"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed, and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967. It is included on Diamond's second studio album, Just for You. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a person who finds that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his woes. When Diamond left the Bang Records label in 1968, the label continued to release Diamond's singles, often adding newly recorded instruments and background vocals to album tracks from Bang's two Diamond albums. For the "Red Red Wine" single, Bang added a background choir without Diamond's involvement or permission. Diamond's version reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. A live version was released on Diamond's The Greatest Hits , but the 1968 single version has never been issued on a vinyl album or CD. The song was covered by several artists shortly after Diamond's recording was released. In 1968, Dutch singer Peter Tetteroo had a hit with a cover of the song in the Netherlands. Tony Tribe recorded a reggae version of the song in 1969. In 1983, UB40 recorded the best-known version of the song, in a lighter reggae style. The UB40 version topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Diamond later performed a UB40-inspired version of the song while on tour.
Chart performance
UB40 version
recorded their version of "Red Red Wine" for their album of cover versions, Labour of Love. According to UB40 member Astro, the group's former vocalist and trumpet player, the band were only familiar with Tony Tribe's version and did not realise that the writer was in fact Neil Diamond. Astro told the Financial Times, "Even when we saw the writing credit which said 'N Diamond,' we thought it was a Jamaican artist called Negus Diamond." UB40's version features a lighter, reggae-style flavor compared to that of Diamond's somber, acousticballad. The UB40 version adds a toasted verse by Astro, opening: "Red Red Wine, you make me feel so fine/You keep me rocking all of the time," which was edited from the single that reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1983 and #34 in the United States in March 1984. In 1988, UB40 performed the song at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert. Soon after In June 1988, Guy Zapoleon, program director of KZZP in the Phoenix, Arizona market, believed that the song should be given a second chance and put the full version, including Astro's "rap", on the station's playlist and it soon became the station's most popular song. With UB40 ready to release Labour Of Love II, Virgin Records promotion man Charlie Minor asked UB40 to hold off on releasing the album so that the label could reissue and promote "Red Red Wine". On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of October 15, 1988 the song hit #1 in the U.S. In September 2014, the Official Charts Company announced that sales in the UK had reached one million. The song reached No. 1 on the South African Springbok charts in February 1984, remaining in that position for a total of 12 weeks. It also ended in the No. 1 position on that country's year end charts. Neil Diamond has stated that UB40's "Red Red Wine" is among his favorite covers of his songs. He frequently performs the song live using the UB40 reggae arrangement rather than that of the original version.
Charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Other cover songs
released a cover version the same year as Diamond's version for the UK market. It charted at #36. In 1968, singer Peter Tetteroo of Dutch beat group Tee Set released a version that reached #6 on the Dutch Top 40 chart. Tony Tribe, a Jamaican singer, recorded a reggae-influenced version in 1969 that reached #46 on the UK Singles Chart. It became Trojan Records' first chart hit and has been included in numerous reggae compilations since. Also in 1969, the song was covered by singer Charles Mann and by a Jamaican rocksteady group named the Painted Garden. In 1970, a remake by Vic Dana became a minor Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at #72, and reached #30 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In early 1972, singer Roy Drusky reached #17 on the BillboardHot Country Singles chart and #16 on the RPM Country Tracks chart. The Hobos included the song on their 2004 double studio album Radio Jah Jah.
