"Easier Said Than Done" is a popular song sung by The Essex
that was a number-one song in the United States during the year
1963. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on
July 6, 1963 and remained there for two weeks. The song
was written by William Linton and Larry Huff.
The Essex were active-duty members of the United States
Marine Corps at the time, as was Linton, who wrote the song at
the request of Essex member Walter Vickers. The song's rhythm
was inspired by the sound of the teletype machines in the
communications office of their Marine post. The group was not
thrilled with the song, but recorded it for use as the b-side
of their debut single, "Are You Going My Way". The recording
was unusually short, and editing was used to repeat part of the
recording; even so, the song was only a little over two
minutes. The single was released in May 1963, but "Easier Said
Than Done" quickly emerged as the more popular side. The song
became a major hit with broad appeal, reaching number one on
both the pop and rhythm and blues charts. . The song became the
title track of the group's first album, which reached #113 on
the Billboard album chart, becoming their only charting
album.