"Hair" is the title song to the 1967 musical Hair and the 1979 film adaptation of the musical.
"Hair" | |
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Song by Original Broadway cast | |
from the album Hair | |
Released | 1968 (1968) |
Recorded | May 6, 1968 |
Genre |
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Length | 2:55 |
Label | RCA Victor |
Composer(s) | Galt MacDermot |
Lyricist(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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The musical’s title song begins as character Claude slowly croons his reason for his long hair, as tribe-mate Berger joins in singing they "don't know."[1] They lead the tribe, singing "Give me a head with hair," "as long as God can grow it,"[1] listing what they want in a head of hair and their uses for it. Later the song takes the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the tribe punning "Oh say can you see/ My eyes if you can/Then my hair’s too short!"[1] Claude and Berger’s religious references continue with many a "Hallelujah" as they consciously compare their hair to Jesus’s, and if Mary loved her son, "why don’t my mother love me?"[1][2] The song shows the Tribe's enthusiasm and pride for their hair as well as comparing Claude to a Jesus figure.[2]
"Hair" | |
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Single by The Cowsills | |
from the album The Cowsills in Concert | |
B-side | "What Is Happy?" |
Released | March 1969 (1969-03) |
Recorded | October 1968 |
Studio | Cleveland, Ohio |
Genre | Pop rock |
Length | 3:28 |
Label | MGM |
Composer(s) | Galt MacDermot |
Lyricist(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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The song was a major hit for the Cowsills in 1969 and their most successful single. The Cowsills version cuts out most of the religion-themed lyrics, changing "long as God can grow it" to "long as I can grow it" and removing some verses. Their version spent two weeks at number one on the Cash Box Top 100[3] and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] "Hair" was kept out of the number-one spot by another song from the Hair cast album: "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension.[5] It also reached number one on the RPM Canadian Singles Chart.[6]
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
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Australia KMR | 1 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 1 |
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[8] | 12 |
New Zealand [9] | 1 |
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[10] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] | 2 |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[12] | 19 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[13] | 1 |
Chart (1969) | Rank |
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Canada [14] | 14 |
South Africa [15] | 20 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [16] | 13 |
U.S. Cash Box [17] | 10 |
"Hair" was also covered in Australia in 1969 and released as a single by Doug Parkinson in Focus (B-side with "Without You") and was a top ten hit for him there that year.[18]
A version by Dutch rock band Zen reached the top of the Dutch Top 40 in January 1969.[19] A cover was released as a B-side by girl group Gilded Cage in 1969.[20]
![]() | This section contains a list of miscellaneous information. (May 2018) |
Citations
Sources
Hair | |
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Songs |
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Cast recordings |
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Adaptation |