Easier Said Than Done

For other songs, see Easier Said Than Done (Radney Foster song) and Easier Said Than Done (Rahsaan Patterson song).

"Easier Said Than Done" is a popular song sung by The Essex that was a number-one song in the United States during 1963. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on July 6, 1963, and remained there for two weeks.^[1] The song was written by William Linton and Larry Huff (1941-2002). ^[2]

"Easier Said Than Done"
Single by The Essex
from the album Easier Said Than Done
A-side	"Are You Going My Way"
Released	May 1963
Genre	Pop
Length	2:08
Label	Roulette
Songwriter(s)	William Linton, Larry Huff
Producer(s)	George Goldner, Henry Glover
The Essex singles chronology
"Easier Said Than Done" (1963) "A Walkin' Miracle" (1963)

The Essex were active-duty members of the United States Marine Corps at the time, as was Linton, who wrote the song at the request of Essex member Walter Vickers. Linton said the song's rhythm was inspired by the sound of the Teletype machines in the communications office at Camp Lejeune.^[2] The group was not thrilled with the composition, but recorded it for use as the B-side of their debut single, "Are You Going My Way". The recording was unusually short, and editing was used to repeat part of the recording; even so, the song was only a little over two minutes. The single was released in May 1963, but "Easier Said Than Done" quickly emerged as the more popular side.^[3] It became a major hit with broad appeal, reaching #1 on both the pop and rhythm and blues charts.^[4] The song became the title track of the group's first album, which reached #113 on the Billboard album chart, becoming their only charting album.^[5]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1963) Peak position Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[6] 4 New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[7] 1 UK[8] 41 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 1 U.S. Billboard R&B 1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[10] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1963) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 39 U.S. Cash Box [12] 20

References

1. Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2000), 208.
2. Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2. I was working in the communication department. We had a bunch of teletype machines, and when they were all running together, they had a beat. The sound of the teletype machines inspired the beat of Easier Said Than Done.
3. Jay Warner, American Singing Groups: A History From 1940 To Today (Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006), 376.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 803.
5. Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Albums 1955-2001 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2001), 272.
6. "CHUM Hit Parade, July 22, 1963". CHUM Tribute. 1963-07-22. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
7. "flavour of new zealand - search lever". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
8. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1963-08-14. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
10. "Cash Box Top 100 7/20/63". Cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
11. "Top 100 Hits of 1963/Top 100 Songs of 1963". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
12. "Cash Box YE Singles (Pop) 1963". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 4 March 2021.