Sleep Walk

This article is about the Santo & Johnny instrumental. For other uses, see Sleepwalk.

"Sleep Walk"
Single by Santo & Johnny
from the album Santo & Johnny
B-side"All Night Diner"
ReleasedAugust 1959
Recorded1959
Genre
Length2:20
LabelCanadian-American Records
Songwriter(s)Santo Farina, Johnny Farina, Ann Farina[3]
Producer(s)Leonard Zimmer
Santo & Johnny singles chronology
"Sleep Walk"
(1959) 		"Tear Drop"
(1959)

"Sleep Walk" is an instrumental song written, recorded, and released in 1959 by American instrumental rock and roll duo Santo & Johnny Farina, with their uncle Mike Dee playing the drums.[4] Prominently featuring steel guitar, the song was recorded at Trinity Music in Manhattan, New York City. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's Top 40 on August 17, 1959. It rose to the number 1 position for the last two weeks in September[5] and remained in the Top 40 until November 9. "Sleep Walk" also reached number 4 on the R&B chart.[6] It was the last instrumental to hit number 1 in the 1950s and earned a gold record for Santo and Johnny.[7][8] In Canada, the song reached number 3 in the CHUM Charts.[9] In the UK it peaked at number 22 on the charts.[10]

  1. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (February 9, 2018). "The Number Ones: Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 5, 2023. Instead, ["Sleep Walk" is] pretty standard of the slow, ornate R&B ballads that were popular in the era. But the difference, of course, is that it's an instrumental.
  2. ^ a b Rolling Stone Staff (June 25, 2022). "The Best Summer Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 10, 2023. Part doo-wop dreamweave, part surf-rock chill session, "Sleepwalk" was a Number One hit for Brooklyn brothers Santo and Johnny...
  3. ^ Bronson, Fred (1992). Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York, New York: Billboard Publications, Inc. pp. 58. ISBN 0-8230-8298-9.
  4. ^ [dead link]"All Songs Considered Episode 13". NPR's Online Music Show. NPR. February 6, 2002. Archived from the original on June 22, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  5. ^ [dead link] "Billboard #1 Pop Hits — 1950–1959". Record Research Inc. Archived from the original on June 10, 2005. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 512.
  7. ^ "Santo & Johnny Bio".
  8. ^ Hewitt, Bob (December 2, 2021). "Larry Carlton and Johnny Farina on how Santo & Johnny changed instrumental guitar music forever". Guitar.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "CHUM Top 20 Singles – August 31, 1959".
  10. ^ "Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved December 18, 2015.