Side Saddle

{{About|the piano instrumental|the riding style|sidesaddle}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2011}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Side Saddle

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Russ Conway

| album =

| B-side = Pixilated Penguin

| released = February 1959{{Cite web|url=https://www.45cat.com/record/db4256|title=45cat - Russ Conway - Side Saddle / Pixilated Penguin - Columbia - UK - DB 4256}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Popular music, piano music

| length =

| label = Columbia Records

| writer = Trevor Stanford{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Russ-Conway-Side-Saddle/release/1661695 |title=Russ Conway - Side Saddle (Vinyl) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |date= |accessdate=2014-04-04}}

| producer = Norman Newell

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|0Riv3JVe7zY|"Side Saddle"}}}}

}}

"Side Saddle" is a hit single which was number one in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks from 27 March 1959.{{cite book

| first= Jo

| last= Rice

| year= 1982

| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits

| edition= 1st

| publisher= Guinness Superlatives

| location= Enfield, Middlesex

| page= 42

| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}}

The honky-tonk style tune, composed by British popular music pianist Russ Conway under his real name Trevor Stanford, was written as part of the score for a television musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.{{citation |title=Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s |author=Joseph Murrells |publisher=Batsford |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-7134-3843-7 |page=127}}{{citation |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music |author=Colin Larkin |page=89 |isbn=978-1-85227-937-0 |year=2002 |publisher=Virgin}} Asked to compose a tune at short notice, Conway wrote an "olde-world gavotte" which he called "Side Saddle".{{cite news |author=Dennis Barker |url= https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/nov/17/guardianobituaries |title=Obituary: Russ Conway |work=The Guardian |date=17 November 2000 |accessdate=2014-04-04}} The song was a staple of the BBC's Housewives' Choice radio programme.{{cite AV media notes|title=No.1 Hits of the '50s|publisher=One Day Music|first=Joseph|last=Adair|year=2011}}

References