Montego Bay (song)

"Montego Bay" is a song co-written and performed by Bobby Bloom about the city in Jamaica of the same name. The song was a top ten hit for Bloom in the Fall of 1970 on both sides of the Atlantic. It reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 5 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles Chart, No. 7 on the Australian Go-Set Singles Chart and No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was co-written and produced by Jeff Barry. In the master tape of the song, Bloom breaks into a chorus of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" at the end of the recording. The song features a whistler, as well as Jamaican instruments in a calypso style.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Freddie Notes & the Rudies cover

Sugar Cane cover

Jon Stevens cover

Quarrington/Worthy cover

Allniters cover

Amazulu cover

Year-end charts

Jon Stevens version

In January 1980, New Zealand recording artist Jon Stevens released a version as a single. It peaked at No.1 in New Zealand, allowing Stevens to replace himself at No.1, and stayed there for two weeks.

Track listing

Vinyl, 7-inch, 45 RPM

1. "Montego Bay" 2:50
2. "Sha La La" 4:25

Charts

Year-end charts

Other recordings

• (1970) Freddie Notes & The Rudies – (Trojan Records)
• (1971) The Bar-Kays on their album Black Rock
• (1978) Sugar Cane – a minor UK disco hit for the U.S. male/female vocal group. Highest position in UK Singles Chart – No. 54
• (1983) Allniters – a Top 20 hit for an Australian ska band.
• (1986) Amazulu – reached No. 16 in the UK and No. 6 in Canada and was a minor hit in the U.S. in September 1986

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1980s (New Zealand)
• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

External links

• NZ On Screen – Montego Bay music video