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Lovely Day
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Wikipedia article
"'Lovely Day'" is a song by American soul and R&B singer Bill Withers. Written by Withers and Skip Scarborough, it was released on December 21, 1977, and appears on Withers's 1977 album, 'Menagerie'.
The song is notable for Withers's sustained note towards the end, which, at 18 seconds long, is one of the longest ever recorded on an American pop song. It was listed at No. 402 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time" in 2021.
History
Released as a single in late 1977, "Lovely Day" peaked at number 6 on the 'Billboard' R&B chart and at number 30 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart in the US in early 1978.Whitburn, Joel (1996). 'The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits', 6th Edition (Billboard Publications) It also made the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, where the song reached number 7 on the British single chart.
"Lovely Day" has been re-released as a single in the United Kingdom at least twice since the song's first chart run; in 1987 the original version charted again at number 92, while a remix done by Ben Liebrand, named the "Sunshine Mix", made the British Top 10 in 1988, rising to number 4. This remix resulted in renewed enthusiasm for the Withers original, which incurred a surge in airplay into the early 1990s and came to firmly overshadow the radio presence of Liebrand's version. Public interest was again piqued in 1995, when "Lovely Day" was used in adverts for Tetley tea, again in 1999 for a Gap commercial directed by Hype Williams, and yet again in 2020 in ads for Good Morning Football on NFL Network, Allstate insurance TV commercial, as well as an ad for Pandora Jewelers. On January 20, 2021, the song was performed by Demi Lovato, with backing vocals from Lin-Manuel Miranda and several frontline healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as a part of the entertainment broadcast entitled 'Celebrating America' following the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Producer Clarence McDonald also arranged the original 1977 version of the song and played keyboards. Guitars were played by Ray Parker Jr., Jerry Knight played bass, and Russ Kunkel played drums.
Composition
Toward the end of the song Withers holds a note for 18 seconds, the longest of any Top 40 hit in the United States.
This is believed to be the second-longest note in UK chart history; Morten Harket of A-ha's 20-second note in "Summer Moved On" (2000) is the longest. Some claim Freddy Curci of the band Sheriff holds the final falsetto note of "When I'm with You", a minor U.S. hit in 1983 which later became a number one song in 1989, for about 20 seconds, although his voice seems to transform into a sound effect, created in the studio.
Personnel
*Bill Withers vocals
*Clarence McDonald keyboards
*Ray Parker Jr. guitar
*Jerry Knight bass guitar
*Russ Kunkel drums, shaker
*Ralph MacDonald percussion
*Charles Veal concertmaster
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Covers
"Lovely Day" has been covered and sampled numerous times since Withers' original recording. Among the most notable is one by British pop group Central Line, appearing on their 1983 album 'Choice'; this version reached number 81 on the UK Singles Chart. UK band Alt-J covered the song on their 2014 album This Is All Yours as a bonus track.
The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. version
The song was covered by The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. and was included on the soundtrack to the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard'. This mostly rap version was titled "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day". It reached number 34 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart and number 44 on the 'Billboard' R&B chart, in addition to spending three weeks atop the US 'Billboard' Hot Dance Club Play chart in December 1992 and January 1993. This version also reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.
Critical reception
Music writer James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "It's not the first time in recent years that the Bill Withers classic has had a chart outing, a remixed version having made the Top 10 in September 1988. The new version, however, is as far removed from this as can be and may just have enough novelty value not to be detracted by the cries of Sacrilege from the purists." Charles Aaron for 'Spin' said, "Clivilles & Cole's effortlessly escapist, double 12-inch extravaganza of house gimmicks is worth its price on packaging alone (the jacket could inspire a master's thesis). "Movin' the Crowd Club Mix" reintroduces Seduction's Michelle Visage, who boasts a breathy, offhand rhyme style, as if she's kickin' it in a fitting room at Bloomingdale's. The sample codes are less than fresh Deee-Lite's "What Is Love?", Soul II Soul's "Get a Life", and a horn blast from Sly's "You Can Make It If You Try" but together, they construct quite a club ethos."Aaron, Charles. "Singles". 'Spin'. March 1993.
Music video
A music video was made to promote the single and was published on YouTube in February 2014. It has amassed over 1,7 million views as of September 2021.
Charts
Soundtrack appearances
*1980: This song is heard in the TV series "Great Railway Journeys of the World"- Season 1, Episode 2 "Coast to Coast".
*2006: Jimmy Buffett's soundtrack for the movie 'Hoot' sung by Maroon 5 featuring Bill and Kori Withers
*2010: The song is featured in the film '127 Hours' during the scene where James Franco (as Aron Ralston) on the second day of his horrific ordeal, makes a pulley to (unsuccessfully) release the rock trapping his arm. This song also features in the soundtrack of the movie.
*2019: The song is featured at the beginning of episode 1 of Ricky Gervais' Netflix series 'After Life.'
*2020: The song is featured in the main menu of the mobile game 'Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed' by 'Gameloft'
* 2021: The song was featured in a Farxiga commercial
* 2022: The song plays briefly at the beginning of Tyler Perrys A Madea Homecoming.
See also
*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of number-one dance hits (UK)
References
Buy Lovely Day now from Amazon
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