John Fred Gourrier (May 8, 1941 – April 14, 2005), known by the stage name John Fred, and his Playboy Band became a one hit wonder with this song but he and the band started in 1956 when he was only 15. He continued playing and releasing albums until his death in 2005, his last album being released in 2002.
He'll forever be associated with this whimsical song that was clearly inspired by The Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
Apparently John Lennon loved the song: John Fred: "When I met John Lennon, that's the first thing he asked me. He thought it was great. He said the first thing he was going to do when he got home was write a song called 'Froggy in a Pond with Spectacles.'"
Hmmm - JL may have been yanking JF's chain there but I'm sure he saw the humour in the good natured parody.
Hidden gem: The B side is a piece of undistinguished blue-eyed soul, light years away from the brilliance of the A side.
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