The song “Concrete and Clay” is today’s classic song of the day. Released by a group calling themselves Unit 4 + 2 in February of 1965, it was a #1 hit in the UK but peaked at just #28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. (It did hit #9 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart, however.)
“Concrete and Clay” was written by two of the six guys in the group, Tommy Moeller and Brian Parker. It’s all about the strong and lasting love the singer has for his partner, as witnessed in the lyrics:
You to me
Are sweet as roses in the morning
And you to me
Are soft as summer rain at dawn
In love we share
That something rare
The sidewalks in the street
The concrete and the clay beneath my feet
Begins to crumble
But love will never die
Because we’ll see the mountains tumble
Before we say goodbye
Unit 4 + 2 started out as a group called Unit 4 when four school-aged Brits (Brian Parker, Tommy Moeller, Buster Meikle, and Peter Moules) got together to form a band. They later added two more guys (guitarist Rob Ballard and drummer Bob Henrit), hence the +2 to the original Unit 4. It’s all about math, people.
The group was unique in that they had four vocalists singing in four-part harmony—Moeller, Parker, Meikle, and Moules. Tommy Moeller typically sang lead, as he did on “Concrete and Clay.” They released several more singles (of which only “(You’ve) Never Been in Love Like This Before” charted in the UK) and two albums, then called it quits in 1970.
Interestingly, Unit 4 + 2 wasn’t the only artist to record “Concrete and Clay.” A guy named Eddie Rambeau, who was a staff writer at the music publishing company of Four Season Bob Crewe, released his version of the tune pretty much simultaneously with the Unit 4 + 2 version. Rambeau’s recording did almost as well on the U.S. charts, hitting #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Easy Listening chart.
And then there’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, the promotional film for “Concrete and Clay” by Unit 4 + 2. It’s surprisingly well made, especially for the time. It’s worth a look.
