As part of our drive to diversify, I’m going to start sprinkling my ‘Random Runners-Up’ at fittingly random points in the schedule (as opposed to devoting a week to them every year), and also tying them to the date on which I’m posting. And so, at number two in the charts on this day fifty-four years ago, we have something that sounds a little familiar…
The Pushbike Song, by The Mixtures
#2 for 4 weeks, from 31st January – 28th February 1971
The percussion and proto-beatboxing that the Mixtures, an Australian band, use here are the spit of Mungo Jerry’s monster hit from the previous year, ‘In the Summertime’. To complicate matters further, the Mixtures had already had a huge hit in their homeland with a cover of ‘In the Summertime’. (Their version had in fact knocked Mungo Jerry’s off number one). This was apparently brought about by a ‘pay for play’ dispute between Aussie broadcasters and record labels, leading to a surge of copycat cover versions of popular hits.
But what this tune lacks in originality, it makes up in catchy enthusiasm. The British public clearly enjoyed this sound as, fresh from making ‘In the Summertime’ the biggest selling single of 1970, they helped ‘The Pushbike Song’ spend a full month in the runners-up position in February 1971, behind George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’. Incredibly, the record that finally knocked them down to #3 was… ‘Baby Jump’ by Mungo Jerry.
And after all the many rock songs about hot rods and hogs, who would deny the humble pedal bike its moment in the sun? Round, round wheels going round, round, Down up pedals up down… Queen may have since recorded the definitive bike song, but The Mixtures made their own contribution to the cycling canon. They didn’t do much else mind, and are bona fide one-hit wonders on the British chart.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
A bit of a rip-off of the Mungo Jerry sound, but a likeable one that obviously went down well with record buyers. Ray Dorset said they were rather flattered by it in a way, and some twenty years later he recorded it himself (as MJ, as ’the group’ had long since been Ray and a constant revolving door of other musicians) and released on a compilation album featuring some of their hits as a joke, because as he said a lot of people thought ‘Pushbike’ was originally by Mungo as well. Interesting to note that The Mixtures’ version of ‘In The Summertime’ had to compete in Australia with a rival cover version – not released in the UK, obviously – by The Idle Race, who persevered for a short while after former leader Jeff Lynne had quit to join The Move and help to launch ELO. Meanwhile The Mixtures released a few further singles in the UK that went nowhere although one got the new release spot on Top of the Pops a few weeks later, and their subsequent Australian singles included a version of Hot Chocolate’s ‘Love is Life’.
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Yes, I thought multiple versions of a song charting at the same time was strictly a fifties thing, but no. This one was tied to some kind of ban on British record labels, meaning Australian bands had an opportunity to plug the gap. I had no idea about the Idle Race and Jeff Lynne! Thanks for that
I think my 15-year-old Aunty bought this one and I first heard it later in the year, and it was annoyingly catchy. Very Mungo Jerry indeed, but not as good as their 3 hits – those I did know before hearing this – and it’s aged badly I think. It doesn’t bear repeat plays before it starts to grate a bit, but it’s not without its fun-vibes. There were plenty of better records around at the time, so it’s a shame they didn’t get the runners-up slot!
I like this! I hope you make these journeys often!
I’ll try and add them in fairly frequently!
Thank you…because it’s not just because I like them…but we don’t see the songs that sometimes…ends up better than the #1.