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Sending Out An S.O.S.

May 04, 2024

This article is about the disco song. For the song by The Police, see Message in a Bottle (The Police song).

"Sending Out An S.O.S." is a 1975 song for singer Retta Young. It charted in the US on the Billboard and Cash Box charts. It charted also in the UK where it did better. It is considered a classic disco song and appears on a multitude of compilations.

"Sending Out An S.O.S."
Single by Retta Young
B-side"Sending Out An S.O.S." (Instr)
Released1975 (1975)
GenreDisco, Soul
LabelAll Platinum AP-2355
Songwriter(s)
  • D. Lenier
  • A. Landon
Producer(s)
Retta Young singles chronology
"Sending Out An S.O.S." ""You Beat Me To The Punch""

Background edit

In The US, the record was released on All Platinum AP 2355. In Australia, The Netherlands and Germany it was released on the Philips label.[1]

It was written by Allan Landon and Douglas Lenier who wrote "I Love You More Than Ever" which appears on the More than Ever album by Blood, Sweat & Tears.[2][3]

The single was reviewed by Sue Byrom in the May 3 issue of Record Mirror. She made a note of the S.O.S beeps and their catchiness. She also mentioned what came to mind with this song which was "Then Came You" by Dionne Warwick and The Spinners.[4] Also in that issue Giovanni Dadomo in his Soul Stirrings, Soul Gossip column was referring to it as blockbusting. Young's picture also appeared in the column.[5]

The single was reviewed by Cash Box in the May 31, 1975 issue. The reviewer mentioned the large amount play it was getting at UK discos as well as the local airplay in the US at WNJR-AM in New York. Calling it a free-flowing rhythm track, her sensual vocal and the "super touch" of the Morse Code SOS beeps also were noted.[6]

On the week of June 7, 1975, Dede Dabney in her Record World Soul Truth column had it as one of Dede's Ditties to Watch.[7]

Airplay (selective) edit

Radio & Records reported in their June 20 issue that Jim Sotet at WABX-FM in Detroit was playing the single.[8] It was also reported by Record World in the June 21 issue that the single was seeing heavy action at WABX-FM.[9]

It was reported by RPM Weekly in the October 4 issue that the single was at no. 71 on Jim Duncan's playlist at CKBC in Bathurst, Canada.[10]

Chart edit

The record would eventually peak at No. 88 in the U.S. on the Billboard R&B charts and No. 28 in the U.K.[11]

US charts edit

Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart

On the week ending, July 19, 1975, the single made its debut at no. 94 in the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart.[12] Peaking at no. 88, it hung around for a third week at no. 91.[13][14][15]

Billboard Disco Action charts (selective)

For the week ending May 31, 1975, the single was in all four sections of the Disco Action chart. It was at no. 14 in the Top Audience Response Records In N.Y. Discos section, no. 1 in the Downstairs Records (New York) Retail Sales section, no. 12 in the Colony Records (New York) Retail Sales section and no. 15 in the Melody Song Shops (Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island) Retail Sale section.[16]

For the week ending June 14, "Sending Out An S.O.S." was rated No.9 for The Top Audience Response In N.Y. Discos. Other songs in the chart at the time were, "The Hustle" by Van McCoy at no. 3, "El Bimbo" by Bimbo Jet at no. 2, and "Free Man" by South Shore Commission at no. 1. Colony Records had it at No. 7 and Downstairs Records had it at No 1.[17] For the week of June 28, in the Disco Action charts, it was at no. 12 in Top Audience Response Records In N.Y. Discos chart, no 14 in Colony Records (New York) Retail Sales chart, and no. 10 in Melody Song Shops (Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island) Retail Sales chart.[18]

Cash Box Top 100 R&B chart

On August 2, the record made its debut in the Cash Box Top 100 R&B chart at no. 85.[19] It peaked at no. 74 on the week of August 23, spending a total of four weeks in the chart.[20][21][22]

Record World Discotheque Hit Parade chart

On the week of June 7, 1975 it was on the Discotheque Hit Parade chart, played by DJ Larry Sanders at the Barefoot Boy in New York.[23]

UK charts edit

Main chart

On the week of May 31, the single made its debut in the UK chart at no. 50.[24] It peaked at no. 28 at the end of June,[25][26] was still in the top 50 on July 12 at no. 44.[27] It spent a total of seven weeks in the chart.[28]

