"Hello, How Are You" is a 1968 song and single by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n rock group

the Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian Rock music, rock band which formed in Sydney in late 1964. They are best known for their 1966 hit single "Friday on My Mind", which is regarded as the first Australian rock song to achieve international success ...

, which was written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda.

Background

The choice to release "Hello, How Are You" was that of the band's manager Mike Vaughan. The melodramatic ballad was different from anything the group had previously released (being more known for their

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

songs). Recording first took place at Pye Studios in London. The first version of the song was arranged by Bill Shepard (known for his work with

The Bee Gees ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

). This version was more of a psychedelic pop song and was ultimately rejected (it was later released on the reissue of '' The Best of The Easybeats Volume 2'' compilation). For the released version, the band turned to arranger

Alan Tew Alan Stanley Tew was a British composer and arranger. Career Tew got his start in the 1950s as the pianist and arranger for the Len Turner Band. Tew composed the song " Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo" with Bill Shepherd, originally performed by Sophia Lor ...

for orchestration. Although the song did make the Top 20 in the UK, in retrospective interviews the band regretted the impact the song had on their career. In a 1976 interview for ''

Rolling Stone Australia ''Rolling Stone Australia'' is the Australian edition of the United States' ''Rolling Stone'' magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, published monthly. The Australian version of ''Rolling Stone'' was initially published in 197 ...

'', band member George Young reflected: "The people in the industry dug it and it skidded in and out of the Top 20. But it was a classic mistake from our point of view. We were a rock 'n' roll band and what was a rock band doing with this cornball, schmaltz shit? We shouldn't have done it". The single reached #20 in the U.K. and #26 in their home country of Australia.

Track listing

Australian and UK releases #"Hello, How Are You" (

Harry Vanda Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as Harry Vanda, is a Dutch-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who wi ...

George Young George Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Young (filmmaker), Australian stage manager and film director in the silent era * George Young (rock musician) (1946–2017), Australian musician, songwriter, and record producer * G ...

) #" Falling Off the Edge of the World" (

) US release #"Hello, How Are You" (

) #"Come In You'll Get Pneumonia" (

)

Charts

Trivia

The song appeared in a Dutch radio and tv commercial in the late seventies. The campaign promoted the Peek & Kloppenburg fashion brand.

References

{{authority control 1968 singles The Easybeats songs Parlophone singles Songs written by George Young (rock musician) 1968 songs Songs written by Harry Vanda