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"Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies"
Single by The Drifters
B-side	"I'm Feeling Sad (And Oh So Lonely)"
Released	June 1974
Label	Bell
Songwriter(s)	Roger Greenaway, Tony Macaulay
Producer(s)	Billy Davis, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway
The Drifters singles chronology
"Like Sister and Brother" (1973) "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" (1974) "Down on the Beach Tonight" (1974)

"Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" is a song originally recorded by The Drifters in 1974. It was the second of four charting singles released from their Love Games LP. Johnny Moore is the lead singer.

The song reached the Top 10 in the UK, the second of three to do so. "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" also reached the Top 10 in Australia.

Composition

Interviewed on BBC Radio 2 in 2022, the song's co-writer Roger Greenaway revealed he had to persuade Johnny Moore to record the song after Moore questioned the appropriateness of a man of his age performing lyrics such as "When I pick her up from school" and "When her homework's done". Greenaway claimed he managed to convince Moore to put his voice to the record by insisting Drifters fans would be unconcerned by the lyrics and that the song would be a hit. After the song was released and reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, Moore admitted he had been wrong to question the song and from that point on referred to Greenaway as "The Doctor".

Chart history

References

1. "BBC Radio 2 - Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker, Johnnie is joined by songwriter Roger Greenaway". BBC. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
2. "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 22 March 1975. p. 52.
3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
4. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Kissing in the Back Row". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
5. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 1974-10-18. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
6. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1974-06-15. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
7. Billboard R&B
8. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
9. "Top Selling Singles for 1974". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 20. 4 January 1975.

External links

• Listen to "Kissin' in the Back Row of the Movies" on YouTube

• 1974 songs
• 1974 singles
• The Drifters songs
• Bell Records singles
• Songs written by Roger Greenaway