Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1971
My Boy
Buy My Boy now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'My Boy'" is a popular song from the early 1970s. The music was composed by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude Franois, and the lyrics were translated from the original version "Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant" (Because I Love You My Child) into English by Phil Coulter and Bill Martin.
Song meaning
A sentimental ballad, the song is sung in a first-person narrative from the point of view of a father to his young son under the presumption that the child is asleep and cannot hear what his father is trying to tell him. The father tells his son of the truth of the strained relationship between the child's parents, and that all the father has left is the love of his son. Rather than risk losing that through a painful divorce, the father makes the decision to stay in a loveless marriage for the sake of his child.
Richard Harris version
Actor Richard Harris performed the song "My Boy" at a music contest sponsored by Radio Luxembourg in 1971. Despite not winning the contest, Harris recorded the song and released it as a single later that year. Appearing on Harris' album of the same name, the song reached #41 on the 'Billboard' pop chart and peaked at #13 on the 'Billboard' adult contemporary chart.
Elvis Presley version
Elvis Presley recorded a cover version of "My Boy" in late 1973 that was included on his 1974 album 'Good Times'. Presley's version of the song reached #20 on the 'Billboard' pop chartWhitburn, Joel (2004) 'The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications) and #17 on 'Cash Box'.[http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19750322.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 22, 1975] In the UK, where Presley's career had had something of a resurgence in the previous few years, it made the top 10 peaking at number 5 in the first week of January 1975. It was a bigger adult contemporary hit, spending one week atop the U.S. and Canadian[https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3943&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3943.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3943 'RPM' Adult Contemporary, April 5, 1975] charts in April 1975. "My Boy also peaked at #14 on the 'Billboard' country chart.
Charts
Richard Harris version
Elvis Presley version
See also
*List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1975 (U.S.)
References
Buy My Boy now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1971