Tammy

Album

Greatest Oldies Collection 1

Label

Coral 61851 A

Genre

Stage & Screen

Duration

0:00

Composer(s)

Ray Evans, Jay Livingston

Entered Chart

Jul 22, 1957

Peak Date

Sep 2, 1957

Released

Unknown

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Coral 61851 A

B-Side

French Heels

"Tammy" is a popular song with music by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. It was published in 1957 and made its debut in the film Tammy and the Bachelor. It was nominated for the 1957 Oscar for Best Original Song. "Tammy" is heard in the film in two versions. The one that became a No. 1 hit single for Debbie Reynolds in 1957 is heard midway through the film, and was a UK No. 2 hit single in the same year. Another version was heard during the main titles at the beginning of the film and was a hit for the Ames Brothers. There have been other cover versions of the song. The song's title served as the inspiration for Berry Gordy's first record label. In 1959, Gordy set up a new record company, and wanted to call it "Tammy Records" after the song, but the name was taken and "Tamla" was chosen instead. The main Motown label was created later that year and the two labels were incorporated into the Motown Record Corporation in 1960. Tamla served as a primary R&B and soul subsidiary throughout Motown's existence. Debbie Reynolds version The most popular version, by actress and singer Debbie Reynolds, was released by Coral Records as catalog number 61851. The backing orchestrations were done by Joseph Gershenson. It first reached the Billboard charts on July 22, 1957, and peaked at No. 1 on all the U.S. charts: the Disk Jockey chart, the Best Seller chart, and the composite chart of the top 100 songs.[1] The single "Tammy" earned her a gold record.[2] It is featured in the films The Long Day Closes, The Big Lebowski, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and was sampled in the song "A Different Feeling" by Australian electronic band The Avalanches on their 2000 album "Since I Left You".