100 Records That Shook The World, #72

Needles And Pins

The Searchers

Here's something I bet you didn't know. I didn't know this, so that's why I bet you don't. "Needles And Pins" was written by Jack Nitzsche (who he? He's the guy who later became known for creating Phil Spector's infamous "wall of sound") and Sonny Bono.  Yeah, THAT Sonny Bono. Wow. It was originally written for Jackie DeShannon and was later covered by Cher, and, you guessed it, The Searchers.


A Liverpool group, the second one to hit it big in the States, they were formed in 1959 as a skiffle group. After several lineup and name changes, they settled on The Searchers, and after a few minor successes, they heard Cliff Bennett singing Needles And Pins  in a club in Hamburg and instantly decided it had to be their next single. Merseybeat had officially arrived.


The song hit #13 on the Billboard chart upon its release in 1964. It has been covered by many artists, notably Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' live version with Stevie Nicks, The Ramones, and even Megadeth used the intro in one of their tunes. It is fair to say that music would probably be quite different if not for Needles And Pins. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds noted its influence on his style, saying in a 1996 interview:

The Seekers and The Searchers had put out records with a 12-string-like sound. I think they were actually using overdubbed 6-string guitars. Needles and Pins was a big influence on the 12-string sound. I used the pattern for "Feel A Whole Lot Better." Later, I developed my own style based on the banjo roll.

Enjoy the track. Keen-eared listeners will no doubt have heard the squeaky bass drum pedal throughout the song, particularly during the intro.