Something in the Air

This article is about the song by Thunderclap Newman. For other uses, see Something in the Air (disambiguation).

"Something in the Air" is the debut single by British rock band Thunderclap Newman, written by Speedy Keen who also provided lead vocals. It was a No. 1 single for three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in July 1969.^[2] The song has been used for films, television and advertisements, and has been covered by several artists. The track was also included on the band's only album release Hollywood Dream, over a year later.^[3]

"Something in the Air"
Single by Thunderclap Newman
from the album Hollywood Dream
B-side	"Wilhelmina"
Released	23 May 1969 (23 May 1969)
Genre	Blues rock[1] soft rock[1]
Length	3:53
Label	Track
Songwriter(s)	Speedy Keen
Producer(s)	Pete Townshend
Thunderclap Newman singles chronology
"Something in the Air" (1969) "Accidents" (1970)
Official audio
"Something in the Air" on YouTube

Background

In 1969, Pete Townshend, guitarist with The Who, was the catalyst behind the formation of the band. The concept was to create a band to perform songs written by drummer and singer Speedy Keen, who had written "Armenia City in the Sky", the first track on The Who Sell Out.^[4] Townshend recruited jazz pianist Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (a friend from art college),^[5] and 15-year-old guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who later played lead guitar in Paul McCartney and Wings.^[6] Keen played the drums and sang the lead.

Production

Townshend produced the single,^[7] arranged the strings, and played bass under the pseudonym Bijou Drains.^[8] Originally titled "Revolution" but later renamed to avoid confusion with the Beatles' 1968 song of the same name, "Something in the Air" captured post-flower power rebellion, combining McCulloch's acoustic and electric guitars, Keen's drumming and falsetto vocals, and Newman's piano solo.

The song, beginning in E major, has three key changes, its second verse climbing to F-sharp major, and, via a roundabout transition, goes down to C major for Newman's barrelhouse piano solo. Following this, the last verse is, like the second, a tone above the previous verse, closing the song in A-flat major.

Reception

The single reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart just three weeks after release, holding off Elvis Presley in the process. The scale of the song's success surprised everyone,^{[according to whom?]} and there were no plans to promote Thunderclap Newman with live performances. Eventually a line-up—augmented by Jim Pitman-Avory on bass^[9] and McCulloch's elder brother Jack on drums—played a handful of gigs.^[10][11]

In the UK, Thunderclap Newman's follow-up single "Accidents" was released in May 1970 and charted at No. 46 for a week. The album Hollywood Dream peaked in Billboard at No. 163. The song and the band are labelled as one-hit wonders.^{[citation needed]}

Personnel

• Andy "Thunderclap" Newman – piano; lead vocals on "Wilhelmina"
• Speedy Keen – double-tracked lead vocal, drums
• Jimmy McCulloch – lead and rhythm guitars
• Pete Townshend – bass guitar (credited to "Bijou Drains"), orchestral arrangement

Chart performance (Thunderclap Newman version)

Chart (1969)	Peak position
Canada (RPM Top 100)[12]	26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13]	9
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[15]	37
West Germany (GfK)[16]	13

Appearances in other media

"Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman appeared on the soundtracks of several films, such as The Magic Christian (1969), which helped the single reach No. 37 in the United States. It later appeared in Kingpin (1996), Almost Famous (2000), The Dish (2000), The Girl Next Door (2004) and The Instigators (2024).

"Something in the Air" has been used extensively in television, including on an advertisement for British Airways which featured PJ O'Rourke. The song also appeared in a TV advert for the Austin Mini in the early 1990s, featuring 1960s fashion model Twiggy. More recently,^[when?] a version of the song was used in advertisements for the mobile phone service provider TalkTalk.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version

"Something in the Air"
Single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Greatest Hits
B-side	"King's Highway"
Released	18 October 1993 (1993-10-18)[17]
Length	3:17
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	Speedy Keen
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" (1993) "Something in the Air" (1993) "You Don't Know How It Feels" (1994)

A cover of "Something in the Air" was recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and included on their Greatest Hits album, released in 1993. A live version of the song was included in The Live Anthology, released in 2009.

Charts

Chart (1993–1994)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[18]	26
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	53
US Billboard Hot 100[20]	53
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[21]	19

See also

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "I Can't Sing, I Ain't Pretty and My Legs Are Thin: Hard Rock". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 234. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. "Hollywood Dream - Thunderclap Newman" – via www.allmusic.com.
4. John Dougan, The Who sell out. Continuum International Publishing Group. 2006. p. 98. ISBN 0826417434. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
5. Kim Cooper, David Smay, Lost in the grooves. Routledge. 2005. p. 165. ISBN 0415969980. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
6. Jeremy Simmonds, The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars. Chicago Review Press. 2008. p. 124. ISBN 978-1556527548. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
7. Dave Spencer, A Smudge on My Lens, page 97. Troubador Publishing Ltd. 2008. ISBN 978-1906510787. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
8. Townshend, Pete (16 November 2019). "Liz Kershaw, BBC 6music" (Interview). Interviewed by Liz Kershaw. BBC Radio.
9. "In Memory of James Pitman Avery".
10. "Thunderclap Newman". rec.music.rock-pop-r-b.1960s.narkive.com.
11. "Thunderclap Newman – Nostalgia Central". nostalgiacentral.com. 3 July 2014.
12. "RPM Top 100 Singles - October 11, 1969" (PDF).
13. "Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
14. "Thunderclap Newman: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
15. "Thunderclap Newman Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Thunderclap Newman"
17. "Single Releases". Music Week. 16 October 1993. p. 29.
18. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2421." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
20. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
21. "Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard.