{{Infobox song | name = Dumb Head | cover = Dumbhead.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Ginny Arnell | album = Meet Ginny Arnell | B-side = How Many Times Can One Heart Break? | released = November 1963 | recorded = 1963 | studio = | venue = | genre = Pop/Rock | length = 2:12 | label = MGM – <small>R K13177</small> | writer = David Hess, Camille Monte | producer = Jim Vienneau | chronology = Ginny Arnell | prev_title = Trouble's Back in Town | prev_year = 1963 | next_title = He's My Little Devil | next_year = 1964 }}
"'''Dumb Head'''" is a song recorded by American girl-pop performer Ginny Arnell. It was written by David Hess and Camille Monte, arranged by Al Gorgoni, produced by Jim Vienneau, and released in November 1963.<ref name="discography">{{cite web|title=Ginnie Arnell discography|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/656758-Ginny-Arnell|website=Discogs|accessdate=24 December 2016}}</ref> The single was a minor hit, entering the ''Billboard'' Hot 100,<ref name="chart history">{{cite magazine|title=Ginny Arnell chart history|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0]=ts_chart_artistname%3AGinny%20Arnell&f[1]=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=2&artist=Ginny%20Arnell|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=24 December 2016}}</ref> and was featured on her debut full-length LP, ''Meet Ginny Arnell''.<ref name="full-length album">{{cite web|last1=Ankeny|first1=Jason|title="Meet Ginny Arnell" overview & review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/meet-ginny-arnell-mw0000585823|website=Allmusic|publisher=RhythmOne|accessdate=24 December 2016}}</ref> British girl group The Sharades later recorded the song.<ref name="sharades" />
==Lyrical composition== Lyrically, "Dumb Head" tells the story of a girl who rejected a boy and now regrets it; she calls herself, among other self-demeaning names, a "dumb head" and "a stupid little girl."<ref name="review">{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Dave|title="Dumb Head" review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/dumb-head-mt0003466180|website=Allmusic|publisher=RhythmOne|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> The song has an irregular phrase rhythm, meaning that Arnell varies the length and rhythm of her lines.<ref name="rhythm">{{cite book|last1=Everett|first1=Walter|title=The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p0p6jL-u3T4C&q=ginny+arnell+dumb+head&pg=PT345|date=9 December 2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199718702|accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref>
==Recording== "Dumb Head" was Arnell's fifth solo single, released over three years after her solo debut, and her second for MGM Records, following "Trouble's Back In Town". Her earlier records had been commercial failures, never charting and receiving little press.<ref name="discography" /> The record company teamed her with arranger Al Gorgoni and producer Jim Vienneau. Arnell initially disliked the song "Dumb Head", later saying in an interview:<blockquote>I said to my manager, "I'm not so sure about this song." I didn't like calling myself a dumb head, especially as I had just graduated high school with high honours. How could I call myself dumb and feel good about it? But when we recorded it, with the kazoos in the background and all, it was fun. It came out really good...<ref name=patrick>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Meet Ginny Arnell|year=2008|first=Mick |last=Patrick |type=booklet |publisher=Cherry Red Records |id=DECKCD106 |location=London}}</ref></blockquote>
As well as kazoos, the song features a saxophone and organ,<ref name="review" /> and an orchestra arranged by Gorgoni.<ref name="orchestra">{{cite book|last1=Ruppli|first1=Michel|last2=Novitsky|first2=Ed|title=The MGM Labels: A Discography, Volume 2; Volumes 1961-1982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9-7b7xXztEC&q=ginny+arnell+dumb+head&pg=PA121|year=1998|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=9780313307799|accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref> She also recorded a version of "Dumb Head" in Japanese.<ref name=talking>[https://rarerockinrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/talking-with-ginny-arnell.html "Talking with Ginny Arnell", Rare Rockin' Records, 15 March 2010]. Retrieved 8 September 2014</ref> Arnell said:<blockquote>The record was a hit over in Asia and they asked me if I would be nice enough to record the song in Japanese for them. I thought "What?!" But MGM was very good about sending a tutor [who] taught me how to sing it phonetically. It was very exciting and it came out OK. I don't know if it's word-for-word as the American version, but it sure is nice to listen to...<ref name=patrick/></blockquote>
