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Sleep Walk

by

Santo & Johnny



Album: Santo & Johnny      Released: 1959
US Chart: 1     UK Chart: 22

Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This haunting instrumental has been used in numerous movies, commercials and TV shows to convey a feeling of melancholy or nostalgia. It was used in the death procession scene in the movie La Bamba, and also appears in Twelve Monkeys and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. (thanks, Ron - Corona, CA)

Santo and Johnny are the Farina brothers. They were a Brooklyn guitar duo, and they had one more hit, the #23 "Tear Drop," which charted a few months later. They also recorded the theme to the movie The Godfather, and had a huge hit in Mexico with their version of "And I Love Her." When they recorded "Sleep Walk," Santo was 22 and Johnny was 18. It was their first release.

The distinctive sound was created using steel and acoustic guitars. (thanks, barbara - williamstown, NJ)

Santo & Johnny did write lyrics to this song, but decided not to use them. Some artists who have covered the song have added the lyrics, including Betsy Brye and Modest Mouse. Other notable covers were by Chet Atkins, The Shadows, The Ventures, Deftones, and Joe Satriani. The Brian Setzer Orchestra earned a Grammy with their 1997 version for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The song is often written as "Sleepwalk."

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