Itchycoo Park

Single infobox
Name = Itchycoo Park


Artist = Small Faces
B-side = "I'm Only Dreaming"
Released = 4 August 1967
Format = 7"
Recorded = Olympic Studios London flagicon|England 1967
Genre = Psychedelic pop
Length = 2:45
Label = Immediate
Writer = Steve Marriott Ronnie Lane
Producer = Glyn Johns
Certification =
Reviews =
Chart position =
* 3 (UK Singles Chart)
*16 (US Billboard Hot 100)
* 4 (CAN CHUM Chart)
Last single = "Here Come the Nice" (1967)
This single = "Itchycoo Park" (1967)
Next single = "Tin Soldier" (1967)

"Itchycoo Park" is a psychedelic pop song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of the group Small Faces. The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart, 1967. It was also the first British record to feature the special effect of flanging.

ong Profile

"Itchycoo Park" was released by mod band The Small Faces in August, 1967. Together with "Lazy Sunday", "Tin Soldier" and "All or Nothing", the song is one of the band's biggest hits and has become a classic of its time. [cite web
title = Guide to British Music of the 1960s
publisher = Making Time
url = http://www.makingtime.co.uk/small_faces.html
accessdate = 2007-08-10]

The song reached No. 16 in the American Billboard charts in 1968. [ cite book
last = Hewitt & Rod Stewart
first = Paulo
last2 = Hellier
first2 = John
title = Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful...
publisher = Helter Skelter
isbn = 1-900924-44-7
pages = pp.160 ]

"Itchycoo Park" was the first British record to feature the special effect of "flanging" more commonly known as "phasing" in the UK (when two tapes are played together at slightly different speeds) the technique was developed by Olympic Studios engineer George Chkiantz in 1966. [cite web
title = The Small Faces In One Minute
publisher = BBC
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artist/x89x/
accessdate = 2007-08-10]

Long running British music magazine NME cites readers poll voting "Itchycoo Park" no. 62 out of top 100 singles of all time. [cite web
title = NME Readers all time top 100 singles published 1976
publisher = NME
url = http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nme_readers.htm
accessdate = 2007-08-10]

"Itchycoo Park" climbed to the top of the charts again when it was re-released on 13 December 1975. [cite web
title = Top 40 Hits of Mid January 1976
publisher = everyHit.com
url = http://everyhit.com/retrocharts/1976-JanuaryB.html
accessdate = 2007-08-10]

Inspiration

The song was first thought of by Ronnie Lane, who had been reading a leaflet on the virtues of Oxford which mentioned its "dreaming spires". [cite book
last = Hewitt
first = Paulo
coauthors = Kenney Jones
title = small faces the young mods' forgotten story
publisher = Acid Jazz
date = 1995
pages = pp.99
month =
isbn = 0 9523935 0 6 ] A number of sources claim the song's name is derived from the nickname of Little Ilford Park, on Church Road in the London suburb of Manor Park, where Small Faces' singer and song-writer Steve Marriott grew up. However, as this is in Little Ilford and not actually Ilford, this claim is doubtful (see below). The "itchycoo" nickname is, in turn, attributed to the stinging nettles which grew there. Other sources cite nearby Wanstead Flats (Manor Park end) as the inspiration for the song. [cite web
title = Small Faces London- Ilford Park
publisher = Making Time
url = http://www.makingtime.co.uk/rfr/london5.htm
accessdate = 2007-08-10] Marriott and Small Faces manager Tony Calder came up with the well-known story when Marriott was told the BBC had banned the song for its overt drug references, Calder confirms:

"We scammed the story together, we told the BBC that "Itchycoo Park" was a piece of waste ground in the East End that the band had played on as kids - we put the story out at ten and by lunchtime we were told the ban was off." - Tony Calder (Manager) [ Steve Marriott, All Too Beautiful" p.154]

Ronnie Lane on the true location of Itchycoo Park:

"It's a place we used to go to in Ilford years ago. Some bloke we know suggested it to us because it's full of nettles and you keep scratching". - Ronnie Lane

[cite book
last = Hewitt
first = Paulo
coauthors = Kenney Jones
title = small faces the young mods' forgotten story
publisher = Acid Jazz
date = 1995
pages = pp.98
month =
isbn = 0 9523935 0 6 ]

Other possible etymologies

Another local park, in the nearby town of Ilford, called Valentines Park, was also often referred to as Itchycoo Park.

Itchy Park is located in the East End of London and dates back to the Victorian era. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=jE89AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=itchy+park&source=web&ots=hRJB3-u_Oy&sig=qSJ2id0AQxTy45MHxsbGSnxhE0A&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA185,M1 "Itchy Park"] Retrieved September 16 2008]

The hairy seeds from the Rose hip (or wild Dog Rose) were called "Itchycoos" by English children in the 1950sFact|date=June 2007, and the term is still used by some elsewhere in the United Kingdom.Fact|date=April 2007 The seeds could be broken out of the berry and dropped down someone's collar between shirt and back to cause itching. [cite web
title = Itchy Secrets
publisher = www.show.me.uk
url = http://www.show.me.uk/site/make/20th-Century-Britain/ACT18.html
accessdate = 2007-08-10]

Uses and Cover Versions

*1984 - covered by progressive rock band The Enid
*1993 - Blue Murder cover on the album, "Nothin' But Trouble"
*1993 - Heavy metal band Quiet Riot covered on the album "Terrified".
*1994 - cover by 90s dance band M People on their album "Bizarre Fruit"
*1996 - covered by Ben Lee for the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack
*1996 - Tasmin Archer covered the song as a bonus track to the Japanese edition of her album, "Bloom"
*2006 - The original version is heard in the opening scenes of the British film "Severance" starring Danny Dyer. ["Itchycoo Park, soundtrack to Severance film 2006 http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-severance25may25,0,288807.story Retrieved 22/09/07]

Notes

Notes:References:
*Paolo Hewitt John Hellier (2004). "Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful...". Helter Skelter Publishing ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
*Paolo Hewitt/Kenney Jones (1995) "small faces the young mods' forgotten story" - Acid Jazz ISBN 0-9523935-0-6
* [http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx?chart=575] CHUM Charts (Canada)

External links

* [http://www.thesmallfaces.com/ The Small Faces Official Site]
* [http://www.ixlyrics.com/Small-Faces/Itchycoo-Park.html "Itchycoo Park" lyrics to song]
* [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kDH0H-tos9A youtube:Small Faces - Itchychoo Park]