Ray Stevens sings "The Streak"...

On March 27, 1974 Ray Stevens released "The Streak". Little did he nor his fan's know that "The Streak" would take on a life of it's own in the 47 years since. Ray got the idea for the song when he was skimming through a weekly news magazine during a flight from Los Angeles to Nashville. In the final pages of a magazine he'd read a small news item where it made mention of a college kid that took off his clothes and ran through a crowd and it was called streaking. According to Ray's recollections he immediately began writing ideas for the song. Once he seen the local newscasts on television all he recalls is seeing stories about streaking and how it's taking over college campuses all over America. Ray wrote "The Streak" and Barnaby Records issued it on March 27, 1974. An international news event occurred at the Academy Awards telecast on April 2, 1974...a streaker ran across the stage behind actor, David Niven. Although there were more than 50 novelty songs out capitalizing on streaking it was Ray's that emerged as the biggest hit. The single debuted on the Hot 100 on April 6, 1974 and thanks to the Academy Awards incident and streaking, in general, "The Streak" literally streaked up the Hot 100 pop chart. It hit the top in it's 7th week, May 18th, and remained at number one for three weeks. It was the number one pop song in America on May 18th, May 25th, and June 1st. It crossed over and hit the Top-10 on the Country chart. It was also an international hit peaking at the top in the United Kingdom and in the Top-10 and Top-40 of other English-speaking countries. The single also sold more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide. 

In recent concert appearances Ray sings "The Streak" almost exactly the way he recorded it but for a number of decades, notably the mid '70s through the early '90s, he elaborated on the song and would perform it in concert with an operatic addition. He would open the song with the action news reporter and the witness but then he'd stop the performance and tell the audience that some humorless critics have often said the song had no class. So, in order to please the critics, he decided to perform the song in operatic fashion. After about a minute of operatic splendor he'd revert back to how the song should be performed. In those performances one of the recurring sight gags was Ray putting on a yellow CAT hat every time he'd play the part of the witness who'd tell his wife, Ethel, not to look. Don't Look, Ethel is one of several catch-phrases synonymous with Ray. However, in this performance from 2015, he performs "The Streak" as it was originally recorded, give or take an added line here or there, but there's no CAT hat involvement.

Ray Stevens: May 18th 1974...

Ray Stevens streaks to the Top; 1974

Here I come... boogity boogity... with my latest fan created Ray Stevens blog entry. Some may wonder why I'm not discussing this particular recording in the Singling Out series. I was tempted to...but I want to keep that series focused on the vinyl singles I have in my personal collection. Now, if you've seen a blog entry I wrote a couple of days ago, you'll know that vinyl singles do not make up a big part of my Ray Stevens collection and so the Singling Out series of blog entries I'll be writing will be short lived. On this date in 1974 "The Streak" hit number one on the pop chart...and it remained number one for three weeks. The song, written Ray, hit at a time when public nudity, specifically running around naked in a brisk fashion, had become a fad. College campuses seemed to be the origin of the fad but it spread. One streaker, in particular, shown up at the Oscar ceremony which had a televised audience in the tens of millions. The streaker ran behind host/presenter, David Niven, on live television. The awards were telecast on April 2, 1974. "The Streak" had been released in the latter half of March 1974 so the fad hadn't necessarily become a nationally talked-about phenomenon yet; based on a lot of evidence the April 2nd streaker at the Oscar ceremony pushed streaking to an even larger audience...and not long afterward, April 13th, "The Streak" made it's debut on the Hot 100 pop chart.

