| The Garden of Eden | |
| Artist: | Joe Valino |
| B-Side: | Caravan |
| Label: | Vik Records |
"The Garden of Eden" is a song written and composed by Dennise Haas Norwood, and first recorded by Joe Valino, which reached Number 12 on the Billboard chart in December 1956. The song was also recorded by other artists, including Frankie Vaughan whose version gave him his first No. 1 in the UK in 1957.[1]
Valino recorded the song at his second session for Vik Records, a subsidiary of RCA, backed by George Siravo and His Orchestra. "I knew it would be a hit, even as I was recording it," he told Wayne Jancik in The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders.[2]
The song was released with "Caravan" as its flip side in September 1956.[3]
| Chart (1956 - 57) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (AMR)[4] | 3 |
| US Billboard The Top 100[5] | 12 |
| US Cash Box Top 50[6] | 15 |
| The Garden of Eden | |
| Artist: | Frankie Vaughan |
| B-Side: | Priscilla |
| Label: | Philips Records |
In the UK, many different versions of the song were released. The most popular of these was recorded by the singer Frankie Vaughan with Wally Stott And His Orchestra And Chorus. The song gave Vaughan his first No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom in January 1957.[7] The song first entered the UK Singles Chart on 11 January 1957, and reached No. 1 two weeks later.[8] It spent four weeks at the top,[9] and 13 weeks in the charts all together.[10]
Gary Miller also released his version in the UK around the same time, and it reached No. 14 on the chart.[11]
Dick James also released a version in 1957. Dick James' version reached No. 18 in the UK chart.[12]