A Heaping Helping of Herman’s Hermits Hits

It’s often forgotten today, but during the so-called British Invasion – a period known in the UK as the Beat Era – Herman’s Hermits was second in popularity only to the Beatles. The chirpy Manchester group formed in 1963 scored a massive #1 hit in England with their debut single, “I’m Into Something Good.” They’d never repeat that feat at home, but in the U.S., Herman Hermits landed 18 of their first 20 singles in the Top 40. Lead singer Peter Noone left the group in 1971, ending their run of hits (and effectively scotching their recording career), though founding drummer Barry Whitwam leads a lineup of Herman’s Hermits to this day, and Noone tours regularly as Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the release of Herman’s Hermits’ self-titled debut LP, here are five of the biggest U.S. hits from the group. Originally released as singles and found on an assortment of LPs, today all are available on the 2015 double-CD compilation The Best of Herman’s Hermits: The 50th Anniversary Anthology.

“Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” (March 1965)
Historians often point to sessions for Herman’s Hermits recordings as the spark that ignited the creative relationship between future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. And while it’s true that producer Micky Most often enlisted session players, the members of Herman’s Hermits played on many of their own recordings. A prominent example is this, their fifth single. Guitarists Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood lent their distinctive playing to the arrangement. The group scored a #1 with the tune in the U.S. and Canada, but it was never even released as a UK single.

“I’m Henry VIII, I Am” (June 1965)
The second #1 U.S. #2 single for Herman’s Hermits, “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” was already well known in England for decades before the group recorded it. The tune is a classic of British music hall, written in 1910. The original version had three verses; in the Hermits’ hands, though, the tune followed the famous “second verse, same as the first” approach. A jaunty sing-along, the Hermits’ version bounced the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” from the top spot on Billboard’s singles chart.

“Listen People” (February 1966)
Graham Gouldman has written many hits; quite a few of them have been hits for other artists. The Yardbirds’ “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul” and “Evil Hearted You,” The Hollies’ “Bus Stop” and Jeff Beck’s “Tallyman” are just a few of his successes from the years before he co-founded his own hit group, 10cc. With a melody based on a church hymn, Gouldman’s “Listen People” would earn Herman’s Hermits a U.S. #1, an a Top Ten showing in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“Dandy” (September 1966)
Many of Herman’s Hermits’ singles were songs written by composers outside the group. A prime example is “Dandy,” a Ray Davies tune first heard on the Kinks’ 1966 LP Face to Face. Noone and company covered the song just a few months after the Kinks’ original was released. “Dandy” wasn’t a single in the UK, but in America it reached the #5 spot, also top-tenning (again!) in Canada and New Zealand.

“There’s a Kind of Hush” (February 1967)
First a hit for the New Vaudeville Band, “There’s a Kind of Hush” would be released by Herman’s Hermits a few months later, climbing to the #4 spot on the U.S. singles chart. The times were a-changing toward heaver rock and psychedelia, but Herman’s Hermits’ Top 40 era in the U.S. would continue into 1968. After their final Top 40 single (“I Can Take or Leave Your Loving,” which went #1 in Canada), the group disappeared from American charts. They would, however, sustain their popularity at home, landing no less than eight more songs on the UK Top Ten.