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"Private Number" is a song recorded by American soul singers Judy Clay and William Bell, and included on Bell's album Private Numbers (1968). In the US, it was released as a single, where it peaked at number 17 on the Best Selling Rhythm and Blues chart and number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] Outside the US, "Private Number" went to number eight in the United Kingdom.

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"Private Number"
Single by Judy Clay and William Bell
from the album Private Numbers
B-side	"Love-Eye-Tis"
Released	1968
Length	2:39
Label	Stax
Songwriter(s)	William Bell, Booker T. Jones
Producer(s)	Booker T. Jones
William Bell singles chronology
"A Tribute to a King" (1968) "Private Number" (1968) "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (1968)

911 version

"Private Number"
Single by 911 featuring Natalie Jordan or Fann Wong
from the album There It Is
Released	May 3, 1999 (1999-05-03)
Length	3:32
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	William Bell, Booker T. Jones
Producer(s)	Nigel Lowis
911 singles chronology
"A Little Bit More" (1999) "Private Number" (1999) "Wonderland" (1999)
Alternative cover
UK CD2 cover

English boy band 911 covered "Private Number" for their third studio album, There It Is (1999). There are two different versions of the song: one version featuring Natalie Jordan and one featuring Fann Wong.[2] The song was released as the third and final single from the album on May 3, 1999, and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It was the last of their string of consecutive top 10 hit singles in the UK.

Music video

The music video features 911 performing the song in pouring rain in China. There are two different versions of the video, one featuring Natalie Jordan and one featuring Fann Wong. In Jordan's version, she can be seen singing her parts whilst on a television screen and in a dark room. In Wong's version, she is standing by herself in the rain as well.

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[3]	15
Scotland (OCC)[4]	2
UK Singles (OCC)[5]	3

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	May 3, 1999 (1999-05-03)	CD cassette	Virgin	[6]

Other cover versions

• English rock band Babe Ruth covered this song in 1975. It featured on their Stealin' Home album and was released as a single on the Harvest Records label.
• In 2000, Bell performed a live version of "Private Number" with Scottish rock band Texas on Later... with Jools Holland.
• In 2011, Jon Stevens covered the song for his album Testify!
• In 2014, Bell duetted with Joss Stone on Jools' Annual Hootenanny.
• In 2016, Beverley Knight recorded a version with Jamie Cullum for her album Soulsville. The following year, Knight performed the song with Bell at a Prom celebrating Stax Records.

Sampling

• The opening seconds and guitar riff of Clay and Bell's original version of the song were prominently sampled in Rappin' 4-Tay's hip-hop single, "Playaz Club", which reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994.
• The opening seconds were also sampled in Pretty Lights's "Finally Moving", which is featured on his 2006 album Taking Up Your Precious Time, Nightmares On Wax's "You Wish" from his 2006 album In a Space Outta Sound, and more recently by Purple Disco Machine on "Devil in Me", featured in his 2017 album Soulmatic.

References

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