"Don Quixote"
Single by Nik Kershaw
from the album The Riddle
B-side"Don't Lie"
Released22 July 1985[1]
Recorded1984
Genre
Length
  • 4:55 (album version)
  • 4:11 (single version)
  • 8:41 (extended version)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Nik Kershaw
Producer(s)Peter Collins
Nik Kershaw singles chronology
"Wide Boy"
(1985)		 "Don Quixote"
(1985)		 "When a Heart Beats"
(1985)

"Don Quixote" is a song by English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw from his 1984 studio album The Riddle. Released in August 1985 as the final single from that album, it reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1985, and became Kershaw's seventh (and last) consecutive UK top 20 hit single.[2]

A month before "Don Quixote" was released as a single, it was the second of four songs played by Kershaw at Live Aid. The others were previous singles "The Riddle", "Wouldn't It Be Good" and "Wide Boy".[3]

Background

While discussing his method of writing lyrics, Kershaw explained the song's origins in the January 1986 issue of music technology magazine Sound on Sound.

The lyric that ended up as 'Don Quixote', was actually 'Gorgonzola'! So I was walking about the house singing 'gor-gon-zola' all day long, trying to think of a lyric. Basically the music was a sort of Samba thing, which reminded me of Spain, and Don Quixote happened to come to mind so I thought, 'Why not write a song about Don Quixote ?'. So I went and bought the book.[4]

Track listing

7" single (WEA NIK 8)
A. "Don Quixote" - 4:11
B. "Don't Lie" - 3:52

12" single (WEA NIKT 8)
A. "Don Quixote" (Extra Special Long Mix)- 8:41
B. "Don't Lie" - 3:52

Chart performance

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 83
German Media Control Charts[6] 39
Irish Singles Chart[7] 9
New Zealand Singles Chart[8] 36
UK Singles Chart[9] 10

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Robin (13 July 1985). "News". Record Mirror. p. 6.
  2. ↑ "www.nikkershaw.it". www.nikkershaw.it. 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "www.setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  4. ↑ Webb, Nick (January 1986). "Nik Kershaw: Recording Secrets (SOS Jan 1986)". Sound on Sound (Jan 1986): 40–48.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA from mid-1983 until 19 June 1988.
  6. ↑ "charts.de". charts.de. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Jaclyn Ward. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw - Don Quixote". charts.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - Don Quixote by Nik Kershaw Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.



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