‘Herman’s Hermits’ was one of the biggest bands of the 1960s. They sold over 80 million records and charted with 22 singles. Their lead singer, Peter Noone, had true star power! After the group broke up, Peter recorded a few successful singles of his own.
Peter scored a hit with his solo effort, ‘Oh, You Pretty Thing.’ The song peaked at No.12 on the U.K. Singles Chart and No. 100 in Australia. The song had some extra help because it was written by David Bowie, who also played piano on the track.
Peter performed the song live on an episode of the pop show ‘Whittaker’s World of Music.’ The performance starts with Peter sitting on stage with his microphone, singing on a stool. There are many people seated behind him in a crowd.
While he’s singing, 15 girls come up individually to kiss him. They all stay on stage sitting near him and admiring him. During the final chorus, the whole crowd claps along.
Peter sings the lyrics, ‘Oh, you pretty things, don’t you know you’re driving your mamas and papas insane?’ The dark lyrics reflect the ideals of the occultist Aleister Crowley and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
It is an excellent performance by a fantastic showman. Peter Noone knew how to put on a show from his days with ‘Herman’s Hermits.’ He translated that ability into his solo career.
His other success came from the solo records ‘Meet Me on the Corner Down at Joe’s Cafe’ in 1974 and ‘I’m Into Something Good’ in 1989. Noone also performed in Broadway touring productions of ‘The Pirates of Penzance.’ It was evident that Peter loved performing and entertaining a crowd.
If you liked this, share it with a friend.
