"Jesamine" is a song written by

Marty Wilde Marty Wilde, (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s and 1960s hit singles including " E ...

and

Ronnie Scott Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...

, published under the pseudonyms Frere Manston and Jack Gellar. Initially recorded by Welsh band

the Bystanders Man (also known as The Manband) are a Welsh rock band. The group were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones (guitar and vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar and vocals), Clive John (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff J ...

as "When Jezamine Goes", the version by English band

the Casuals The Casuals were a British pop group from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. They are best known for their 1968 No. 2 UK hit record, hit song, "Jesamine". Career Originally formed in 1960 by John Tebb (piano and vocals) and ...

became a hit when it was released as a single in August 1968. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in October 1968.

Background

and

wrote "Jesamine" in January 1968. Scott initially conceived "when Rosemary goes" as the first line of the chorus; Wilde suggested the name be changed to Jesamine, the name of a cafe in

Huyton Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, Liverpool Built-up Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Merseyside, Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Netherley, Liverpool, ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, where his mother-in-law lived. The songwriters used the pseudonyms of Frere Manston and Jack Gellar. Wilde, who had been a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...

, was keen to "know what reaction there was to the song" before disclosing his identity. The song was originally recorded by the Bystanders, a band managed by Scott, and released under the title "When Jezamine Goes" on

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 ...

. The song, however, failed to make any impact on the chart. The song was then recorded by the Casuals based largely on the Bystanders' arrangement, and released as "Jesamine". This version was successful in many countries; in the UK it reached number two, kept off the number one spot by

Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single " Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists to be sign ...

's "

Those Were The Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

". A recording by Wilde appears on his album ''Diversions'' (1969).

Reception

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

has described "Jesamine" as one of his favourite records. It was one of the songs in his record collection that he discussed on the 8 February 1998 BBC Radio One edition of ''All Back to Mine'', describing it as "a beautiful record", that he loved the melody, and found it "sad", "nostalgic" but "really inspiring". He included it in the 2003 compilation of songs that influenced him, '' Under the Influence''. Robin Carmody of ''

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

'' praised the song's "charming, sun-kissed flight" and grouped it among other early British

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...

songs, like the Love Affair's "

Everlasting Love "Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, originally a 1967 hit for Robert Knight and since covered numerous times. The most successful version in the UK was performed by Love Affair and the highest-charting version ...

" (1967) and

the Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...

' " Suddenly You Love Me" (1968) for their emerging sense of optimism, "not in a cloying or false way, but appealingly (and unreachably) pre-ironic." In 1969, "Jesamine" received the

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for Most Romantic Song of the Year.

Charts

References

External links

* Performance on Beat-Club {{Authority control 1968 songs 1968 singles Songs written by Marty Wilde Songs written by Ronnie Scott (songwriter) Bubblegum pop songs Decca Records singles Pye Records singles