Kon-Tiki (song)
1961 single by the Shadows
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"Kon-Tiki" is an instrumental tune by British group the Shadows, released as a single in September 1961. It was the group's fifth hit and their second to top the UK Singles Chart.[3]
| "Kon-Tiki" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by The Shadows | ||||
| B-side | "36-24-36" | |||
| Released | 1 September 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 27 January 1961[1] | |||
| Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Instrumental surf | |||
| Length | 1:51 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Michael Carr[2] | |||
| Producer | Norrie Paramor[2] | |||
| The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and release
"Kon-Tiki" was written by Michael Carr, who had previously written "Man of Mystery" for the group. It refers to the raft used by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on his 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition.[4] It was released with the B-side "36-24-36", which was written by the four Shadows members.[5]
Track listing
7": Columbia / DB 4698
- "Kon-Tiki" – 1:51
- "36-24-36" – 1:42
Personnel
- Hank Marvin – electric lead guitar
- Bruce Welch – acoustic rhythm guitar
- Jet Harris – electric bass guitar
- Tony Meehan – drums
Charts
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[7] | 35 |
| France[8] | 7 |
| Germany (GfK)[9] | 29 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[10] | 5 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[11] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[3] | 1 |