Johnny Remember Me

Produced by the legendary Joe Meek, Johnny Remember Me reached No.1 in 1961. Johnny Remember Me is a gothic masterpiece, distinguished in particular by its eerie, echoing sound (a hallmark of the Joe Meek production style) and by the ghostly, foreboding female wails that form its backing vocal (by Lissa Gray).

Written by Geoff Goddard, it was chosen for John Leyton, who was playing the part of pop singer Johnny St Cry, to sing in the TV drama Harpers West One.

John Leyton recalled: 'We were all in the studio; I was behind the screen and right next to me wad Geoff Goddard playing the piano...We did it over and over. Hoe wanted plenty of exciting atmosphere in it, and it was a really exhilarating sound with the galloping, driving beat. He was getting all excited, slapping his leg and combing his quiff. I was singing along but my voice was dubbed on afterwards with those of the session singers, which included Lissa Gray. Originally the lyrics were: "...the girl I loved who died a year ago..." and that was all recorded and finished. And then I went back in the studio and put that one line in again to: "...the girl I loved and lost a year ago..." I think somebody had said that the BBC didn't like that bit!"

Although some critics dismissed the record, saying of Leyton's echo-laden voice that he sounded like he was singing at the bottom of an empty well, Johnny Remember Me went straight into the Top Thirty and reached No.1 at the end of August, staying at the top for four weeks.