Allentown Jail
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2021) |
| "Allentown Jail" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Lettermen | ||||
| B-side | "Two Brothers" | |||
| Released | 1963 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Irving Gordon | |||
| The Lettermen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Allentown Jail" is a folk-style song, written by Irving Gordon.[1]
Background
[edit]The song tells the story of a man who tries to steal a diamond ring for his girlfriend, gets caught, and ends up in the Allentown jail.
Recordings
[edit]- In 1951, Jo Stafford recorded this song. It was released as a single on Columbia Records.
- In 1960, Kathy Linden recorded it as her first single on Monument Records.[2]
- The Kingston Trio recorded a version in 1962, as the song became popular in the folk scene. The trio had plans of releasing it as a single, but the single never came to fruition. Their version has since been released on various CD compilations of their works.
- In 1963, a more harmonic arrangement was performed by The Lettermen and released as a single. This version incurred some success, but only to a minor degree.
- Other artists who recorded this song include The Seekers, The Springfields, Billy Strange, and British singers Lita Roza and Karen Young. There is also a French adaptation of the song, "Les prisons du roy", by Edith Piaf, which was later covered by Marianne Faithfull.
References
[edit]- ^ "Song: Allentown Jail written by Irving Gordon". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Kathy Linden - Allentown Jail". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
External links
[edit]- "Alkentown Jail" lyrics at Genius.com