UK Disco Top 20

It peaked at no. 9 on the UK Disco Top 20 on June 28, 1975. It also made no. 10 on Hamilton’s Disco Top 10.[29][30][31]


Appearances edit

Along with "Shame, Shame, Shame" by Shirley & Co., "7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)" by The Rimshots, "Hypertension by Calender and "Dolly My Love" by The Moments, "Hypertension" appears on the All Platinum Gold compilation album.[32]

According to the Discogs website, "Sending Out an S.O.S. appears on around fifty various artist compilations.[33]

References edit

  1. ^ 45Cat - Retta Young - Discography
  2. ^ Dutch Charts - RETTA YOUNG - (SENDING OUT AN) S.O.S.
  3. ^ Session Days - 1976 Blood, Sweat & Tears - More Than Ever
  4. ^ Record Mirror, May 3, 1978 - Page 19 singles by Sue Byrom
  5. ^ Record Mirror, May 3, 1978 - Page 20 Soul Stirrings by Giovanni Dadomo, soul gossip
  6. ^ Cash Box, May 31, 1975 - Page 24 cashbox singles / reviews
  7. ^ Record World, June 7, 1975 - Page 38 SOUL TRUTH By DEDE DABNEY
  8. ^ Radio & Records, Vol. 3, Number 24 Friday June 20, 1975 - Page 24 ALBUM ACTIVITY WABX FM/DETROIT
  9. ^ Record World, June 21, 1975 - Page 25 Page 26 THE FM AIRPLAY REPORT
  10. ^ RPM Weekly, Volume 24 No. 6 October 4th, 1975 - Page 36 RPM CROSS CANADA CONTEMPORARY RADIO ACTION, BATHURST, CKBC (Jim Duncan), Playlisted
  11. ^ MusicVF.com - Sending Out an S.O.S. By: Retta Young
  12. ^ Billboard, July 19, 1975 - Page 56 Billboard Hot Soul Singles, Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 7/19/75
  13. ^ MusicVF.com - Sending Out an S.O.S. By: Retta Young
  14. ^ Billboard, August 2, 1975 - Page 32 Billboard Hot Soul Singles, Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 8/2/75
  15. ^ Billboard, August 9, 1975 - Page 54 Billboard Hot Soul Singles, Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 8/9/75
  16. ^ Billboard, MAy 31, 1975 - Page 31 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON
  17. ^ Billboard, June 14, 1975 - Page 26 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON
  18. ^ Billboard, June 28, 1975 - Page 47 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON
  19. ^ Cash Box, August 2, 1975 - Page 31 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B
  20. ^ Cash Box, August 16, 1975 - Page 37 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B
  21. ^ Cash Box, August 23, 1975 - Page 34 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B
  22. ^ Cash Box, August 30, 1975 - Page 19 CASH BOX TOP 100 R&B
  23. ^ Record World, June 7, 1975 - Page 25 Discotheque Hit Parade, BAREFOOT BOY/NEW YORK
  24. ^ Billboard, May 31, 1975 - Page 73 Billboard Hits Of The World, BRITAIN
  25. ^ Billboard, July 5, 1975 - Page 57 Billboard Hits Of The World, BRITAIN
  26. ^ MusicVF.com - Sending Out an S.O.S. By: Retta Young
  27. ^ Billboard, July 12, 1975 - Page 52 Billboard Hits Of The World, BRITAIN
  28. ^ Official Charts - https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/(sending-out-an)-s.o.s_dot_/ OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART RESULTS MATCHING: (SENDING OUT AN) S.O.S.
  29. ^ James Hamilton's Disco Page - A full list of all Record Mirror UK Disco Chart entries, 1975-1979
  30. ^ James Hamilton's Disco Page - UK Disco Top 20 – June 28, 1975
  31. ^ James Hamilton's Disco Page - Hamilton’s Disco Top 10
  32. ^ Music Week, January 24, 1976 - Page 22 NEW ALBUM Featuring 16 of the finest tracks from the HIT LABEL
  33. ^ Discogs - Retta Young, Appearances, Compilations

Other versions edit

The song was also covered by South African artist Jonathan Butler and appeared as the B side of his "I'll Be Home" single which was released on the Bullet label in 1976.[1][2]


