"Silence Is Golden" is a song initially recorded by the American rock band the Four Seasons. Written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, Philips Records released it in 1964 as the B-side of the U.S. number 1 single "Rag Doll", which was also written by Crewe and Gaudio. The Tremeloes' 1967 cover version reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the US charts.[3]
In 1967 British band The Tremeloes recorded their sound-alike version, using the same arrangement as the original. It reached the top position on the UK chart on 18 May 1967,[6] where it stayed for three weeks.[7] Band member Len "Chip" Hawkes remembered getting up in the middle of the night, going to London with the rest of the band, and walking down The Strand, on the night the song reached number one.[8] Guitarist Rick Westwood sang lead vocal on "Silence Is Golden". In the U.S., Epic Records released the single, which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[9] and was one of the top 100 songs of 1967. The record sold one million copies globally, earning gold disc status.[10]
The song was also covered in 1967 by The Plus Four, and by Swedish singer Jim Jidhed (in English) in 1989. The Tremeloes recorded an Italian version, "E in silenzio".
^"Official Singles Chart UK Top 100". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
^Pingitore, Silvia (2021-09-28). "The band chosen over The Beatles in 1962: The Tremeloes' interview with Len "Chip" Hawkes". The Shortlisted. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
^"Top 20/30 / 1967 / Uge 25". Danske Hitlister. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
^"Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit Tom - TUN". Sisältää hitin. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
^Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
^"South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts (T)". Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
^Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN978-84-8048-866-2.
^"Silence Is Golden av Tremeloes". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-29.
^Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (2012). Tio i Topp - med de utslagna "på försök" 1961–74 (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Premium. p. 286. ISBN978-91-89136-89-2.
^"Disc Top Thirty" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. 20 May 1967. p. 3. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
^"Pop 30" (PDF). Melody Maker. 20 May 1967. p. 2. Retrieved 28 September 2022.