Single Versions
A&M Records released "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" as a single in 1967. Reviews were generally positive. Billboard wrote that the record "should put folkster Ochs high on the Hot 100" and the Cleveland Press said that if radio stations "give it a chance, this will be a giant record". Rolling Stone gave the single a mixed review.
The single got a good deal of airplay, especially on FM radio. Sales were fairly good. In Los Angeles, the song reached No. 20. It was No. 119 on Billboard's national "Hot Prospect" listing.
As the song's popularity grew, some radio station managers began to object to the lyrics of the fifth verse of "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", which said that "smoking marijuana is more fun than drinking beer". Without considering the irony of the lyrics, managers began to complain to A&M.
A&M responded by releasing two alternate versions of the single. One version included the lyrics "smoking is more fun than drinking beer". Another removed the controversial verse altogether. Still, the damage had been done. Record sales suffered and the single lost its momentum. It never advanced further up the charts.
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Famous quotes containing the words single and/or versions:
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