View source for 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)

{{short description|1966 single by Wilson Pickett}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Wilson Pickett]]
| album      = [[The Exciting Wilson Pickett]]
| B-side     = That's a Man's Way
| released   = January 1966
| recorded   = 1965
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = *[[R&B]]
*[[Soul music|soul]]
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=55}}
| label      = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| writer     = Steve Cropper, [[Eddie Floyd]]
| producer   = *[[Jim Stewart (record producer)|Jim Stewart]]
*Steve Cropper
| prev_title = Don't Fight It
| prev_year  = 1965
| next_title = Ninety Nine and a Half (Won't Do)
| next_year  = 1966
}}
"'''634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)'''" is a [[soul music|soul]] song written by [[Eddie Floyd]] and [[Steve Cropper]]. It was first recorded by [[Wilson Pickett]] on December 20, 1965 <ref> Second Hand Songs website </ref> and included on his 1966 [[Atlantic Records]] album ''[[The Exciting Wilson Pickett]]'' with backing vocals by [[Labelle|Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles]]. The single reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles]] chart and number 13 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] singles chart.<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=461}}</ref>
==Background==
The phone number 634-5789 is a reference to [[the Marvelettes]]' 1962 hit "[[Beechwood 4-5789]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Single Stories: Wilson Pickett, "634-5789" |url=https://www.rhino.com/article/single-stories-wilson-pickett-634-5789 |website=Rhino |access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref>
==Personnel==
*[[Charles "Packy" Axton]] – tenor saxophone
*[[Steve Cropper]] – guitar
*[[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] – bass
*[[Isaac Hayes]] – keyboards
*[[Al Jackson Jr.]] – drums
*[[Wayne Jackson (musician)|Wayne Jackson]] – trumpet
*[[Andrew Love (musician)|Andrew Love]] – tenor saxophone
*[[Floyd Newman]] – baritone saxophone
*[[Wilson Pickett]] – vocals
<ref>Pickett, Wilson, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, Atlantic #8129, released 1966.  Notes from Atlantic CD released 1993</ref>
==Chart performance==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1966)
!Peak<br>position
|-
|UK Singles ([[The Official Charts Company]])<ref>{{cite web|title=officialcharts.com|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12003/wilson-pickett/|website=officialcharts.com|accessdate=December 25, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center"|36
|-
|US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite book |title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=115}}</ref>
|align="center"|13
|-
|US [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Top Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles]] (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=84}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|}
==Tina Turner version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = 634-5789
| cover      = Tina Turner - 6345-789.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Tina Turner]] & [[Robert Cray]]
| album      = [[Tina Live in Europe]]
| B-side     = "Help!" (Live)
| released   = 1989
| recorded   = 1986
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Pop music|Pop]],  [[soul music|Soul]], [[Rock music|Rock]], [[R&B]]
| length     = 3:05
| label      = [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
| writer     = [[Eddie Floyd]]<br />  [[Steve Cropper]]
| producer   = John Hudson
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
| artist     = [[Tina Turner]] singles
| type       = single
| prev_title = [[Tonight (Iggy Pop song)#Tina Turner and David Bowie live version|Tonight (Live)]]
| prev_year  = 1988
| title      = 634-5789 (live)
| year       = 1989
| next_title = [[The Best (song)#Tina Turner version|The Best]]
| next_year  = 1989
}}
}}
[[Tina Turner]] recorded a live version of the track in 1986 as part of a segment in her ''[[Break Every Rule]]'' TV special, in which she interpreted classic soul songs with guitarist and singer [[Robert Cray]], including "634-5789", [[Sam Cooke]]'s "[[A Change Is Gonna Come (song)|A Change Is Gonna Come]]" and Wilson Pickett's "[[Land of a Thousand Dances]]" and "[[In the Midnight Hour]]". The four tracks were later included on her 1988 album ''[[Tina Live in Europe]]'' and "634-5789", sung as a duet with Cray, was also issued as a single in certain territories, reaching number 14 on the Dutch singles chart. The B-sides were "[[Private Dancer]]" and "[[Help! (song)#Cover versions|Help!]]", both taken from the ''[[Tina Live in Europe]]'' album.
===Chart performance===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
!scope="col"| Chart (1989)
!scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
{{singlechart|Flanders|23|artist=Tina Turner & Robert Cray|song=634-5789|rowheader=true|access-date=September 28, 2015}}
|-
{{singlechart|Dutch40|15|artist=Tina Turner|rowheader=true|access-date=April 1, 2023}}
|-
{{singlechart|Dutch100|14|artist=Tina Turner & Robert Cray|song=634-5789|rowheader=true|access-date=September 28, 2015}}
|-
|}
==Other recordings==
The song has also been recorded by: [[Otis Redding]], [[Ry Cooder]], [[Bon Jovi]], [[Johnny Van Zant]], [[Tower of Power]], [[Trace Adkins]], [[The Elgins]], [[Rare Earth (band)|Rare Earth]], and [[Sam & Dave]].
==Popular culture==
*Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett performed "634-5789" in the 1998 movie ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'', appearing as the proprietors of "Ed's Love Exchange" which, according to the storyline in the movie, could be reached at 1-[[area code 900|900]]-634-5789 (a reference to [[phone sex]] lines).
==See also==
*"[[853-5937]]"
*"[[867-5309/Jenny]]"
*[[Fictitious telephone number]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Tina Turner}}
{{Wilson Pickett}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:1966 songs]]
[[Category:1966 singles]]
[[Category:1988 singles]]
[[Category:Wilson Pickett songs]]
[[Category:Tina Turner songs]]
[[Category:Songs about telephone calls]]
[[Category:Songs written by Steve Cropper]]
[[Category:Songs written by Eddie Floyd]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records singles]]
[[Category:The Blues Brothers songs]]
{{1960s-R&B-song-stub}}