Searchin' by The Coasters

Album: The Ultimate Coasters (1957)

Charted: 30 3

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Songfacts®:

Released 1957 on the Atco Records label (a subsidiary of Atlantic), "Searchin'" topped the Rhythm and Blues Chart for 12 weeks, and reached #3 on the National Pop Singles chart. It was yet another hit for the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and it also finally put The Coasters on the map as mainstream Rock and Roll.
"Searchin'" was on the B-side from "Young Blood," but both songs became hits, with "Searchin'" edging out the flip side.
Paul McCartney chose "Searchin'" as one of his must-have songs in a 1982 broadcast of the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs. The Beatles also picked this song to audition for Decca records in 1962.
Mike Stoller says in the book Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography, "Searchin' represents the beginning of a more universal Rock and Roll style. We weren't aiming for a bigger audience. Rather, our aim remained the same: write the right songs for the right artists. It just so happened though, that the planet was tilting in our direction."

Comments: 6

Jennifur Sunalways loved the drummers for the Coasters recordings. this one was Jesse Sailer
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 8th 1964, Ace Cannon's instrumental covered version of "Searchin'" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #90; the next week it rose to #84 and that was also its last week on the chart...
Between December 1961 and March 1964 the 'Godfather of the Alto Sax' had five Top 100 records; his biggest hit was his debut record, "Tuff", it peaked at #17 {for 2 weeks} on March 4th, 1962...
John 'Ace' Cannon will celebrate his 81st birthday in two months on May 5th {2015}.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 10th 1965, the Coasters performed "Searchin'" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
Eight years earlier on April 30th, 1957 it entered Billboard's Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked #3 and spent exactly a half-year on the Top 100 (26 weeks)...
The record's flip-side, "Young Blood", also charted and also made the Top 10; it reached #8 and it almost stayed on the Top 100 for a half-year (24 weeks)...
And on June 3rd, 1957 "Young Blood" peaked at #1 (for 1 week) on Billboard's R&B Singles chart; then "Searchin'" replaced it at the top spot, and it remained at #1 for 12 non-consecutive weeks...
R.I.P. Jimmy O'Neill (Shindig's host, 1940 -2013).
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 28th, 1975, "Chain Gang Medley" by Jim Croce entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #63 and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
Three songs were included in the medley; "Chain Gang", "He Don't Love You", and "Searchin'"...
Sam Cooke took "Chain Gang" to #2 (for 2 week) in 1960 on the Top 100...
Tony Orlando & Dawn reached #1 (for 3 weeks) in 1975 with "He Don't Love You"...
And in 1957 the Coasters' "Searchin'" spent a half-year on the Top 100 (26 weeks) and peaked at #3...
R.I.P Mr. Croce (1943 - 1973).
Barry from Sauquoit, NyAs stated above, this was a two-sided hit for The Coasters, in fact both sides made the Top Ten. According to Billboard; "Searchin'" peaked at #3 while "Young Blood" topped out at #8!!!
Nick from London, United KingdomExtremely influential on the Beatles style were the black rocking rhythm and blues vocal groups like the Coasters and the Olympics. Paul: 'A rumour reached town one day that there was a man over the hills who had the record Searchin' by The Coasters. Colin (Hanton), the drummer with John's skiffle group, knew him and so there was a great trek to find the man, and indeed we found him. And relieved him of it. It was too big a responsibility for him to keep. We couldn't return it. We just had to have it; it was like gold dust. Searchin' became a big number with The Beatles; we always used to do it at the Cavern.' Searchin' and Young Blood was a double A-side released in the UK in September 1957. The Coasters records were produced and written by the successful songwriting team Leiber and Stoller. Sharp, witty and street-wise, their lyrics were full of humour and black vernacular slang despite the writers' Jewish background. Both songs were in the live set from 1957 through to 1962. Searchin' was one of the tracks recorded at the infamous Decca audition on 1st January 1962 and a version of Young Blood appears on the Live At The BBC set. Other Leiber and Stoller songs recorded by the Beatles were Some Other Guy, Kansas City, and Three Cool Cats.
Nick Duckett
http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/

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