External links edit

  • Discogs - Various releases on the single at Discogs
  • ejxit channel - Sending out an S.O.S. - Retta Young (Audio)
  • DJ' PYL - Funk Disco Soul Groove channel - RETTA YOUNG - (Sending Out An) S.O.S (Extended Version) (1975) (Audio)
  • keurspel (Leon Rossouw) channel - Jonathan Butler - Sending out an SOS (Audio)
  • Disco chart - It debuted for the week ending May 31, 1975. >> Disco Charts - DISCO CHART DEBUT For Week Ending May 31, 1975
  1. ^ 45Cat - Record Details, Artist: Jonathan Butler, Catalogue: B 49
  2. ^ Soul Safari, June 2, 2014 - Township Soul & Boogie Vol 11-Jonathan Butler

May 04, 2024
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This article is about the disco song For the song by The Police see Message in a Bottle The Police song Sending Out An S O S is a 1975 song for singer Retta Young It charted in the US on the Billboard and Cash Box charts It charted also in the UK where it did better It is considered a classic disco song and appears on a multitude of compilations Sending Out An S O S Single by Retta YoungB side Sending Out An S O S Instr Released1975 1975 GenreDisco SoulLabelAll Platinum AP 2355Songwriter s D LenierA LandonProducer s A GoodmanH RayW MorrisRetta Young singles chronology Sending Out An S O S You Beat Me To The Punch Contents 1 Background 2 Airplay selective 3 Chart 3 1 US charts 3 2 UK charts 4 Appearances 5 References 6 Other versions 7 External linksBackground editIn The US the record was released on All Platinum AP 2355 In Australia The Netherlands and Germany it was released on the Philips label 1 It was written by Allan Landon and Douglas Lenier who wrote I Love You More Than Ever which appears on the More than Ever album by Blood Sweat amp Tears 2 3 The single was reviewed by Sue Byrom in the May 3 issue of Record Mirror She made a note of the S O S beeps and their catchiness She also mentioned what came to mind with this song which was Then Came You by Dionne Warwick and The Spinners 4 Also in that issue Giovanni Dadomo in his Soul Stirrings Soul Gossip column was referring to it as blockbusting Young s picture also appeared in the column 5 The single was reviewed by Cash Box in the May 31 1975 issue The reviewer mentioned the large amount play it was getting at UK discos as well as the local airplay in the US at WNJR AM in New York Calling it a free flowing rhythm track her sensual vocal and the super touch of the Morse Code SOS beeps also were noted 6 On the week of June 7 1975 Dede Dabney in her Record World Soul Truth column had it as one of Dede s Ditties to Watch 7 Airplay selective editRadio amp Records reported in their June 20 issue that Jim Sotet at WABX FM in Detroit was playing the single 8 It was also reported by Record World in the June 21 issue that the single was seeing heavy action at WABX FM 9 It was reported by RPM Weekly in the October 4 issue that the single was at no 71 on Jim Duncan s playlist at CKBC in Bathurst Canada 10 Chart editThe record would eventually peak at No 88 in the U S on the Billboard R amp B charts and No 28 in the U K 11 US charts edit Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart On the week ending July 19 1975 the single made its debut at no 94 in the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart 12 Peaking at no 88 it hung around for a third week at no 91 13 14 15 Billboard Disco Action charts selective For the week ending May 31 1975 the single was in all four sections of the Disco Action chart It was at no 14 in the Top Audience Response Records In N Y Discos section no 1 in the Downstairs Records New York Retail Sales section no 12 in the Colony Records New York Retail Sales section and no 15 in the Melody Song Shops Brooklyn Queens Long Island Retail Sale section 16 For the week ending June 14 Sending Out An S O S was rated No 9 for The Top Audience Response In N Y Discos Other songs in the chart at the time were The Hustle by Van McCoy at no 3 El Bimbo by Bimbo Jet at no 2 and Free Man by South Shore Commission at no 1 Colony Records had it at No 7 and Downstairs Records had it at No 1 17 For the week of June 28 in the Disco Action charts it was at no 12 in Top Audience Response Records In N Y Discos chart no 14 in Colony Records New York Retail Sales chart and no 10 in Melody Song Shops Brooklyn Queens Long Island Retail Sales chart 18 Cash Box Top 100 R amp B chart On August 2 the record made its debut in the Cash Box