Reet Petite

Single infobox
Name = Reet Petite


Artist = Jackie Wilson
from Album = He’s So Fine
Released = August 1957
Format = Vinyl record (7"), 78rpm record (10")
Recorded =
Genre = Pop / Soul
Length = 2:40
Label = Brunswick Records
Producer = Carl Davis
Last single = "One Moment with You"
(1957)
as Billy Ward & the Dominoes
Next single = "To Be Loved "
(1958)

"Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)" (original subtitle: "The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet") is a song made popular by Jackie Wilson.

ong information

Written by Berry Gordy and Tyran Carlo, a pseudonym of Jackie's cousin Billy Davis [Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 nr.1 hits uit de Top 40, page 235, 9023009444 (Book in Dutch)] , and produced by Carl Davis, the song is one of the classics of rock and roll music. Taking the title from the Louis Jordan song "Reet, Petite and Gone", this was Jackie Wilson's first recording as a solo artist. The song peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1957 and reached #6 on the UK singles chart. With the success of the song, Gordy was able to fund the launch of Motown Records.

In December 1986, more than two years after Wilson's death, the song became a #1 in the UK for four weeks following its use in a commercial for Levi's. [http://www.top4000.nl/page/hitfeiten/02/14/ Dutch Hit Facts February 14] (Accessed October 8, 2006)] In the commercial, a claymation version of Wilson sings the song. This held the record for the longest time between a song's debut on the chart and it finally reaching number one (29 years, 1 month, 11 days) until it was overtaken by Tony Christie's (Is This the Way to) Amarillo in 2005.

Track lists

Charts

Cover versions

* The song was covered in 1963 by Dee Dee Sharp.
* The song was covered in September 1964 by Dinah Lee and reached the #1 position in New Zealand [ [http://www.abc.net.au/longway/artist_index/dinahlee.htm ABC Australia] Dinah Lee artist page. (Accessed October 8, 2006)] and a #6 position in Melbourne (Australia did not have a national chart yet). [http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=332 Australian Pop Archives] "Reet Petite" page. (Accessed October 8, 2006)]
* The song was covered in 1979 by Darts (band)
* This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the Van Morrison song "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" from his 1972 album, Saint Dominic's Preview.
* This song is mentioned in the lyrics of the David Bowie song "Red Money"

References