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Up in a Puff of Smoke

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1974 single by Polly Brown
"Up in a Puff of Smoke"
Single by Polly Brown
B-side"I'm Saving All My Love"
Released
  • August 1974 (UK)
  • December 1974 (U.S.)
Recorded1974
GenrePop
Length3:20
LabelGTO Records
Songwriter(s)Gerry Shury, Phillip Swern
Producer(s)Gerry Shury, Phillip Swern
Polly Brown singles chronology
"Up in a Puff of Smoke"
(1974) 		"You're My Number One"
(1974)

"Up in a Puff of Smoke" is a song recorded in 1974 by Polly Brown, released as a non-album single to become an international Top 40 hit in 1975.

Overview

The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker had admired Brown's voice from her Pickettywitch recordings. Shury, who had arranged Brown's 1972 self-titled album release, described her as a cross "between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick". In 1974, Shury and Roker had Brown record the neo-Motown number "Up in a Puff of Smoke". In the same session Brown, with Roker as co-vocalist, recorded a cover of the ABBA song "Honey, Honey", which was released under the name Sweet Dreams.

Canadian blue-eyed soul singer Charity Brown turned down the chance to cover "Up in a Puff of Smoke" for the Canadian market, but she did record the B-side song of the Polly Brown single, the mid-tempo Shury/Swern ballad "I'm Saving All My Love", as "Saving All My Love". Introduced on Brown's 1975 album release Rock Me, the track was released as a single, reaching #61 on the Canadian singles chart in February 1976.

Chart history

"Up in a Puff of Smoke" proved to be a UK Top 40 shortfall although it did spend five weeks in the Top 50, peaking at #43. However, the track became a hit in several English speaking countries: Australia (#22), Canada (#11), New Zealand (#13), and the US (#16).

Weekly charts

Chart (1974–75) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 22
Canada RPM Top Singles 11
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 36
New Zealand 13
UK (The Official Charts Company) 43
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 16
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 29
U.S. Billboard Dance/Disco 3
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 16

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Rank
Canada 112
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) 147

Cover versions

  • In 2018, Linda Martin remade "Up in a Puff of Smoke", with Nicki French on background vocals. Issued in January 2018, the track was included on Martin's All Woman album released September 2018.

References

  1. ^ "Gerry Shury". Alwynwturner.com.
  2. The Ottawa Citizen "Charity Brown: singer tries to change 'cute, cuddly' image" by John Wolotko 18 June 1977 p.29
  3. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1981-09-05. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  4. "up in a puff of smoke | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
  7. "Polly Brown - Up In A Puff Of Smoke". Charts.nz.
  8. "Polly Brown". Billboard.com.
  9. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-03-29. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  10. "flavour of new zealand - search rianz". Flavourofnz.co.nz.
  11. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1974-09-14. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  12. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 82. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  13. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 15, 1976". Tropicalglen.com.
  15. "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013.
  16. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  17. "CD Single: Linda Martin - Up In A Puff Of Smoke (Matt Pop Edit) (2018)". 45worlds.com.

External links


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