I never thought I would hear this song again. It didn't get much air play, but Noel was on TV, singing it a lot. I was around 15-16 abd anyone from England was great!
I’m so very sorry about your sister. Only 16. I was about that age when this song came out. I was very introverted, and didn’t participate in much. But there was so much being thrown at us that we didn’t understand. Some kids just got caught up in bad situations they didn’t know were bad. And sometimes it was too late. I’m so sorry your family had that grief to bear,and sorry your sister couldn’t live the years she deserved.
Didn't quite make the top 50 on the US charts [peaked at #51], but for whatever reason managed to get some airplay and reach the local top 20 in Los Angeles.
Yet another song I thought no-one had heard of except me. Brilliant. If anyone's got 'Trouble is my middle name' by the Brook Brothers my happiness would be complete!
An excellent song and good, almost deadpan, delivery of very sad material. I was surprised at that last word..."dead". I think this song is more appreciated by people with a bit more life experience then the usually quite young audience of Hullaballoo. Took a chance having this song on the show but I'm glad they did.
Ohhhhhhh, god what happened why all these great people have gone are not hear any more , where are they, and why they are not here any more, they have feeling of volcanos inside and face like Ice beautiful out side. of course special voice.
Per: oldiesmusic(.)com/news.htm Noel Harrison passed away on Sunday {Oct. 20th} in Devon, England at the age of 79... He charted twice in the USA; "A Young Girl" {#51 in 1966} and "Suzanne" {#56 in 1967}, and both records spent 8 weeks on the Top 100... In his native England in 1969 hit reached #8 with "The Windmills Of Your Mind"... He was the son of Rex Harrison, who won a Best Actor Oscar for "My Fair Lady", who died on June 2nd, 1990 at age 82... May they both R.I.P.
This was from the October 25, 1965 telecast. I suspect producer Gary Smith wanted Noel to sing this one, because he was comfortable staging more "adult" musical numbers {Smith did not share the same attitude towards pop music as "SHINDIG!" producer Jack Good did}.
wow I thought the world had forgotten about this song! I remember being mystified by it when it was played on pirate radio in the UK in about 1965, when I was 11.
Imagine that! A cautionary tale for kids to deter them from teenage rebellion and a too quick rush into romance, advice to let the head rule the glands. Shocking!😕
"A Young Girl," was written by Aznavour, Brown, and Chauvigny," it says (on the 45). The song is very like a Peter Starstedt song. It is also a very good lyric and the music is exellent. "Morning Girl," was by the Neon Philharmonic," but I think the song that Noel Harrison recorded is a different song with a similar title.
I'm 40 and have gone my whole life never hearing this song. I've been listening to the local oldies station (KFXM for anyone interested) because new music (at least what's played on the radio) is garbage and the local classic rock station plays more butt-rock than classic. Anyway, this song comes on here and there and I've loved it since the first time I heard it months ago. Such a sweetly dark song, with a lovely and melancholy melody. Hard to believe we went from this sort of music to the trite, carbon copy drivel of today.
Another startling and stirring song testifying to the genius of Aznavour. The English translation works beautifully and Noel Harrison gives the song real dignity and feeling. Aznavour recorded several versions of 'Une Enfant' through the years, but this 1966 live rendition might be the finest: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-z60Vl6LT5As.html
@tuxguys "What Now My Love" was written by Gilbert Becaud and Pierre Delanoe and the English lyrics were by Carl Sigman. Charles Aznevour could only wish he had written it. At one time it was the most covered song in the world, woth over 1500 versions. Aznevour wrote "A Young Girl".
