"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

and

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

. It was first recorded by

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty- ...

for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, so that he will not be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her. The song is notable for making the American Top 20 three times: for

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935 – March 7, 2024) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Slin ...

in 1963 (US number 1), for

The Happenings The Happenings are a pop music group that originated in the 1960s. Members of the original group, created in the spring of 1961 and initially called "The Four Graduates" because all had just graduated from high school in Paterson, New Jersey, we ...

in 1966 (US number 12; CAN number 10), and for

Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...

in 1971 (US number 1). It is also the first song, and one of only nine, to reach US number 1 by two different artists. Also notable in each of the solo versions is the similar

double-tracked Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

treatment of the singer's voice.

Steve Lawrence version

In late 1962, Steve Lawrence released the second recording of this song (Bobby Vee recorded it first in March 1962). The single reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 1963 and remained in the top position for two weeks. This recording also spent six weeks atop the U.S.

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart. "Go Away Little Girl" went to number 14 on the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart. Outside the US, "Go Away Little Girl" also went to number 1 on the New Zealand Lever chart and number 18 in Canada.

Mark Wynter version

Mark Wynter Mark Wynter (born Terence Sidney Lewis; 29 January 1943) is an English singer and actor, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and " Go Away Little Girl". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a p ...

's 1962 cover of the song on the

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

label also made the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 6 in the United Kingdom.

Donny Osmond version

Donny Osmond's

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Go Away Little Girl" reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on September 11, 1971. It remained in the top position for three weeks. Osmond's version also went to number 36 on the Australian Go-Set chart. It was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on October 13, 1971. Osmond was 13 at the time the song was recorded.

Chart performance

Certifications

Marlena Shaw version

Marlena Shaw does a version called "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy" from her 1977 album ''Sweet Beginnings''. This reached number 21 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B chart staying in the Top 100 for 11 weeks.Joel Whitburn, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942-2004, Billboard, 2005 In the 1980s it became a popular UK record on the Rare Groove dance scene. Ms. Shaw also performed a 9:31 live version of her "Go Away Little Boy" recorded for her ''It Is Love'' album.

References

External links

* Steve Lawrence singles at AllMusic.com* Donny Osmond singles at AllMusic.combr>Lyrics to the song
{{authority control 1962 songs 1962 singles 1963 singles 1971 singles Steve Lawrence songs Bobby Vee songs Donny Osmond songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Songs written by Carole King Columbia Records singles MGM Records singles Santo & Johnny songs