Johnny's Hill
1970 · Roulette RO 509 · USA
- Artist
- Freddie Scott
- Title
- Johnny's Hill
- Release
- Sugar on Sunday / Johnny's Hill
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- Roulette # RO 509
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Freddie Scott released the track "Johnny's Hill" (Elephant V Ltd. # 1) in 1970, which told the story of a deceased soldier, whose body was returned to his home in the US. Scott spoke about the song in an interview, saying that "one of my cousins died in the army, and that's what sort of brought that about". He composed it with Tommy Kaye. So the body arrived by train with all the family waiting at the platform. A mother was asking everyone "why did this happen to my son". The family received a medal, and the captain tells them that "he was the hell of a soldier". But to the family this "doesn't mean a thing" - so a similar theme to "I Should Be Proud" by Martha and The Vandellas, and "That Man of Mine" by Barbara Stant.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Freddie Scott (born 1933 in Providence, Rhode Island; died June 2007 in New York City, aged 74) was an American soul singer and songwriter, best known for the 1963 top-ten hit 'Hey, Girl' and the 1967 R&B number one 'Are You Lonely for Me'; he also worked as a Brill Building songwriter and producer. "Johnny's Hill", which he co-wrote with Tommy Kaye and which describes a dead soldier being carried home by train for burial, was issued on Elephant V Ltd. 1 in 1970 backed with a version of Tommy James's 'Sugar on Sunday'. [Source: Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame; Wikipedia]