song is not only based on J.S.Bach's Prelude in C Major but also on Gounod's Ave Maria adaptation. Release and reception Following the completion of the recording of the album, the Evita team switched on to full promotion of the release, with photographer Tony Snowdon shooting the promotional pictures. The single version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 1976, accompanied by national and trade advertising, full-colour posters, display sleeves as well as radio interviews. Another song from the musical, "Rainbow High", was listed as its B-side. MCA marketing manager Stuart Watson explained to Billboard that their chief goal was to "get an explanation of the story of Eva Perón over to the public". The song received critical appreciation, with The Sunday Times calling it a "masterpiece". However, Rice and Lloyd Webber felt that they needed more promotion to reach the general audience who would buy the record. They had initially decided for a number of television show appearances and performances, but Covington was uninterested in the project altogether and refused to promote it further. Her reasons included wanting to perform the song with the same studio orchestra and accompaniments, and she was also against a single release from the album. The song was never performed live on British music show, Top of the Pops, since Covington refused and whenever it was featured on the show, a montage of images of the real Eva was shown in the backdrops. However, during the week it was number one, she appeared in the audience. Rice and Lloyd Webber then targeted BBC Radio 1, which was in its infancy, but still popular among the general crowd. They had a fairly tight selection of songs they aired on their channels, and Radio 1 completely refused to add "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" in their playlists. Rice and Lloyd Webber panicked and were almost on the verge of releasing another track from Evita called "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", recorded by Barbara Dickson, as the second single. But Radio 1 finally relented and started playing the song due to positive response from audiences. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 25 December 1976. It started climbing up the chart but for 3 weeks it was kept from reaching the top spot by David Soul's "Don't Give