Ray Stevens Boogity Boogity; 1974

As you could probably tell, "The Streak" streaked it's way to the number one position. The debut of the single on the Hot 100 on April 13th means that it hit number one on it's 6th chart week. Now, some may consider that not too impressive at this point in time considering today there's the presence of on-line digital sales enabling a single to actually debut at number one, much like albums have been able to do for several decades. However, we're discussing 1974, where physical sales of actual vinyl singles were tabulated and reported to the national chart publications of Billboard, Record World, and Cashbox...later on joined by Radio and Records. So, in 1974, you couldn't purchase an audio file of a song with the click of a mouse. Also, retail availability was always an issue. Some smaller markets may not be in stock of the current single releases whereas larger markets might. Also, with physical purchases of singles it required commitment on the part of the consumer to actually look for and then purchase the single...in the on-line world a consumer can click a sample option and hear a piece of a song (assuming they haven't yet heard the song before) or they can visit any number of on-line sites that provide audio files free of charge and they listen to a song without ever having to either physically visit a retail store or even purchase the music since it's being offered for free. Also, digital purchasing has enabled consumers the option to listen to samples of songs on an album that aren't even being pushed as the 'single' release and a consumer can purchase whatever song they want from the digital album...no longer do customers have to purchase an entire album's worth of songs. This practice has been going on for more than a decade or two so it's commonplace for those that purchase/download music digitally rather than purchasing a disc of music. Anyway, that's a discussion for another day. On May 18, 1974 "The Streak" took over the number one spot from "The Loco-Motion" by Grand Funk.

The Streak... Ray Stevens; 1974

As noted "The Streak" streaked up to the top in six weeks. The album that featured the single, Boogity Boogity, is often referred to incorrectly as Woosh!!. If you look on the side of the album cover and on the vinyl album paper sleeve you'll see that the official name of the album is Boogity Boogity...named for the phrase heard throughout the song to describe the briskness with which the streaker is running. If you look at the three LP's of Boogity Boogity that I've included you'll notice that there's a slight, subtle difference with each of them. The second photo contains a thought cloud with an advertisement that the LP includes "The Streak". In both photo's there's a word balloon with the catchphrase "don't look, Ethel!" written in it. In the photo off to the left, however, it's a copy released in Germany on the Bellaphon label. On the top right corner of the LP there's mention of Bellaphon. In the word balloon it mentions that "The Streak" is included on the LP. Aside from those technical differences all three albums feature the same 9 recordings: "The Streak", "Smith and Jones", "Freddie Feelgood", "Bagpipes, That's My Bag", "Don't Boogie Woogie", "The Moonlight Special", "Bridget the Midget the Queen of the Blues", "Heart Transplant", and "Just So Proud To Be Here". The album was released in the United Kingdom and Australia as well. Those releases tack on three additional recordings: "Alley Oop", "Mr. Custer", and "Little Egypt" to give the album 12 instead of 9 tracks.

Five Million Selling Single...

"The Streak" tells the story of a streaker being spotted and the Action News reporter who interviews a by-stander. The fact that it's the same witness each time is part of the humor along with the exaggerated southern accent is more or less, in my opinion, used to specify that the streaking incident took place somewhere in the deep south. The reporter encounters the witness at a supermarket, a fuel station, and at a basketball game. The by-stander's immediate reply of "yeah, I did!" when asked if he saw what took place and his warning "don't look, Ethel!" became the hooks/catchphrases of the song. Now, along with the verbal hooks, there's also the presence of a shrilling whistle to indicate the speed with which the streaker was running. Some internet sources identify it as a slide whistle and some have said it's a kazoo. When Ray performs the song he uses a small elongated metal whistle...most slide whistles that I've seen are long like a flute. The thing that Ray uses is about the size of a kazoo. It's definitely an integral part of the song...if it isn't heard during a performance the song doesn't sound complete. When "The Streak" hit number one it had already been certified a million seller by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America). The sales of the single, domestically and internationally combined, were in the five million range. There wasn't such a thing in 1974 as a Platinum selling album or Platinum selling single and so any single or album that sold a million copies or more was certified as a Gold Record regardless of how many additional millions it sold. Eventually, however, the RIAA created the Platinum certification for sales of 2,000,000 while Gold remained 1,000,000. Years later the certifications changed once again to where Gold was 500,000 and Platinum was 1,000,000. Those certification levels remain to this day.

"The Streak" in Europe...

