The British Invasion began in the early 1960s when acts from the United Kingdom started finding success in the United States. Most music lovers would assert that the Beatles were the first British act to top the Hot 100 when “I Want to Hold Your Hand” went to No. 1 in 1964. However, The Tornados topped the chart two years before with an admittedly strange single titled “Telstar.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Bands like the Beatles made oceans of teenage fans go nuts with songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Love Me Do,” and “All My Loving.” The Rolling Stones delivered timeless hits like “Play with Fire,” “The Last Time,” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Both bands are examples of how popular music from the United Kingdom was in the United States in the 1960s. However, before they came along with their timeless riffs and immortal lyrics, The Tornados were getting weird.
[RELATED: 4 Beatles Songs for Those Who Say They Don’t Like the Fab Four]
The space race between the United States and Russia started in 1955. At the same time, films and books about aliens and space travel were incredibly popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, when The Tornados released “Telstar,” a single named after a series of American communication satellites. The instrumental track harnessed the sounds of sci-fi space travel to make it an international hit. It went to No. 1 in Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Wild Story Behind “Telstar” and The Tornados
British record producer Joe Meek assembled The Tornados as a studio band. They backed several artists for whom he recorded. Additionally, they served as Billy Fury’s backing band. At the same time, they recorded and released their own records with Meek.
According to Vintage Rock Magazine, the band’s debut single, “Love and Fury,” did well regionally, and they were looking for a solid follow-up single. They settled on a rendition of Ernesto Lecuona’s “The Breeze and I.” Unfortunately, two other instrumental bands–The Fentones and The Shadows–had already recorded versions of the song.
The Tordanos reached out to Joe Meek with the band news. He told them not to worry and that he would come up with something. Days later, on July 12, Meek watched live TV from the United States for the first time, thanks to the Telstar satellites. After a dream about the satellites hurtling through space, Meek woke up and started work on what would be The Tornados’ next single.
The band worked with Meek’s idea and laid down the instrumental. However, it was his vision and production style that made “Telstar” a space-age standout that would top charts around the world.
Featured Image by John Pratt/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.