{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2011}} {{Infobox song | name = Please Mr. Please | image = Please mr please by olivia newton-john Australian single side-A.png | alt = side-A label | caption = Side A of the Australian single | type = single | artist = Olivia Newton-John | album = Have You Never Been Mellow | B-side = {{ubl|"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (UK)|"And in the Morning" (US and rest of world)}} | released = June 1975 | recorded = 1974 | studio = | genre = Country pop | length = 3:31 | label = EMI | writer = Bruce Welch, John Rostill | producer = John Farrar | prev_title = Have You Never Been Mellow | prev_year = 1975 | next_title = Something Better to Do | next_year = 1975 }}

"'''Please Mr. Please'''" is a song written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows.<ref name="Hyatt">Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications)</ref> Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/artist/bruce-welch |title=Bruce Welch Discography - UK |website=45cat.com |access-date=2016-10-10}}</ref> with no commercial success.

In 1975, British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John recorded and released a version of the song as the second and final single from her fifth studio album, ''Have You Never Been Mellow''.

==Song story== The song begins as an apparent tribute to the jukebox and how one can listen to a lot of great music for a small price. But instead of continuing along those lines, the song picks up on how some songs on the jukebox can trigger bad memories. This happens when the protagonist—at a tavern with friends, trying to get over a just-broken relationship—sees another customer at the jukebox, trying to play "B-17," which is coded to a song the woman does not want to hear.

The song, she cries, was special to the now-broken relationship. It now triggers sorrowful memories to the point that she never wants to hear the song again. The refrain sees the woman begging the "button-pushin' cowboy" (the ‘Mister’ of the song’s title) not to play the evocative song.

==Reception== ''Record World'' said that the song is "Olivia's most country-oriented outing yet will also speak as sweetly to her total audience for '. . Please' pleases pop just as perfectly!"<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=June 7, 1975|accessdate=2023-03-10|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/75/RW-1975-06-07.pdf}}</ref>

==Chart performance== Released as a single in 1975, "Please Mr. Please" reached the Top 10 on three major ''Billboard'' charts in the US that year. On the pop chart, the song peaked at #3 August 9, 1975, remaining in the Top 40 for 12 weeks: Newton-John's fifth consecutive Top Ten hit, "Please Mr. Please" would also mark Newton-John's last appearance in the top ten for a three-year period.<ref name="Whitburn">Whitburn, Joel (2004). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)</ref> On the country chart, the song reached #5 August 23rd, while on the adult contemporary chart, the song spent three weeks at #1 beginning July 12, 1975.<ref name="Hyatt"/> The single was a certified Gold record by the RIAA.<ref>{{cite certification|region=United States|title=Please Mister Please|artist=Olivia Newton-John|type=single}}</ref> {{col-begin|width=75%}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Chart (1975) ! style="text-align:center;"|Peak<br />position |- | Australian (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|first= David |last= Kent |author-link= David Kent (historian) |title= Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |publisher= Australian Chart Book |location= St Ives, N.S.W. |year= 1993 |isbn= 0-646-11917-6|page=217}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|35 |- | Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4011a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=705fh4hit0lod93is566f3f746 |title=RPM Top Singles for August&nbsp;9, 1975 |work=RPM |access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- | Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4018&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=705fh4hit0lod93is566f3f746 |title=RPM Country Tracks for September&nbsp;6, 1975 |work=RPM |access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- | Canadian ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary Tracks<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4013&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=705fh4hit0lod93is566f3f746 |title=RPM Adult Contemporary for August&nbsp;9, 1975 |work=RPM |access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- | New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>[https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Olivia+Newton%2DJohn&titel=Please+Mr%2E+Please&cat=s Charts.nz]</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|7 |- | US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Olivia Newton-John Billboard Chart History|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/312512/olivia-newton-john/chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=11 July 2017}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|3 |- | US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles<ref name="Whitburn" /> | style="text-align:center;"|5 |- | US ''Billboard'' Easy Listening<ref name="Hyatt" /> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- | US ''Cash Box'' Top 100 <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19750802.html|title = Cash Box Top 100 8/02/75}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Quebec (ADISQ)<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129063315/http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/palmares/2010-Anglo-Allophone/Anglo-Compilation_succes_ordre_alpha_interpretes.pdf|url=http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/palmares/2010-Anglo-Allophone/Anglo-Compilation_succes_ordre_alpha_interpretes.pdf|title=Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec|publisher=BAnQ|date=15 August 1975|access-date=21 June 2025|archive-date=29 November 2015|language=fr|url-status=dead}}</ref> |align="center"|19 |}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" ! scope="col"| Chart (2022) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- !scope="row"|U.S. Digital Song Sales (''Billboard'')<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-canada-digital-song-sales/2022-08-20/|title=CU.S Digital Song Sales: Week of August 20, 2022|url-access=subscription|magazine=Billboard|access-date=16 August 2022}}</ref> | 48 |}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1975) !Rank |- |Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles <ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1975YESP.html|title = Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1975}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|24 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1975.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=2016-10-10}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|49 |- |US ''Cash Box'' Top 100 <ref name="autogenerated1"/> | style="text-align:center;"|26 |} {{col-end}}

==Cover versions== *Juliana Hatfield covered the song on her album ''Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John.''<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|title=Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/juliana-hatfield-sings-olivia-newton-john-mw0003140945|website=AllMusic|access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref> *Claude François covered the song in a French language version titled "Pourquoi Pleurer (Sur Un Succès D'Été)," which was released as a single in France in 1975, and became the opener and title track of that year's album release by the singer. *Venezuelan singer Nancy Ramos covered the song on her 1976 LP [https://www.discogs.com/release/3615668-Nancy-Ramos-Fabulosa "Poderosa]" in a Spanish language version titled "Dime Que Si". *Salvadoran singer ''Evangelina Sol'' covered the song in a Spanish language version titled "Por favor Señor, por favor" on her 1975 album "Evangelina." *Dickie Goodman used a sound-alike version of the chorus for his 1975 parody hit single, "Mr. Jaws." *Bluegrass artist Rhonda Vincent covered the song in 2024.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Olivia Newton-John singles}} {{Authority control}}

Category:1975 singles Category:Bruce Welch songs Category:Olivia Newton-John songs Category:Songs written by John Rostill Category:Songs written by Bruce Welch Category:Cashbox number-one singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:MCA Records singles Category:EMI Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by John Farrar Category:Songs about music Category:Songs about heartache Category:Songs about jukeboxes Category:1974 songs