{"id":662874,"date":"2026-06-28T14:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T14:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662874\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T14:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T14:24:11","slug":"the-story-of-the-1966-number-one-that-is-totally-out-of-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/662874\/","title":{"rendered":"The story of the 1966 number one that is totally out of tune"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Charts<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ NASA \/ Uwe Conrad<\/p>\n

Sun 28 June 2026 12:00, UK <\/p>\n

There are plenty of mistakes that make it to tape in music. Paul McCartney<\/a> shouting \u201cfucking hell\u201d after playing the wrong chord in \u2018Hey Jude\u2019 is just one of them. <\/p>\n

But even by The Beatles\u2019 standards, releasing a song that was completely out of tune was a whole different ball game. Sure, there were other examples of its kind, like a note in \u2018Every Little Thing She Does is Magic\u2019 by The Police being noticeably out of tune, but being left in the final recording<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet by the same token, that was only a single bum note. Having an entire song be out of tune, and still go on to reach number one, is not only bizarre but also outrageous, considering the volume of sonic masteries that never see the light of day in the charts. However, Percy Sledge wasn\u2019t complaining. He was the one laughing all the way to the bank. <\/p>\n

In total fairness to him, it wasn\u2019t exactly his fault. He had recorded the 1966 song \u2018When A Man Loves A Woman\u2019 in good faith, having perfected his vocal performance and having that secret, tingling feeling that he could be onto something good. In this sense, he wasn\u2019t wrong, given the success the song would go on to endure.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the issue arose when you listened closely to the song\u2019s horn section at its crescendo. It starts out not so bad, and you think, \u2018What\u2019s all the fuss about?\u2019, then the trumpet comes on full blast, and you realise the glaring problem is staring you right in the face. It\u2019s out of tune, and not just a little bit. Horrendously so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a beggar\u2019s belief to think that this ever got past the label executives, but as it transpired, it actually didn\u2019t. One of those diligent workers, Jerry Wexler, had taken note of the nails against the chalkboard horns and had asked for them to be re-recorded, thus prompting a different set of musicians to be brought in and rectify it into the right key.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for him, though, someone with less of an eagle eye, or ear, didn\u2019t pick up on the discrepancy and got the tapes confused, leading to the out-of-tune version being released and the proper one being left to the archives. It could have been a disaster of epic proportions, but thankfully, the public wasn\u2019t so musically inclined as to notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n

At the very least, it should make you feel better if you ever think you\u2019ve messed up at work. In the grand scheme of things, these mistakes are never going to matter in the long run<\/a>, even if you think they might be world-shattering at the time. Sledge and his out-of-tune horns managed to make it to number one, so why shouldn\u2019t anyone?<\/p>\n

OK, admittedly, that may not be the soundest piece of career advice you\u2019ve ever heard in your life. But even still, there\u2019s a lesson to be found somewhere in there about learning not to sweat the small stuff and your errors sometimes leading to a greater product. However, it still has to be said: if you\u2019re recording a song that\u2019s destined for number one, just make sure your trumpet\u2019s in tune.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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