| One of the more lightweight of the sixties British Invasion groups, Herman's Hermits were also one of the most commercially successful. The exaggerated "Englishness" of substance like "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" and music hall star Harry Champion's 1911 song "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" made the group especially popular in America. It was in the United States that Herman's Hermits had their biggest impact. Their American label, MGM, built up a promotion campaign just before their first US tour in 1965. The sudden interest in the Hermits reached almost Beatles size when Silhouettes, Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?, and Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter entered the charts within weeks of one another, to be followed by three more Top Ten hits before the end of September. Herman's Hermits sold nearly 10 million records in America alone by the end of 1965, a measure exceeded only by the Beatles. In America, their vast popularity remained steady for several years. |
