It is a bit of a scaled down Single Song Sunday today. Please don't think that shows lack of enthusiasm or dedication on my part. It is just that, compared to the sort of song we normally feature in this slot, there are not that many versions of this one knocking about.
"My Rainbow Valley" was first released by Robert Knight in 1967, but the most successful version is the one by Love Affair that went to No. 5 in the UK the following year. Maybe it was dropping the "My" that did the trick. Having previously taken their cover version of Robert's "Everlasting Love" to the top of the UK charts, they obviously decided to stick with a winning formula.
What else is there? Why, a jangly 1980s version, a 1969 Icelandic cover which is a pretty straight copy of the Love Affair arrangement, and of course the Mandatory Reggae Version. There is also a less than brilliant 1980s version from Finland in the videos.
"My Rainbow Valley" - Robert Knight
"Rainbow Valley" - Love Affair
"My Rainbow Valley" - Dolly Mixture
"Í Draumalandi" - Björgvin Halldórsson
"Rainbow Valley" - The Heptones
I chugged my way through all (does a minute and a half of each count as a fair go?) these versions of a let's face it pretty ordinary pop song and decided I'd put all my counters on the Icelandic version. Go Björgvin Halldórsson go!
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