In today's music world "The Streak" would be referred to as selling 5 x Platinum, globally. Since the creation of on-line digital downloads the RIAA has created sales certification thresholds for music purchased on the internet through approved music sites as well as audio files accessed through YouTube. A lot of record labels, I assume by way of licensing fees, have figured out ways to turn a profit in the era of digital downloading and on-line streaming. Whenever you click a video on YouTube click the arrow for more information. There's a chance you'll see that a music label, music company, or song publishing company is credited and it's my guess that those companies are compensated for each unique view of a YouTube music video.  In the photo off to the left we have the United Kingdom release of "The Streak". This streaking fad wasn't just confined to America...it was a worldwide fad. The success of the single on an international level, of course, greatly depended on just how big a fad streaking happened to be in the country that the single appeared in. The United Kingdom, for example, had accepted very little novelty songs. If a novelty happened to become a hit it was generally referred to in the music press as 'an accident' or 'a mistake by some record company'. This was a general consensus among radio programmers...not exclusive to Europe...but the single was simply too big of a hit to ignore and so "The Streak" hit number one in the United Kingdom. It also went on hit number one in Canada and New Zealand. It finished in the runner-up spot in Australia and Ireland. The single crossed over and hit the Country format...peaking at number three in America while hitting number one on Canada's Country music chart. The Adult-Contemporary chart was even impacted by the fad...in America "The Streak" managed to reach the Top-20 in the Adult-Contemporary chart while it hit number one on Canada's Adult-Contemporary chart. The single didn't go over too well in Germany or in the Danish region based on the chart statistics I came across. Those countries may have found the song to be obscene and it only appeared on the music charts over there on the strength of sales rather than airplay. I haven't done any in-depth research as to why such a world-wide hit would stymie in that region but I'm pretty sure my suspicions are accurate.

The B-side of "The Streak" is a song called "You've Got the Music Inside". That particular song was part of his 1973 album, Nashville. Ray re-recorded "You've Got the Music Inside" in 1978 with a different delivery and musical arrangement.

I used to own a vinyl copy of "The Streak" / "You've Got the Music Inside" but the vinyl became warped...some may think the song had already been warped...but no, the vinyl was warped. Anytime I went to play the single the arm of the record player would glide back and fourth throughout. The song would, amazingly, never skip but the visual of seeing the arm of the record player sliding back and fourth as the vinyl was spinning caused me to make the painful decision to remove it from my collection. I could've kept it in my collection, just to have it, but never play it again, but I thought to myself 'why should I? If I'm not able to effectively play it on a record player then the joy of having the single is gone'. Someday I'll more than likely purchase another vinyl copy of "The Streak" from an on-line site.

Ray Stevens: The Year of The Streak...

Many music historians and writers, in general, have noted over the decades is that the year of 1974 is referred to as the year of the streak. The actual concept wasn't exactly brand new but for whatever reason the spring/summer of 1974 consisted of hundreds of news reports of people from all walks of life in various places across the country running naked in public and how the slang expression, 'streaking', was being used to describe a phenomena that quickly became a pop culture fad. The reports that seemed to appear the most originated at a college campus which, in turn, created the image of the phenomena being something attached to young adults and a rebellious sub-culture. Ray Stevens recorded "The Streak" early in 1974...in a previous blog entry in March of this year I mentioned the single's debut on the Hot 100 pop chart. I wrote a lot about the song's history and if I recall correctly I posted images of various single releases of the song in addition to posting an image of the album it originally appeared on, Boogity Boogity. The seemingly endless reports of streaking as well as an unforgettable moment at the nationally televised Academy Awards that year caused the fad to reach a boiling point you might say...and "The Streak" streaked up the Hot 100...and in no time at all it was sitting at the top of the pop charts. It hit number one on May 18, 1974 for it's first of three weeks. The single, as mentioned, debuted late in March and skyrocketed to the top.

