 40 Singles - March 1, 1965" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  7. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "AllMusic 'Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)". AllMusic.
  8. ↑ Hickey, Andrew (25 March 2022). "Episode 146: "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys". A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. Retrieved 13 November 2023. The Beach Boys had definitely been aware of that record — on their 1965 album Summer Days… And Summer Nights! they recorded an answer song to it, "The Girl From New York City": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "The Girl From New York City"] And you can see how influenced Brian was by the Ad-Libs record by laying the early instrumental takes of the "Good Vibrations" chorus from this February session under the vocal intro of "The Boy From New York City". It's not a perfect match, but you can definitely hear that there's an influence there:
  9. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 141. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 82. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Boy from New York City". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
  13. ↑ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
  14. ↑ Hartford Courant 24 September 2014 "Still on Track: Manhattan Transfer remains unique" by Ed Condran p.D1-D2
  15. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  17. ↑ NZ Top 40 Singles, 27 September 1981
  18. ↑ "The Manhattan Transfer - Boy from New York City - hitparade.ch".
  19. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  20. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 15, 1981". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Top 100 Singles (1981)". RPM. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  22. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
  23. ↑ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1981
  24. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1981". Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2017.


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