I Can't Let Maggie Go

"I Can't Let Maggie Go"
Single by Honeybus
B-side"Tender Are the Ashes"
Released1 March 1968
GenreBaroque pop[1]
LabelDeram
Songwriter(s)Pete Dello
Producer(s)P. Blumsom
Honeybus singles chronology
"(Do I Figure) In Your Life"
(1967)
"I Can't Let Maggie Go"
(1968)
"Girl of Independent Means"
(1968)

"I Can't Let Maggie Go" is a song by the British pop group Honeybus from early 1968. Written by band member Pete Dello, it was released as a non-album single.

The song became an international Top 20 hit, reaching number 13 in New Zealand and number 11 in Ireland. It did best in their native United Kingdom, where it reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart.[2]

Chart history

Later uses

"I Can't Let Maggie Go" was included on the group's later compilation LPs, Honeybus at Their Best and Old Masters Hidden Treasures.[7]

The song It enjoyed an unexpected return in popularity in the 1970s, when it was used as a TV commercial jingle for "Nimble", a bread produced for slimmers.[8][9]

Cover versions

The song was also a top 10 hit in Italy, with a 1968 version made by Equipe 84, entitled "Un angelo blu" ("A blue angel").[10] and by The Shinings.

A 1969 cover by The Birds reached number 4 in Perth, Australia.[11]

"I Can't Let Maggie Go" has been covered by J. Vincent Edwards in 1974,[12] as well as by the Sideburns in 1993.[13] David Essex included his own version on the 2005 compilation album, The Complete Collection.[14]

Singer and record producer Jonathan King released a version of the song in 1991. It was released as a tribute to outgoing prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

References

  1. ^ Stanley, Bob (2014). "Pop Gets Sophisticated: Soft Rock". Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 186.
  2. ^ a b "i can't let maggie go - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  3. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Can't Let Maggie Go". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "The Honeybus – I Can't Let Maggie Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  5. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Sixties City - Pop Music Charts - Every Week Of The Sixties". Sixtiescity.net. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Honeybus - Honeybus At Their Best". Discogs.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Nimble Bread - Classic Brands". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  9. ^ "Great TV Themes by The Tony Osborne Sound". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Equipe 84 - Un Angelo Blu". Discogs.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Pop Archives - Australia". Poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  12. ^ "J. Vincent Edwards - I Can't Let Maggie Go". Discogs.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Cover versions of I Can't Let Maggie Go by The Honeybus". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  14. ^ "The Complete Collection - David Essex - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2018.