Telstar (instrumental)
| "Telstar" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by the Tornados | ||||
| from the album The Original Telstar: The Sounds of the Tornadoes | ||||
| B-side | "Jungle Fever" | |||
| Released | 17 August 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 22 July 1962 | |||
| Studio | RGM Sound, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Meek | |||
| Producer(s) | Joe Meek | |||
| The Tornados singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Telstar" (Remastered) on YouTube | ||||
"Telstar" is a 1962 instrumental by the English band the Tornados, written and produced by Joe Meek. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1962 (the second British recording to reach number one on that chart in the year, after "Stranger on the Shore" in May). It was the second instrumental single to hit number one in 1962 on both the US and UK weekly charts.
Later in 1962, Meek produced a vocal version, "Magic Star", sung by Kenny Hollywood. It was released as a single by Decca Records (cat. nr F11546), with "The Wonderful Story of Love" on the B-side, written by Geoff Goddard. The musical director for both songs was Ivor Raymonde.