reaching No. 7 in July 1967 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart, and No. 9 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. In other countries, it
reached No. 1 in Canada, and in Australia. The song placed No. 43 on BMI's "Top 100 Songs of the Century".
A canonical example of sunshine pop, themed around images of hot air ballooning, it cleaned up at the 10th Annual Grammy
Awards in 1968, winning for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best
Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Performance by a Chorus and Best Contemporary Song.
The instrumental backing was performed by members of the Wrecking Crew, including guitarist Al Casey and drummer
Hal Blaine (who sadly passed away only recently).
Some cover versions:
In the United Kingdom, it was the Johnny Mann Singers' cover version that became the Top 10 hit, reaching No. 6 in August 1967.
This version picked up a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus in 1968, and was also recorded in French, becoming
popular in Quebec.
Bing Crosby recorded it for his 1968 album Thoroughly Modern Bing.
Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded a version of the song in 1967 for their album Reflections.
Dionne Warwick recorded a version of the tune on her 1967 Valley Of The Dolls.
South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela included the song in his 1967 live album Hugh Masekela Is Alive and Well at the Whisky.
The Sunshine Company included the song on their 1967 debut album Happy Is the Sunshine Company.
Nancy Sinatra included a version on her 1967 album Movin' with Nancy.
The Impressions released their version on their 1968 album We're a Winner.
Rajput and the Sepoy Mutiny played an instrumental version in 1968 on their album, Flower Power Sitar. A clip of this cover is
occasionally heard during the Howard Stern Show, used as a generic Asian theme.
Song writter info:
Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous
platinum-selling songs, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston",
"The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park". He has had successful collaborations with Glen Campbell,
Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, The 5th Dimension, Art Garfunkel, and Richard Harris.
Webb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. He received the
National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, the Songwriters Hall of Fame Johnny Mercer Award in
2003, the ASCAP "Voice of Music" Award in 2006, and the Ivor Novello Special International Award in 2012. According to BMI,
his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was the third most performed song in the fifty years between 1940 and 1990.
Webb is the only artist ever to have received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration.