Sleep Walk

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title: "Sleep Walk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1959-songs", "1959-singles", "santo-&-johnny-songs", "billboard-hot-100-number-one-singles", "canadian-american-records-singles", "rock-instrumentals", "1950s-instrumentals"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_Walk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Sleep Walk
cover	Sleep Walk.jpg
type	single
artist	Santo & Johnny
B-side	All Night Diner
album	Santo & Johnny
released	June 1959
recorded	1959
* Instrumental rock<ref name	"Breihan 2018"
* rock and roll<ref name	"Breihan 2018"
* surf rock<ref name	"RS summer"
* R&B<ref name	"Breihan 2018"
* doo-wop<ref name	"RS summer"
length	2:20
label	Canadian-American Records
writer	Santo Farina, Johnny Farina, Ann Farina
producer	Leonard Zimmer
next_title	Tear Drop
next_year	1959
::

::callout[type=note] the Santo & Johnny instrumental ::

| name = Sleep Walk | cover = Sleep Walk.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Santo & Johnny | B-side = All Night Diner | album = Santo & Johnny | released = June 1959 | recorded = 1959 | studio = | venue = | genre =

• Instrumental rock
• rock and roll
• surf rock
• R&B
• doo-wop | length = 2:20 | label = Canadian-American Records | writer = Santo Farina, Johnny Farina, Ann Farina | producer = Leonard Zimmer | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Tear Drop | next_year = 1959

"Sleep Walk" is an instrumental song written, recorded, and released in 1959 by American instrumental rock and roll duo Santo & Johnny Farina, with their uncle Mike Dee playing the drums.{{Cite web |url = https://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/asc13/#santo |title = All Songs Considered Episode 13 |publisher = NPR |date = February 6, 2002 |work = NPR's Online Music Show |access-date = September 1, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070622014924/http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/asc13/#santo |archive-date = June 22, 2007 |url-status = dead Prominently featuring steel guitar, the song was recorded at Trinity Music in Manhattan, New York City. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's Top 40 on August 17, 1959. It rose to the number 1 position for the last two weeks in September {{Cite web |url=http://www.recordresearch.com/numones/numone_pop_1950s.html |title=Billboard #1 Pop Hits — 1950–1959 |publisher=Record Research Inc. |accessdate=September 1, 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050610080106/http://www.recordresearch.com/numones/numone_pop_1950s.html |archivedate = June 10, 2005}} and remained in the Top 40 until November 9. "Sleep Walk" also reached number 4 on the R&B chart. It was the last instrumental to hit number 1 in the 1950s and earned a gold record for Santo and Johnny.{{Cite web | url=http://santoandjohnny.com/Bio.php | title=Santo & Johnny Bio}} In Canada, the song reached number 3 in the CHUM Charts. In the UK it peaked at number 22 on the charts.

Background and recording

As children, both Santo and Johnny Farina were encouraged by their father, Tony, to learn the steel guitar and write their own music. This music would be recorded on a Webcor tape recorder their father had bought for them. Unable to fall asleep one night after a gig, the Farina brothers decided to write some music, using the tape recorder to first record the harmonies to what would become "Sleep Walk". After adding and finalizing the steel guitar melody, Johnny Farina believed they had a hit song, so he spent a year and a half talking with various music publishers about the possibility of professionally recording "Sleep Walk".

The "Sleep Walk" demo made a positive impression on Ed Burton of Trinity Music. After ultimately signing with Canadian-American Records, the brothers recorded "Sleep Walk" at Trinity Music, using a triple-neck Fender Stringmaster on the recording.

Release

"Sleep Walk" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on July 27, 1959. Announced on the radio by DJ Alan Freed, the instrumental rose in popularity until it became the number 1 single for the last two weeks of September of that year. After losing the position to Bobby Darin's recording of "Mack the Knife", it remained on Billboard's Top 40 until November 1959.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1959) | Peak position | |---|---| | Canada CHUM Chart | 3 | | US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | ::

All-time charts

::data[format=table]

Chart (1958–2018)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100	563
::

Later versions

• The Ventures - for their album Walk, Don't Run (1960)
• British group The Shadows - for their 1961 album The Shadows.
• American guitarist Larry Carlton - for his 1981 album Sleepwalk.
• The Brian Setzer Orchestra rendering of "Sleep Walk" received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1998.
• The virtuoso American guitarist Joe Satriani included "Sleep Walk" on his 2002 album Strange Beautiful Music.
• Deftones - for their album Covers (2011)

Influence

• "Sleep Walk" was a principal influence on Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green for his 1968 instrumental "Albatross", which became a worldwide hit. "Albatross" in turn inspired the Beatles song "Sun King" from Abbey Road.{{cite book | last = Rooksby | first = Rikky | year = 2004 | title = Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Guide to Their Music | publisher = Omnibus Press | page = 17 | isbn = 1-84449-427-6 }}
• The song "Sleepwalking (Couples Only Dance Prom Night)" by the band Modest Mouse, from their 1996 EP Interstate 8, drew inspiration from "Sleep Walk" in its melody, with the main addition to the original being added vocals/lyrics.

''Sleepwalkers''

The song spurred Stephen King to write his first screenplay, for the 1992 horror film Sleepwalkers. The film features the song as well.

References

References

1. (29 June 1959). "Reviews of This Week's Singles".
2. Breihan, Tom. (February 9, 2018). "The Number Ones: Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk"".
3. Rolling Stone Staff. (June 25, 2022). "The Best Summer Songs of All Time".
4. Bronson, Fred. (1992). "Billboard Book of Number One Hits". Billboard Publications, Inc..
5. Whitburn, Joel. (2004). "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004". Record Research.
6. Hewitt, Bob. (December 2, 2021). "Larry Carlton and Johnny Farina on how Santo & Johnny changed instrumental guitar music forever". [[Guitar.com]].
7. "CHUM Top 20 Singles – August 31, 1959".
8. "Official Charts".
9. Bienstock, Richard. (April 8, 2019). "Interview: Johnny Farina on 60 Years of the Iconic Instrumental, "Sleep Walk"".
10. Criblez, David J.. (September 19, 2019). "Santo & Johnny's 'Sleep Walk' turns 60".
11. Dennis, Jon. (January 18, 2012). "Old music: Santo & Johnny – Sleep Walk". The Guardian.
12. Fred Bronson. (2003). "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits". Billboard Books.
13. "The Hot 100".
14. "The Hot 100".
15. "Top 100 Songs {{!}} Billboard Hot 100 Chart".
16. "CHUM Hit Parade - August 31, 1959".
17. (September 28, 1959). "The Billboard Hot 100".
18. "Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny".
19. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart".
20. "www.allmusic.com".
21. Thompson, Dave. "The Shadows". [[All Media Network]].
22. "Larry Carlton - Sleepwalk - Allmusic".
23. "Grammy Award winners (Brian Setzer)".
24. "Joe Satriani says he and Hank Williams could have made some "great music together"".
25. (October 2, 2015). "Chicago Tribune: "With 'Sleepwalking,' Modest Mouse drew inspiration from existing material"".
26. Bellwoar, Rachel. (November 21, 2018). "Cat Horror Purrr-fection: Stephen King's Sleepwalkers Comes Out On Blu-Ray".

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