==Release and promotion== The song was released as a 7" single, which included the B-side "How Many Times Can One Heart Break?"<ref name="discogs2">{{cite web|title="Dumb Head" overview|url=https://www.discogs.com/Ginny-Arnell-Dumb-Head/release/3179299|website=Discogs|year=1963 |accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> MGM Records promoted "Dumb Head," among other new releases, in a full-page advertisement placed in the October 26, 1963 edition of Billboard Magazine.<ref name="billboard ad">{{cite web|title=Billboard Oct 26, 1963 (page 16)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQsEAAAAMBAJ&q=ginny+arnell+dumb+head&pg=PA16|website=Google Books|date = 26 October 1963|accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref> Arnell toured to promote the record, and appeared on ''American Bandstand'' to lip-sync to the track. The producers mistakenly started playing Bobby Rydell's "Wild One" instead of "Dumb Head,"<ref name="interview">{{cite web|title=Talking With Ginny Arnell|url=https://rarerockinrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/talking-with-ginny-arnell.html|website=Rare Rockin' Records|date=15 March 2010 |accessdate=30 December 2016}}</ref> but the mistake was soon corrected and, though Arnell was embarrassed, she completed the appearance.<ref name=patrick/> Arnell also embarked on several cross-country tours, spurred on by the song's popularity.<ref name="cherry red">{{cite web|title=Meet Ginny Arnell|url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/meet-ginny-arnell/|website=Cherry Red Records|accessdate=30 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230091509/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/meet-ginny-arnell/|archive-date=30 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Critical reception== In a 1964 review of "Meet Ginny Arnell," ''Billboard'' magazine singled out "Dumb Head" as "a hefty chart entry," going on to give the album a "Pop Special Merit" award designation.<ref name="album review bb">{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Jul 25, 1964 (page 27)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0UEAAAAMBAJ&q=Ginny+arnell&pg=PA27|magazine=Billboard|date = 25 July 1964|accessdate=29 December 2016}}</ref>
The song is highly regarded retrospectively by some music critics, though others are more skeptical of the song. Allmusic's Dave Thompson praised the song's instrumentation and Arnell's vocal performance, particularly the "duh-di-duh-di-duh" chorus. He went on to conclude that "The real dumbheads [...] were the record buying public of 1963, who could push this amazing record no higher than #50 on the US chart."<ref name="review" /> ''Vice'''s Mish Way spoke negatively of Arnell's version, however, commenting that when "Arnell sings this song the lyrics seem pathetic and forced."<ref name="vice">{{cite web|last1=Way|first1=Mish|title=10 Covers That Are Better|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/10-covers-that-dont-suck/|website=Vice|date=30 April 2010 |access-date=25 December 2016}}</ref> Trevor Tolliver, in his book ''You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore'', called the song "atrocious" and the lyrics "sickening."<ref name="lesley gore book">{{cite book|last1=Tolliver|first1=Trevor|title=You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsycCgAAQBAJ&q=dumb+head+song&pg=PT47|date=August 2015|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=9781495049729|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref>
==Commercial performance== The song reached number 50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending a total of 12 weeks on the chart.<ref name="chart history" /> It remains Arnell's only Hot 100 entry, though one of her subsequent singles, "I Wish I Knew What Dress to Wear," managed to reach number 30 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.<ref name="bio1">{{cite web|last1=Eder|first1=Bruce|title=Ginny Arnell Biography|url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/ginny-arnell/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225080544/http://www.mtv.com/artists/ginny-arnell/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 25, 2016|website=MTV|publisher=Viacom|accessdate=24 December 2016}}</ref> "Dumb Head" also reached number 20 on ''Cashbox''{{'}}s "Looking Ahead" chart dated November 16, 1963,<ref name="cash box">{{cite web|title=Cash Box Singles – Looking Ahead Week ending November 16, 1963|url=http://98.130.35.56/archives/60s_files/19631116LA.html|website=Cash Box Pop Singles|accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref> and number 3 on the ''Chicago Top 40''.<ref name="Chicago">{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Ron|title=Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQXQVOzQ1ZsC&q=Ginny+arnell&pg=PA148|date=August 2001|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=9780595196142|accessdate=29 December 2016}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" !Chart (1963) !Peak<br>position |- |''Cashbox'' Looking Ahead<ref name="cash box" /> |align="center"|20 |- |Chicago Top 40<ref name="Chicago" /> |align="center"|3 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="chart history" /> |align="center"|50 |}
