The song, “Itchycoo Park”, was originally recorded by Small Faces in 1967
Steve Marriott (1947-1991) and Ronnie Lane (1946-1997) of British band Small Faces wrote the song “Itchycoo Park” in 1967 for their self-titled second studio album. The song is, apparently, about the stinging nettles in Little Iford Park in Manor Park, London, although a later interview with Marriott states the song was written about the wasps in Valentine’s Park in Ilford! The track was released in July 1967 and went to No.3 in the UK and No.16 in America, while it topped the Canadian and New Zealand charts.
“Itchycoo Park” has been covered a number of times since, mostly as album tracks or B sides, but was revived and recorded by British dance act M People for the 1995 updated version of their album “Bizarre Fruit II”. The song was released as the lead single in November that year and this time peaked at No.11 in the UK and went top 40 across mainland Europe, although there was no US release for the single, the albums combined would go on to be five times Platinum certified at home and make the top twenty on the US Heatseekers chart.
But which version is the best? SMALL FACES’ original or M PEOPLE’s cover?
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