Top 100 R amp B chart at no 85 19 It peaked at no 74 on the week of August 23 spending a total of four weeks in the chart 20 21 22 Record World Discotheque Hit Parade chart On the week of June 7 1975 it was on the Discotheque Hit Parade chart played by DJ Larry Sanders at the Barefoot Boy in New York 23 UK charts edit Main chart On the week of May 31 the single made its debut in the UK chart at no 50 24 It peaked at no 28 at the end of June 25 26 was still in the top 50 on July 12 at no 44 27 It spent a total of seven weeks in the chart 28 UK Disco Top 20 It peaked at no 9 on the UK Disco Top 20 on June 28 1975 It also made no 10 on Hamilton s Disco Top 10 29 30 31 Appearances editAlong with Shame Shame Shame by Shirley amp Co 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Blow Your Whistle by The Rimshots Hypertension by Calender and Dolly My Love by The Moments Hypertension appears on the All Platinum Gold compilation album 32 According to the Discogs website Sending Out an S O S appears on around fifty various artist compilations 33 References edit 45Cat Retta Young Discography Dutch Charts RETTA YOUNG SENDING OUT AN S O S Session Days 1976 Blood Sweat amp Tears More Than Ever Record Mirror May 3 1978 Page 19 singles by Sue Byrom Record Mirror May 3 1978 Page 20 Soul Stirrings by Giovanni Dadomo soul gossip Cash Box May 31 1975 Page 24 cashbox singles reviews Record World June 7 1975 Page 38 SOUL TRUTH By DEDE DABNEY Radio amp Records Vol 3 Number 24 Friday June 20 1975 Page 24 ALBUM ACTIVITY WABX FM DETROIT Record World June 21 1975 Page 25 Page 26 THE FM AIRPLAY REPORT RPM Weekly Volume 24 No 6 October 4th 1975 Page 36 RPM CROSS CANADA CONTEMPORARY RADIO ACTION BATHURST CKBC Jim Duncan Playlisted MusicVF com Sending Out an S O S By Retta Young Billboard July 19 1975 Page 56 Billboard Hot Soul Singles Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 7 19 75 MusicVF com Sending Out an S O S By Retta Young Billboard August 2 1975 Page 32 Billboard Hot Soul Singles Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 8 2 75 Billboard August 9 1975 Page 54 Billboard Hot Soul Singles Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY for Week Ending 8 9 75 Billboard MAy 31 1975 Page 31 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON Billboard June 14 1975 Page 26 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON Billboard June 28 1975 Page 47 Disco Action By TOM MOULTON Cash Box August 2 1975 Page 31 CASH BOX TOP 100 R amp B Cash Box August 16 1975 Page 37 CASH BOX TOP 100 R amp B Cash Box August 23 1975 Page 34 CASH BOX TOP 100 R amp B Cash Box August 30 1975 Page 19 CASH BOX TOP 100 R amp B Record World June 7 1975 Page 25 Discotheque Hit Parade BAREFOOT BOY NEW YORK Billboard May 31 1975 Page 73 Billboard Hits Of The World BRITAIN Billboard July 5 1975 Page 57 Billboard Hits Of The World BRITAIN MusicVF com Sending Out an S O S By Retta Young Billboard July 12 1975 Page 52 Billboard Hits Of The World BRITAIN Official Charts https www officialcharts com search singles sending out an s o s dot OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART RESULTS MATCHING SENDING OUT AN S O S James Hamilton s Disco Page A full list of all Record Mirror UK Disco Chart entries 1975 1979 James Hamilton s Disco Page UK Disco Top 20 June 28 1975 James Hamilton s Disco Page Hamilton s Disco Top 10 Music Week January 24 1976 Page 22 NEW ALBUM Featuring 16 of the finest tracks from the HIT LABEL Discogs Retta Young Appearances CompilationsOther versions editThe song was also covered by South African artist Jonathan Butler and appeared as the B side of his I ll Be Home single which was released on the Bullet label in 1976 1 2 External links editDiscogs Various releases on the single at Discogs ejxit channel Sending out an S O S Retta Young Audio DJ PYL Funk Disco Soul Groove channel RETTA YOUNG Sending Out An S O S Extended Version 1975 Audio keurspel Leon Rossouw channel Jonathan Butler Sending out an SOS Audio Disco chart It debuted for the week ending May 31 1975 gt gt Disco Charts DISCO CHART DEBUT For Week Ending May 31 1975 45Cat Record Details Artist Jonathan Butler Catalogue B 49 Soul Safari June 2 2014 Township Soul amp Boogie Vol 11 Jonathan Butler Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sending Out An S O S amp oldid 1202829749, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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