Simon Says (1910 Fruitgum Company song)

"Simon Says" is a bubblegum pop song written by Elliot Chiprut and originally recorded in 1967 by the 1910 Fruitgum Company, becoming their most successful chart hit.

"Simon Says"
Single by 1910 Fruitgum Company
from the album Simon Says
B-side	"Reflections from the Looking Glass"
Released	December 1967
Genre	Bubblegum pop[1] garage rock[2]
Length	2:21
Label	Buddah BDA 24
Songwriter(s)	Elliot Chiprut
Producer(s)	Jeffry Katz, Jerry Kasenetz, Elliot Chiprut
1910 Fruitgum Company singles chronology
"Simon Says" (1967) "May I Take a Giant Step" (1968)

The song was based on the children's game "Simon Says". Produced by Jerry Kasenetz, Jeffry Katz, and Chiprut, the single was issued by Buddah Records and entered the U.S. Hot 100 in January 1968, rising to No.4 on the chart. It was also a hit in the UK, where it reached No.2 on the singles chart.

It also was the title track on the first album by the 1910 Fruitgum Company.

In Italy it was covered by the group Giuliano e i Notturni with the title "Il ballo di Simone", and charted No.3 on the Italian hit parade.^[3] In 1968 French singer Claude François also had a hit with the song under the French title "Jacques a Dit". Volker Rosin, a German songwriter for children's music, published another cover version with "Cowboy Joe" in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

In Yugoslavia, the song was covered in 1969 by Crveni Koralji, with Serbo-Croatian lyrics and entitled "Otac je rekao".^[4]

With lyrics by Uno Asplund, Flamingokvintetten recorded the song in Swedish as "Nynna en sång", and released it as a single in 1968.^[5]

In August 1989 a version of this song sung by Elizabeth Watts was used in an episode of Playdays.

Chart history

Weekly charts 1910 Fruitgum Company Chart (1968) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 2 Canada RPM Top Singles[6] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[7] 5 Italy (hitparadeitalia)[8] 1 New Zealand (Listener)[9] 4 South Africa (Springbok)[10] 1 Spain (Promusicae)[11] 6 UK Singles Chart[12] 2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 4 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[14] 2 Dickie Rock & Miami Chart (1968) Peak position Ireland (IRMA)[7] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1968) Rank Canada[15] 20 South Africa[16] 4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] 33 U.S. Cash Box[18] 24

Certifications

Certifications for "Simon Says"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19]	Gold	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Browne, David (September 26, 2024). "Remember All That Silly Bubblegum Pop from the Sixties? A New Box Set Does". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
2. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Bubblegum is the Naked Truth: The Monkees". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
3. Dario Salvatori. "Giuliano e i Notturni". Gino Castaldo (edited by). Dizionario della canzone italiana. Curcio Editore, 1990. pp.790-1.
4. Janjatović, Petar (2024). Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960–2023. Belgrade: self-released / Makart. p. 62.
5. Nynna en sång at Swedish Media Database.
6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1968-03-16. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Simon Says". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
8. "HitParadeItalia" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia. Retrieved 2024-01-06. (Select "68" in the "Tipo" field, enter "05.10" in the "1968" field.)
9. Flavour of New Zealand, 10 May 1968
10. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
11. Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 978-84-8048-866-2.
12. "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2018-12-06.
13. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
14. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 16, 1968
15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
16. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1968". Retrieved 26 December 2018.
17. Musicoutfitters.com
18. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1968
19. "American single certifications – Nineteen Ten Fruitgum Company – Simon Says". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 4, 2024.