In the quartet of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr- the stars that made up the Beatles- were the most popular English rock band in the 60s and beyond. So much that they overshadowed other bands who were not that far off talent-wise as them. One such band which struggled to get as much play time as the Beatles were Herman’s Hermit. The group was a formed by Keith Hopwood, Karl Green, Derek Leckenby, Peter Noon and Barry Whitwam in Manchester in 1962. If you closely followed British music in the 60s you wouldn’t pass by them in the street without taking selfies.
The songs they wrote and sang were timeless and are still being enjoyed to date. As it happens with every other band, some have left the group but the core still sings together to this day. In the video featured below we are treated to one of their great hit songs called “I’m Henry VIII, I am”. Unaware of many was that this classic was first performed by Fred Murray and R.O. Weston in 1910 as a music hall song. The Herman Hermits covered it in 1965 and help it on it its path to being the fastest selling song in history until that point in time.
Among other achievements, the song became the group’s second number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Every one perfectly executed their role and did an amazing job on the cover. The video has been watched more than a million times on YouTube and the comments therein have sparked the memories I had when I watched this. It takes you back to the 60s. I loved their coats too and the stage on which the recorded the song. Prepare for sweet nostalgia.
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