This was written in 1959 by the brilliant team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Clovers took it to number 23 in the US.
In 1964 it was recorded by The Searchers, reaching No 3 in the US. It was not released as a single in Britain though it was on an EP. Tony Jackson sang the lead vocals but by the time this video was made he had left the group to be replaced by Frank Allen.
In 1965 Jackson recorded it with his new group, the Vibrations. He had a great voice and the single had good guitar work but it got nowhere.
I’m currently reading Frank Allen’s book “The Searchers and Me”. It’s really interesting, especially about the years after they fell from fame and went onto the “chicken in a basket” nightclub circuit, the travelling they had to do and the digs they stayed in during those wilderness years. It has inspired me to “YouTube” all the singles they released in the late 60s / early 70s, most of which I’ve not heard before. “Second Hand Dealer” is quite a good one, and also a very valuable record amongst collectors… …what a great book!
It details their split with Tony Jackson, and also the split with Chris Curtis. Both those members were essential to the Searchers success but both were unstable characters.
“Love Potion No.9” is what the Searchers are mainly known for in America. It was a big hit for them there whilst being not too well known here.