Lucky Lips
{{Short description|1957 song by Ruth Brown}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2008}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Lucky Lips
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Ruth Brown
| album =
| B-side = My Heart Is Breaking Over You
| released = January 1957
| recorded = September 25, 1956
New York City
| studio =
| venue =
| length = 2:07
| label = Atlantic 1125
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = I Still Love You
| prev_year = 1957
| next_title = One More Time
| next_year = 1957
}}
Lucky Lips is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by Ruth Brown in 1956 and was successfully covered by Cliff Richard in 1963.
Ruth Brown and early cover versions
The song was first recorded by the R&B singer Ruth Brown for Atlantic Records in New York in September 1956,[http://www.jazzdisco.org/atlantic-records/discography-1956/ Atlantic Records Discography, 1956]. Retrieved 27 April 2014. and was released as a single in early 1957. It was her second hit on the US pop chart, after "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" in 1953, reaching number 25 on the pop chart and number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=54}}
The song was covered by the white singer Gale Storm, as the B-side of her single "On Treasure Island", for Dot Records. Storm's recording reached number 77 on the Billboard pop chart.{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2002|edition=1st|publisher=Record Research|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-155-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/683 683]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/683}} The song was also covered by Dottie Evans for Bell Records.[http://www.45cat.com/record/nc468664us Dottie Evans, "Lucky Lips"]. 45cat.com. In Britain, it was recorded by Alma Cogan as the B-side of "Whatever Lola Wants", which reached number 26 on the UK singles chart, also in 1957.{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=161}}[http://www.45cat.com/record/pop317 "Whatever Lola Wants"]. 45cat.com. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
Cliff Richard version
{{Infobox song
| name = Lucky Lips
| cover = Lucky_Lips_-_Cliff_Richard.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Cliff Richard and The Shadows
| album =
| B-side = I Wonder
| released = 3 May 1963
| recorded = 8 March 1963
| studio = EMI Studios, London{{cite book
| first1= Peter
| last1= Lewry
| first2= Nigel
| last2= Goodall
| year= 1991
| title= Cliff Richard The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990
| publisher= Blandford
| location= London
| isbn= 0-7137-2242-8
| pages= 52, 55}}
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 2:41
| label = Columbia
| writer =
| producer = Norrie Paramor
| prev_title = Summer Holiday
| prev_year = 1962
| next_title = It's All in the Game
| next_year = 1963
| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|RuxaCwZkWbM|"Lucky Lips" (1998 Remaster)}}}}
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Rote Lippen soll man küssen
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Cliff Richard and The Shadows
| album =
| B-side = Let's Make A Memory
| released = September 1963 (Germany)
| recorded = 11 August 1963, Abbey Road, London; Vocals dubbed onto original Lucky Lips backing track.
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 2:41
| label = Columbia
| writer =
| producer = Norrie Paramor
| prev_title = It's All in the Game
| prev_year = 1963
| next_title = Don't Talk to Him
| next_year = 1963
| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|kVVrXF6IKKo|"Rote Lippen Soll Man Küssen"}}}}
}}
In 1963 the song was recorded by Cliff Richard, whose version went to number 4 in the UK. It was more successful internationally, reaching number 1 in Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and Sweden. His version with German lyrics reached number 1 in West Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Richard was presented with a Gold disc by EMI Records for one million worldwide sales of "Lucky Lips".
Richard's German version, titled "Rote Lippen soll man küssen" ("Red Lips Should Be Kissed"), with lyrics by Hans Bradtke, stayed at number 1 in West Germany for seven weeks and had sold half a million by the end of 1963.{{cite book|title=HIT BILANZ Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980|last=Ehnert|first=Günter|publisher=Taurus Press|year=1999|isbn=3-922542-24-7}}{{cite magazine |author=((Billboard))|title=Billboard, see article "Electrola gets imperial label in Germany"|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FUUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6|date=1 February 1964|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=4|issn=0006-2510}} The English version also charted in West Germany in its own right before the German version was released in September.
=Chart performance=
"Lucky Lips" (English version)
"Rote Lippen soll man küssen" (German version)
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| scope="col"|Chart (1963–64)
!scope="col"|Peak |
|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40){{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I0UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA61|date=18 January 1964|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|page=61|issn=0006-2510}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| {{single chart|Germany|1|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Rote Lippen soll man küssen|songid=11167|access-date=10 November 2019|refname=GermanyGerman}} |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade){{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DSIEAAAAMBAJ|date=29 February 1964|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DSIEAAAAMBAJ/page/n31 1]–|issn=0006-2510}}
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
Other cover versions
With lyrics in Swedish by Christer Jonasson as "Slit och släng", Siw Malmkvist scored a 9 week long Svensktoppen hit with the song from November 5, 1966 – January 14, 1967, peaking at #2. These lyrics reflects the society of Swedish in the 1950s and 60s.{{cite web|url=http://www.smp.se/nyheter/kronika/bosse_stroberg/kop-och-slang---dagens-nya-refrang(1384748).gm|title=Slit och släng, dagens nya refräng|publisher=Smålandsposten|author=Bosse Ströberg|language=sv|date=25 June 2009|access-date=4 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001130351/http://www.smp.se/nyheter/kronika/bosse_stroberg/kop-och-slang---dagens-nya-refrang(1384748).gm|archive-date=1 October 2011}} Siw Malmkvist also made a version in Danish, "Slid og slæb".
In 1969, a Catalan version, "Llavis de mel" (Honey lips), was included in "Tots Som Pops", the first LP recorded by the Catalan group La Trinca. The lyrics were translated and adapted by the writer Jaume Picas (1921–1976).
Estonian singer Ivo Linna and his band Rock Hotell recorded an Estonian language version titled Kikilips (Bowtie) about the article of clothing in 1980. His version has become a very well-known song in Estonia.
In 2003, Florian Ast released a Bernese German version titled "Schöni Meitschi" (Beautiful Girls). The song reached #7 in Schweizer Hitparade.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Florian+Ast&titel=Sch%F6ni+Meitschi&cat=s|title=Florian Ast - Schöni Meitschi |website=Hitparade.ch|access-date=27 April 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Cliff Richard}}
{{Cliff Richard singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Number-one singles in Belgium
Category:Number-one singles in Germany
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Sweden
Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland
Category:Number-one singles in Denmark
Category:Number-one singles in Norway
Category:Songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Category:Columbia Graphophone Company singles