Versions
The song was a hit for The Drifters in 1963, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been covered by many artists such as The Coasters, The Dave Clark Five, The Chipettes, Eric Carmen, Bobby Darin, Percy Faith, Tom Jones, Johnny Mathis, James Taylor, Gary Numan, Tito Puente, Lou Rawls, Buddy Rich, Paul Rodgers with Jeff Beck, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sly & the Family Stone, Livingston Taylor, Neil Young, and Widespread Panic. David Bowie quoted from the song in his 1973 track "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)." The song was covered jazz-style by Ray Brown, Jr. on the album Stand by Me. The lyrics of the song also make a brief appearance at the end of the song "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" by Genesis from their album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
George Benson's version of "On Broadway," from his 1978 album Weekend in L.A., hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the soul chart. The George Benson version also got substantial adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio airplay ever since. It won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance. The song appeared in the films Big Business and American Beauty. George Benson's performance of the song was used during the opening credits of the 1979 film All That Jazz, which featured dancers on stage auditioning for a musical similar to Chicago. George Benson also performed "On Broadway" with Clifford and The Rhythm Rats for the 1994 Muppet album Kermit Unpigged.
Argentinian group "Serú Girán" referenced the song's melody — played by the fretless bass — in their track "Canción de Hollywood" (Hollywood song) from their 1979 album, La Grasa de las Capitales.
An instrumental version of the song was used in the film American Beauty during the Spartanettes dance scene.
The song was included in the musical revue "Smokey Joe's Cafe."
Read more about this topic: On Broadway (song)
Famous quotes containing the word versions:
“The assumption must be that those who can see value only in tradition, or versions of it, deny man’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances.”
—Stephen Bayley (b. 1951)