Dusk - I Hear Those Church Bells Ringing (1971)

[SamAdams76]

Dusk - I Hear Those Church Bells Ringing

Margaret "Peggy" Santiglia is still alive today at the relatively sprightly age of 77 (she was born about a month before D-Day). She was a singer-songwriter of the "girl group" era, having performed in groups such as "The Delicates" and "The Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back").

Exactly 50 years ago today, Margaret hit the Billboard Hot 100 with a band called "Dusk" - which was the answer band to Dawn (that Tony Orlando fronted).

The song was called "I Hear Those Church Bells Ringing" and it is now a mostly forgotten girl band classic.

It's quite catchy though, with a lot of pleasant sounding chimes, and perhaps should have been a a much bigger hit than it was (it peaked at #53). But it was definitely one of those summer songs that got quite a bit of airplay on many urban Top 40 stations during the summer of 1971.

It's a slice of pop music from a half century ago and some here might remember it.

Another piece of trivia: Margaret provided backing vocals for the Lou Christie smash "Lightnin' Strikes".

[SamAdams76]

Peggy is the one on the left

[ifinnegan]

I don’t know that I heard this ever before.

Thing is, it seems a little anachronistic for 1971.

That could be one reason it wasn’t a big hit.

[lee martell]

I don’t remember this song. Peggy has a very good voice, better than many of the big hitmakers of that time, such as Leslie Gore. This song would have really benefitted from the Phil Spector treatment, that way he had of producing records that seemed to fill the room with music. I kept waiting for some strings or horns or double harmony vocal tracks during the verses, during the bridge, but it didn’t happen.

This song sounds as though it was best suited for a time 10 years prior to 1971. I can imagine Connie Francis performing this really well too.
The Dusk melody seems taken from the late 50’s way of writing pop songs. Neil Sedaka wrote several like that.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Lightnin’ Strikes”

Love, Love, LOVE that song! :)

[Dr. Sivana]

I don’t know that I heard this ever before.

Thing is, it seems a little anachronistic for 1971.

Hurricane Smith, Marvin Hamlisch and Mary Hopkins all seemed a little anachronistic, and they got big hits. What struck me as interesting about the record, with which I was unfamiliar, is that the group is "Dusk", and they were on Bell Records. Bell was Tony Orlando's record label. His group was called "Dawn". I suspect this was an attempt at a one-off that failed.

Also note that a group is credited with the producing, and not just any group but The Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight").

[Dr. Sivana]

And no, I didn’t read the original post.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I’d completed my sophomore year at college and was living with Mom and Dad in Chester County, PA. I was commuting to a good junior engineering job in Paoli, PA every day during the summer and listened to the radio both ways.

Nope, don’t recall ever hearing it. Maybe it didn’t get any airplay in the Philly area.

It’s ok, but I don’t think I would listen to it twice.