Every New Zealand #1 single…
6
The Last Waltz
Topped the NZ chart: from 10 November 2015 for 2 weeks.
I’ve covered Mr Humperdinck on this site before. His 1967 b-side ‘Ten Guitars‘ became an unexpected staple in New Zealand.
Arnold Dorsey took the stage name Engelbert Humperdinck from the German composer of Hansel and Gretel. Already in his early thirties, the change worked. Humperdinck enjoyed unlikely success with his easy-listening music.
In 1967 Humperdinck crooned through Eddie Miller’s 1949 composition ‘Release Me’. It was the number one single for six weeks in the UK. It famously kept The Beatles’ double a-side ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’/’Penny Lane’ from the top of the charts.
‘Release Me’ wasn’t a number one hit in New Zealand, peaking at number two. But Humperdinck hit the top spot later in the year with ‘The Last Waltz’.
1960s crooners like Tom Jones and Humperdinck appealed to an older and more conservative audience. They’re kitsch, more likely to be found in the dollar bin in the charity shop than to enjoy radio play.
There’s a nice tune and a warm vocal, but ‘The Last Waltz’ is terminally uncool. I admire it, but wouldn’t allow Humperdinck near my music collection.
Humperdinck plumbed even lower depths in the 1970s and 1980s. Clearly desperate for a hit, he jumped into disco and country. He did enjoy a creative renaissance in the 1990s with ‘Lesbian Seagull’, taken from the Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack.
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Aphoristic Album Reviews is almost entirely written by one person. It features album reviews and blog posts across a growing spectrum of popular music.
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Graham Fyfe has been writing this website since his late teens. Now in his forties, he's been obsessively listening to albums for years. He works as a web editor and plays the piano.
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He had very fine moments like Manillow and Bacharach and Chis Cross and Neil Diamond and England Dan etc. it’s just not my thing.
There’s only one real “Last Waltz” …
Keep up the good work !
If only it didn’t have that cheesy arrangement it’s a decent song otherwise. Engelbert Humperdinck was like a bargain basement Tom Jones, except not nearly as good. I like the song After the Loving though.
Apparently he and Jones really don’t get on. You’d think they’d have a lot in common. Jones has more charisma, but Humperdinck has a bit more nuance maybe? I’m not really well-versed in either.
Tom Jones had some of the greatest hits of the early 60s like It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat and Thunderball and all these other cool ones. Those were awesome.
I like him in Mars Attacks.
I love Mars Attacks. I always loved the old Tim Burton movies. Especially Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
So The Band have the only real Last Waltz?
My mom loved Engelbert Humperdinck, and I actually liked him too. His music got played a lot on the radio back then. Though his style of music would have appeared to be more suited to the early 60s, that didn’t seem to keep him from topping the charts, at least in the UK. His songs didn’t chart quite as high in the U.S., however, with “Release Me” being his only top 10 hit until “After the Lovin'” in late 1976. “The Last Waltz” peaked at only #25 here.
I think ‘After the Lovin” and this one were his two #1s in New Zealand. He’s always been a bit infamous for breaking The Beatles’ streak of number ones – probably didn’t help his credibility.
‘Release Me’ is pretty dire, but this has a schmaltzy charm to it… I can’t help secretly liking it…
I think it’s a pretty good song. Engelbert’s voice is pretty, but he doesn’t always strike me as sincere.
I always considered him a poor mans Tom Jones. Jones was a little a little more hip though I think. Release Me is the one I knew the best… This is not bad for what it is…he has a really good voice…I give that to him.
I like the voice. Not so convinced of his sincerity.
Yeah, there ain’t much sincerity in that kind of music. He’s strictly showbiz. But I have a taste for that kind of thing. Showbiz razzmatazz!!!. Is that a word? I always wanted to be a Las Vegas lounge act, like an Elvis impersonator or something. I think it would be great. Lmao!!!
While Engelbert’s type of crooning isn’t my cup of tea, I will say this. When an artist has fans all over the world and at 87 is still out there recording and touring, I guess they have done something right! Check out this footage, which was captured two weeks ago. Engelbert is in remarkable shape!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UtcfMqq7I
That’s pretty amazing. Not convinced he’s singing, given how far the mic is from his mouth, but it looks fun.
And who could forget this totally spectacular one??!!
https://open.spotify.com/track/5JnHzjo25FY1fMQMQVOawB?si=Mjpl7i03QQOv46svVnJPYA
Never heard this before. It’s a bit more R&B, right?
Yeah I guess it is kind of r&b. But whatever you call it it’s great cuz his voice and singing are so awesome.
I like that bit of trivia – why didn’t Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane ever hit #1? Englebert!
Maybe “getting engelberted” should be a phrase for when a brilliant song gets kept off the top of the chart by a less deserving rival.