The single, obviously, became one of the biggest hits in Ray's career and it was one of the biggest hits of the year but surprisingly it wasn't the top hit of that year. There's been some speculation on my part and I'm sure other fans of Ray Stevens have also speculated that "The Streak" should have been ranked higher on the year-end chart for 1974 given not only how many weeks it spent at the top in the United States but also it's number one finishes internationally (Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand), it's phenomenal performances in Australia and Ireland (peaking in the runner-up position in both countries), as well as the sales figures that were reported throughout the year; numerous sources cite the single as having sold more than five million copies.

"The Streak" ranked among the Top-10 pop hits of the year in 1974...which wasn't unexpected given the evidence I just provided...but the singles that ranked higher than "The Streak" for the year, well, a couple of them could have been ranked a little bit lower in comparison to the overall commercial dominance of "The Streak". So, with that in mind, I'll be ranting a little bit in the next couple of paragraphs. I generally don't advocate combative and bickering overtones but I can't help myself...what I'm ranting about ties into the career of Ray Stevens and I have a feeling a lot of us fans feel the same way:

I know the rankings, generally, break everything down into smaller segments: weeks on the Hot 100, weeks in the Top-40, weeks in the Top-10, sales achievements, award recognition, etc. and so I realize that the year-end charts that Billboard publishes aren't exclusively sales driven. The top song of the year, "The Way We Were", won two Academy Awards (giving the song much more prominence) in addition to it being a million seller and a chart topper for several weeks...and it was on the chart for more than 20 weeks according to research...and so I can see why Billboard chose to bestow the top song of the year to that recording. There's a couple of songs among the Top-10 that I think should have come in under "The Streak" simply based on commercial performance, though. Billboard placed a single called "Come and Get Your Love" in their year-end chart at number four but yet research shows that single sold half a million copies, peaked at number five during it's original chart run, but it spent more than 20 weeks on the Hot 100. So, in this instance, the fourth biggest hit of 1974 claimed that position through strength of it's presence on the charts since it sold less than "The Streak", for example.

The total number of weeks on the Hot 100 also holds true for an instrumental, "Love's Theme". It was on the Hot 100 for more than 20 weeks...reaching the top for one week...it reached the Hot 100 late in 1973 and peaked in February of 1974. It was certified a Gold record (half a million in sales). "Dancing Machine" was kept out of the number one spot, ironically, by "The Streak". In the year-end chart for 1974 "Dancing Machine" ranks higher, though, because it was charted longer. I'm not picking on those songs or the acts that recorded them nor am I trying to start any sort of flame war I'm merely pointing out that the biggest selling single of the year, "The Streak", didn't rank among the Top-5 and how several singles that sold less, or didn't even claim a number one peak during their chart run, ranked higher than "The Streak" in the year-end look back. Oh yes I'm coming across as a nit-picker, perhaps, quibbling over year-end chart placement. I've spent several paragraphs agonizing about the singles that ranked higher than "The Streak" in the year-end review...but I hadn't mentioned the singles that ranked lower. Ray's single was on the Hot 100 for 17 weeks...and it came in one spot higher than Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" for the year. Talk about quibbling...Elton's hit was charted 18 weeks...but because it was number one for a single week it ranked one spot lower than "The Streak" for the year.

However, weeks at number one didn't necessarily mean you'd receive a higher year-end finish. A Paul Anka recording, in particular, was a number one hit for three weeks in the fall of 1974 and was certified a Gold record but the year-end ranking for that single was 28. I should point out that the year-end rankings consist of 100 songs...and so finishing in the Top-10 of the year is outstanding...and I also realize that the longer a single's been available the chances are it'll have larger sales and chart statistics by the end of a year. Anyway...thanks for enduring my rantings about the year-end chart for 1974 as it pertains to "The Streak". A recent YouTube video upload surfaced of Ray performing the song a decade later, in 1984, on a country music television series...



