Another version of the song by the Rooftop Singers, with the writing credits allocated to group members Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe, became an international hit in 1963.

Group member Erik Darling recruited two friends to join him in this effort after hearing the original Cannon recording.

Darling wanted the track to have a distinctive sound, so he and group member Bill Svanoe both played twelve-string guitars, although they had some difficulty in acquiring the instruments.

[3] The success of the song was a boon to Cannon, who was in his late 70s and had been forced to pawn his banjo the previous winter to pay his heating bill; he received royalties as a songwriter and saw renewed interest in his music, which led to a recording contract of his own.

For year-end charts, it was ranked No.249 on Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual[11] and No.1 in Australia[12] selling well over 50,000 units in just four weeks of release.