That's Petula "Downtown" Clark doing the introduction, and I learn from her, for the first time after all these years, that the tune was originally written by Charles "What Now My Love?" Aznavour. I heard this once, in 1966, on Lloyd Thaxton's TV-syndicated 'dance party' show, where Thaxton had a segment where a kid was brought out of the audience to lip-synch a current hit,and the kid did this tune (and well, too). The last word haunted me. Almost 40 years later, I hear it for the second time on a Saturday afternoon oldies show on WATD, in South Shore MA, and I call the DJ to find out who it is... and it's Noel, son of Rex, the soon-to-be co-star of "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E." **NOEMAN PERSON "What Now My Love" was written by Gilbert Becaud and Pierre Delanoe and the English lyrics were by Carl Sigman. Charles Aznevour could only wish he had written it. At one time it was the most covered song in the world, wIth over 1500 versions. Aznevour wrote "A Young Girl". NOEMAN PERSON I stand corrected... I have no idea where I got the idea that Aznavour wrote "What Now, My Love?" but I've carried that misinformation around in my brain for over 40 years. Thanks for the info. (Incidentally, the first time I ever heard that tune was on some variety show around 1963 being sung, seriously if not well, by Bill "Jose Jimenez" Dana. Maybe I got the faulty info there.)
I had the TWICE to meet him in a small club, I asked him to sing Wild Mountain Thyme, he smiled ( he is beyond gorgeous, black and white dont do him justice) and though he hadn't played to in years, he quickly hummed, tuned, strummed and WOW. Still have the 8 by 10 autographed, sadly only bl and wh- you need color to see those sparkling blue eyes....sigh....
I used to have this on DVD - I think in the same episode he did a duet with Pet called "Knees Up Mrs Brown" about a lady who is celebrating her hundreth birthday or something like that...
I look at it this way, when you get past all the glittered hype of the "Summer Of Love", Woodstock, "Flower Power" etc., this song takes a stark look at what actually goes into the making of sausage. People just weren't into that. IMHO. U.W.
Amazing how many here don't like this song. Actually, the flip side on the 45 isn't bad. It's called "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins" and was also recorded by Herman's Hermits on their "Both Sides" album.
I agree with you moorlock2003...it IS limp sounding.... I had the 45 single as a kid (even though I am only 37 I listened to what was available in the house) The studio version is FAR more superior. is tomlynntigard saying Noel had the wrong last name because of George Harrison? or is he saying George wasn't famous? Either way he has bad taste in sound knowledge....lol.
This was a big hit in upstate NY where I grew up. Syracuse that is. But a lot of the English groups had hits up there that didn't spread nationally. All the early singles by The Who for instance. 'Substitute' was a big one. Them and The Zombies had chart singles with 'Richard Cory' and 'Indication' respectively. Neither were hits nationally. Oh and Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich too. 'Bend It' was #1 on our Top 40 station, WOLF. 'Hold Tight' and 'Save Me' were Top 10.
Agree, the NE US had a good ear for great music. Albany NY featured many songs not played elsewhere. But I guess in all regions of the US music was being aired that did not become hits all over the map, which is why RU-vid is a great place for all to fill in the gaps.
Can't find the recording, but know he didn't recording Neon Philharmonic's "Morning Girl." I will listen to all of the recordings I have and see if I can find the song you have alluded to with part of the lyric that reads: "good mornin' girl," or whatever it is. I think the song, "A Young Girl" is a very good recording and the music is just excellent. I don't think some here have been fair to it. I always say, "Try to do that. Try to write a song this good." Nick Campbell
I remember this when I was just a kid. I didn't understand the lyrics, but I liked it. I prefer the recorded version to this hokey instrumental version.
A prophetic song of the era as LSD was not yet illegal when this record came out (early 1966): I think of the Grateful Dead's "Golden Road" - the opening song on their first LP. It's a seductive song on the face of it - but reveals a naive and nihilistic arrogance and self indulgence that was what "Hippiedom": With its decadence, drug taking, "fornication" in the name of "Love". A delusion starkly described in "A Young Girl".
I would say: french chanson. It's a kind of storytelling. the art of capturing the essence of life in a song I would describe the french chanson. It's considered a great art. There were only just a few musicians that were regarded to be great chansoniers and I guess there are even fewer to this day.
Kind of like "Society's Child" by Janis Ian, or "Where Do You Go To My Lovely?" by Peter Sarstedt, not your usual Hippy-dippy smiley-face Partridges pap. Always loved his version of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, too.
I don't really like Susan Jacks version. The best is by Edith Piaf, although I really like Noel's version as well. Piaf's version is on YT, search for the title "Une Enfant."
Like his dad Rex, Noel was not a particularly great singer with a limited vocal range and actually seemed to be talking the lyrics of his songs proving once again that white folks invented rap. ☺