==Legacy and cover versions== [[File:Charli XCX @ Postivus 2013 (9819955206).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Pop musician Charli XCX (above) has cited "Dumb Head" as an influence when recording ''Sucker'', her second album]] The song continues to be regarded by some critics as a girl-pop classic,<ref name="review" /><ref name="cherry red" /> though others continue to view it as a sub-par girl pop song.<ref name="vice" /><ref name="lesley gore book" /> It was included on several girl-pop compilations, including ''Growin' Up Too Fast: The Girl Group Anthology'' (1996), ''I Wish I Were a Princess: The Great Lost Female Teen Idols'' (1997), and ''Early Girls, Vol. 3'' (2000).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Unterberger|first1=Richie|title=Growin' Up Too Fast: The Girl Group Anthology review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/growin-up-too-fast-the-girl-group-anthology-mw0000184147|website=Allmusic|publisher=RhythmOne|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> Charli XCX cited the song as an influence when recording her ''Sucker'' album.<ref name="charli xcx">{{cite web|last1=Sandberg|first1=Patrick|title=Charli XCX|url=http://patriksandberg.com/2015/08/05/charli-xcx/|website=Patrick Sandberg|publisher=V Magazine|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> According to ''Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948-1991'', the 7" release of "Dumb Head" is now worth $12.<ref name="45 worth">{{cite book|last1=Popoff|first1=Martin|title=Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991 (page 63)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XUI1R7jJz2YC&q=Ginny+arnell&pg=PA63|date=5 August 2010|publisher=F+W Media|isbn=9781440216213|accessdate=29 December 2016}}</ref>
The song was rerecorded by The Sharades and produced by Joe Meek<ref name="review"/> and released in the UK in January 1964.<ref name="sharades">{{cite web|title=Sharades - "Dumb Head"|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sharades-Dumb-Head-Boy-Trouble/release/6349917|website=Discogs|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="richie">{{cite book|last1=Bloom|first1=Jerry|title=Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1f53kihTyRMC&q=sharades+dumb+head&pg=PA363|date=5 November 2009|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=9780857120533|accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref> Their cover is highly regarded retrospectively, with many critics noting the song as being better than Arnell's version. ''Vice'''s Mish Way, while skeptical of Arnell's recording, praised The Sharades' version, calling it "the cheekiest slumber party anthem that ever existed."<ref name="vice" /> ''Dazed'' felt that The Sharades' version was a "classic," calling the song "eerie yet compelling with a killer melody."<ref name="dazed">{{cite web|last1=Uddin|first1=Zakia|title=Joe Meek: Sound Pioneer|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/21024/1/joe-meek-sound-pioneer|website=Dazed|publisher=Waddell Limited|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> Pitchfork called Meek's production "even more unsettled" than the original.<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|last1=Pelly|first1=Jenn|title=Primetime "Anyway"|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/18397-primetime-anyway/|website=Pitchfork|publisher=Condé Nast|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> The song has also been covered by rock group Primetime;<ref name="primetime">{{cite web|title=Primetime: Dumbhead|url=https://www.sorrystaterecords.com/blogs/hot-track-alert/primetime-dumbhead|website=Sorry State Records|accessdate=25 December 2016}}</ref> their version was featured on the compilation album, ''Typical Girls''.<ref name="pitchfork" />
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJKkxJqEaYc Hear Ginny Arnell's original version] on YouTube * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBfdj8fw6Tg Hear Arnell's Japanese version] on YouTube * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UGrFr7wAUc Hear the Sharades' version] on YouTube * [https://azlyrics.biz/ginny-arnell-dumb-head-lyrics/ Read the lyrics] on AZ Lyrics
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Category:American pop songs Category:1963 songs