The thing one has to know when it comes to stage performances of "The Streak" from Ray Stevens is that they generally feature an elaborate, self-satirical performance. The delivery of this performance is a mainstay of his concerts dating back to the mid 1970s. Ray would mock the critics of the song by performing a 'culturally sophisticated' rendition to please their ears, for laughs obviously. In this video clip the first part is missing (where Ray, as the reporter, announces that they're on the scene at the supermarket) but in performance Ray would launch into the song and after performing the opening verse, which takes place at the supermarket, he would stop the performance and make the announcement of how despised the song is by music critics worldwide (in earlier years resulting in a shower of boos from the audience) but in order to smooth things over and get on their favorite lists again he reveals that he's re-arranged the song; after which he'd launch into the rendition you hear at the beginning of the video clip.

If you have his VHS, Ray Stevens Live!, released in 1993, you'll see an even more elaborate performance of the song. A 1975 appearance on Pop! Goes the Country features one of the earliest deliveries of the 'culturally sophisticated' arrangement. The song itself isn't performed but Ralph Emery, the show's host, refers to a new version of "The Streak" in conversation and Ray demonstrates how he performs a verse of the song in concerts.

Ray Stevens: Forty Five at Forty Five...

Hello all...it looks as if there's some sort of chaotic scene taking place at the supermarket. Now, from what I've been able to gather from the audio report I'm listening to, multiple witnesses have said that some man ran into the supermarket wearing just his tennis shoes and nothing else. Upon further listen of the audio report this phenomenon is being described as streaking. Oh yes, "The Streak", from newly elected Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Stevens was released forty five years ago yesterday (March 27, 1974). It made it's debut on both the pop music and the country music charts the week ending April 13, 1974. In the country music format "The Streak" reached the Top-5 whereas in pop music it hit the top of the charts on May 18, 1974 for the first of three consecutive weeks. When "The Streak" took over number one on the Hot 100 it was still climbing within the Top-10 on the country music singles chart. The single had already been certified a million seller by the time it hit number one on the pop chart (in it's 6th week on the Hot 100). The novelty song benefited from a streaking incident at the Academy Awards. Streaking, according to Ray's reflections of the song, had been something of a fad on college campuses but hadn't broken out into the general public. Ray happened to learn of this fad while reading a magazine which featured an article about a college student that ran nude through the campus and it was referred to as 'streaking'. I've never done any research to find out if the phrase, streaking, existed prior to 1974. I'm sure it existed when describing smears on car windshields, mirrors, or the windows of one's house but I'm pretty sure 1974 was the year 'streaking' came to refer to running nude in public.

In interviews that have taken place in the years since Ray has remarked that he quickly wrote down a general idea of "The Streak" with the intention of finishing the song at some point but then he discovered that streaking was becoming a major news story and it had crossed over into the general public. This turn of events caused Ray to dig out his rough draft and put the finishing touches on it...issuing the song amidst a sea of other streaking songs vying for attention. Ray's recording, as mentioned, was released on March 27, 1974. Now, earlier I made mention of the Academy Awards. How does this fit in with everything? Well, on April 2, 1974 the annual Oscar gala was broadcast. This year's festivities were officially billed as The 46th Annual Academy Awards. That year's broadcast was hosted by Burt Reynolds, Diana Ross, John Huston, and David Niven. It was during a segment featuring David Niven in which a streaker, later identified as Robert Opel, ran across the stage while giving the peace sign. As you could very well imagine this kind of an event taking place became the top news item of the day and given this streaking took place well before 24/7 cable television it was the talk of the country for several weeks...the bulk of it's attention regulated mostly to newspapers and magazines of the time period. "The Streak" cut through all of the other novelty songs about the subject...it certainly helped that Ray was a well established artist with name recognition, too. The timing couldn't have been more critical given the streaking at the Academy Awards (April 2) and then 11 days after the fact "The Streak" makes it's debut on the Hot 100 (April 13)...but let's not forget that the single had been available for purchase since March 27 and so it wasn't a case of Ray rush releasing the song to capitalize on the streaking incident (as a number of ignorant people have insinuated over the years through social media sites). The truth is "The Streak" simply benefited from it being available prior to the fad reaching the height of it's popularity.