Kind of a Drag

"Kind of a Drag"
Single by The Buckinghams
B-side	"You Make Me Feel So Good"
Released	December 1966
Genre	Sunshine pop
Label	USA Records
Writer(s)	Jim Holvay
The Buckinghams singles chronology
"Kind of a Drag" (1966) "Don't You Care" (1967)

"Kind of a Drag" is a song written by Jim Holvay and recorded by the Buckinghams. It was the title track of their debut LP. The single reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1967, becoming the first #1 single within the new calendar year and remaining in the top position for two weeks. It was the first of the band's three Top 10 hits in 1967, including five total Top 40 hits for that year.

The song was written by Chicago-based songwriter Jim Holvay, who had been performing with a group called the Mob, and spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1967. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[1] The co-producers of "Kind of a Drag" were the band's first personal manager Carl Bonafede and big band leader Dan Belloc, owner of the Holiday Ballroom in Chicago. The arranger of the horn sound was Frank Tesinsky. The engineer at the first recording sessions held at Chess Records in Chicago was Ron Malo. Following this, the band's debut album, also entitled Kind of a Drag, was released and featured the band's early recordings.^[2]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1966-67) Peak position Australia 18 Canada RPM 1 New Zealand (Listener)[3] 16 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] 1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 3

Year-end charts Chart (1967) Rank Canada [5] 10 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [6] 10 U.S. Cash Box [7] 18

References

1. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 202. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
2. Nite, Norm N. (1978). Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock N' Roll, volume II. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, p. 58, Norm N. Nite's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock N' Roll.
3. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
6. "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
7. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1967". Tropicalglen.com. 1967-12-23. Retrieved 2016-09-29.