Download Instrumental    Well, we all know silence is golden, don’t we?  An old Swiss adage assures us that “speech is silver, but silence is golden”.  How many times in your life have you wished that you’d just kept your mouth shut?  There is also a 16th century proverb that maintains “silence is a woman’s best garment”.  Well, I don’t think present-day feminists would much appreciate that, so I’m not gonna go there.  But someone should really write a song about the virtues of silence, don’t you think?  Oh, wait… they have!

“Silence is Golden” was first recorded by The Four Seasons in 1964 as the B-side to a song called “Rag Doll”.  But then a little-known band called The Tremeloes covered it to show off their guitar player’s great falsetto voice.  They were touring with The Hollies as an opening act and repeatedly received standing ovations for this tune.  So, why not record it and see what happens.  Next thing you know – big hit for a “cover band” from Merry Ol’ England.  They followed it up with “Here Comes My Baby” and cinched their rightful place in the annals of  rock’n’roll.

In 1962, Decca Records was looking for a “beat group” to sign for a recording contract and held an audition for two bands on January 1st.  The Decca producers chose The Tremeloes as they thought they had much more potential than the other group that auditioned.  Who was that other band, you might ask?  Wouldn’t ya know – it was The Beatles!  Ouch… biggest mistake in music history.