For other uses of Needles and Pins, see Needles and Pins

"Needles and Pins" is a song by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono, originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon. Other hit versions of the song were recorded by The Searchers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks and by the Ramones.

Jackie DeShannon version (1963)

The song's original was recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1963 and in the US, peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May of that year [See: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1991]. Though it was only a minor US hit, DeShannon's recording of the song topped the charts in English Canada, hitting number one on the CHUM Chart in early 1963.

The Searchers version (1964)

The Searchers heard British performer Cliff Bennett perform "Needles and Pins" at a club in Hamburg, Germany, and instantly wanted it to be their next single. Soon after, in 1964, "Needles and Pins" appeared on the Searchers' next album, It's Fab! It's Gear! It's The Searchers. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America and was number one in the United Kingdom.

Other versions

Cher also recorded the song in 1964, but didn't have huge success with it. Her husband Sonny Bono who co-wrote it, suggested that she should record it, and it was recorded a day after. In 1986, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks, recorded a live version of "Needles and Pins" for Pack up the Plantation: Live! which entered the top 40. Various other artists have recorded the song "Needles and Pins", including Willy DeVille on his 1999 (Horse of a Different Color album), Crack The Sky (on their World in Motion 1 album), Smokie, the Ramones (on their Road to Ruin album) as well as the Swedish national rock-band Ultima Thule (on their "Blonda Svenska Vikingar" album). Serbian doo wop band Vampiri recorded a version with lyrics in Serbian language entitled "Ona i ja" on their 1995 album Plavi grad. Megadeth made use of a sample of the song for the introduction of "Use the Man" from their 1997 album Cryptic Writings (later removed in remaster).

References

• Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1990 ISBN 0-89820-089-X