Telstar (instrumental)

{{Infobox song

| name = Telstar

| cover = Tornados-telstar-german-sleeve.jpg

| alt =

| caption = German picture sleeve

| type = single

| artist = the Tornados

| album = The Original Telstar: The Sounds of the Tornadoes

| B-side = Jungle Fever

| released = {{Start date|1962|8|17|df=yes}}{{cn|date=March 2024}}

| recorded = 22 July 1962{{cn|date=March 2024}}

| studio = RGM Sound, London

| venue =

| genre =

Space age pop{{cite journal|last=Nardi|first=Carlo|url=https://www.arpjournal.com/asarpwp/the-cultural-economy-of-sound-reinventing-technology-in-indian-popular-cinema/|title=The Cultural Economy Of Sound: Reinventing Technology In Indian Popular Cinema|journal=Journal on the Art of Record Production|issue=5|date=July 2011|access-date=28 November 2019|issn=1754-9892}}
surf rock{{Cite podcast|url=https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2023/04/americas-60s-and-80s-british-invasions|title=The British Are Charting Edition|website=Hit Parade {{!}} Music History and Music Trivia|publisher=Slate|last=Molanphy|first=Chris|date=April 14, 2023|access-date=April 29, 2023}}
rock and roll{{cite book|last= Breihan|first= Tom|chapter= The Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations|date= November 15, 2022|title= The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music|publisher=Hachette Book Group|location= New York|pages= 88}}

| length = 3:15

| label = * Decca (UK)

London (USA)

| writer = Joe Meek

| producer = Joe Meek

| prev_title = Love and Fury

| prev_year = 1961

| next_title = Globetrotter

| next_year = 1963

| misc = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|XhahIwhql_E|"Telstar" (Remastered)}}}}

}}

"Telstar" is a 1962 instrumental by the English band the Tornados, written and produced by Joe Meek. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1962 (the second British recording to reach number one on that chart in the year, after "Stranger on the Shore" in May). It was the second instrumental single to hit number one in 1962 on both the US and UK weekly charts."Stranger on the Shore" did make number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the Record Mirror and NME weekly charts and also topped the end of year charts.

Later in 1962, Meek produced a vocal version, "Magic Star", sung by Kenny Hollywood. It was released as a single by Decca Records (cat. nr F11546), with "The Wonderful Story of Love" on the B-side, written by Geoff Goddard. The musical director for both songs was Ivor Raymonde.{{cite web |url=http://www.coda-uk.co.uk/kh.htm |title=Kenny Hollywood |website=Coda-uk.co.uk |access-date=13 February 2007}}

Background

"Telstar" was named after the Telstar communications satellite, which was launched into orbit on 10 July 1962. Written and produced by Joe Meek,{{cite book

| first= Jo

| last= Rice

| year= 1982

| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits

| edition= 1st

| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd

| location= Enfield, Middlesex

| page= 67

| isbn= 0-85112-250-7}} it featured either a clavioline or the similar Jennings Univox, both keyboard instruments with distinctive electronic sounds. It was recorded in Meek's studio in a small flat above a shop in Holloway Road, North London. "Telstar" won an Ivor Novello Award and is estimated to have sold at least five million copies worldwide.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10149111/Roger-LaVern.html |title=Roger LaVern |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date= 28 June 2013|access-date=2014-04-05 |location=London}}

In 2007, Tim Wheeler of Ash wrote that "Telstar" was one of the earliest pop tracks influenced by science fiction, and that "for its time it was so futuristic and it still sounds pretty weird today". He observed the influence of "Telstar" in the 2006 single "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse; Muse's singer and guitarist, Matt Bellamy, is the son of the Tornados' guitarist George Bellamy.{{cite magazine |last=Wheeler |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Wheeler |date=August 2007 |title=Sci-fi rocks |magazine=Q |page=117}}

Lawsuits

French composer Jean Ledrut accused Joe Meek of plagiarism, claiming that the tune of "Telstar" had been copied from "La Marche d'Austerlitz", a piece from a score that Ledrut had written for the film Austerlitz (1960). This led to a lawsuit that prevented Meek from receiving royalties from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was only resolved, in Meek's favour, three weeks after his suicide in 1967. Austerlitz was not released in the UK until 1965, and Meek was unaware of the film when the lawsuit was filed in March 1963.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053638/ |title=Austerlitz (1960) |publisher=IMDb.com |access-date=2014-04-05}}{{cite web |url=http://www.joemeekpage.info/essay_07_E.htm |title=The JOE MEEK Page | Joe Meek: A Portrait - 7. The cases Telstar, Heinz, Madras Place, Howard/Blaikley |website=Joemeekpage.info |access-date=2014-04-05}}

Commercial performance

The record was an immediate hit after its release, remaining in the UK Singles Chart for 25 weeks, five of them at number 1,{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| pages= 142–3}} and in the American charts for 16 weeks. "Telstar" was the first U.S. number one by a British group. Prior to this, only three British solo artists had achieved a U.S. number one: "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn (1952); "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London (1958); and "Stranger on the Shore" by Acker Bilk (May 1962).

According to Official Charts Company it was the second instrumental number one of 1962 in the UK, the first being "Wonderful Land" by The Shadows, which was number one for more weeks than any other single that year (eight).

Track listing

"Telstar"
"Jungle Fever"

Personnel

=The Tornados=

Clem Cattini – drums
Alan Caddy – guitar
Roger LaVern – additional keyboards
George Bellamy – rhythm guitar
Heinz Burt – bass

=Additional personnel=

Joe Meek – composer, producer
Geoff Goddard – clavioline (on both sides) plus wordless vocals in the final playing of the theme (also on both sides)
Dave Adams – transcription of Meek's composition recording

Charts

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1962–1963) ! Peak position
align="left"\|Australia \| style="text-align:center;"\|2
align="left"\|Belgian Singles Chart \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|Canadian Singles Chart{{cite web\|url=http://chumtribute.com/62-12-03-chart.jpg\| title=CHUM Hit Parade - December 3, 1962\|website=Chumtribute.com}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|Dutch Singles Chart{{cite book \|editor=van Slooten, Johan \|title=Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 \|publisher=J.H. Gottmer/H.J.W. Becht \|year=2005 \|isbn=90-230-1144-9 \|page=328 }} \| style="text-align:center;"\|3
align="left"\|German Singles Chart \| style="text-align:center;"\|6
align="left"\|Irish Singles Chart \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|New Zealand (ONZMC){{Cite web\|title=Flavour of new zealand – search lever\|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qartistid=323#n_view_location\|access-date=22 March 2021\|website=Flavourofnz.co.nz}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|Norwegian Singles Chart{{cite web \|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Tornados&titel=Telstar&cat=s \|website=Norwegiancharts.com\|title=The Tornados - Telstar \|access-date=25 February 2009}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|3
align="left"\|South African Singles Chart \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|UK Singles Chart{{cite web \|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Do%20The%20Bird \|title=The Official Charts Company - Tornados - Telstar \|website=Official Charts \|access-date=25 February 2009}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|US Billboard Hot 100 \| style="text-align:center;"\|1
align="left"\|US Billboard Black Singles{{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=585}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|5

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1962–1963)

! Peak
position

align="left"|Australia

| style="text-align:center;"|2

align="left"|Belgian Singles Chart