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Let Me Down Easy (Bettye LaVette song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Let Me Down Easy'" is a song that was first recorded in 1965 by American soul singer Bettye LaVette. It was written by Dee Dee Ford ( Wrecia Mae Ford; 19361972), who copyrighted in 1965 under her married name, Wrecia Holloway. The original recording by LaVette, released as a single by Calla Records, peaked at number 20 on the 'Billboard' Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart.
Composition and release
Dee Dee Ford, a singer who teamed up with Don Gardner on the top-20 single "I Need Your Lovin'" in 1962, wrote "Let Me Down Easy" three years later using her real name Wrecia Holloway.
The song, a torch ballad,
was performed by Bettye LaVette, arranged by Dale Warren, and produced by Gardner. New York independent label Calla Records released the track as a single and it reached number 20 on the 'Billboard' Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart.
LaVette performed it on a 1965 episode of 'Shindig!'
and on the 2012/13 'Hootenanny' show presented by Jools Holland.
Critical reception
A 1965 'Billboard' review of "Let Me Down Easy" complimented the song's "driving beat" and LaVette's "outstanding wailing vocal performance."
In 2006, music journalist Bill Friskics-Warren described it as "a gloriously anguished record aggravated by nagging syncopation, astringent strings, and a stinging blues guitar break". 'Ladies of Soul' author David Freeland wrote that "the record featured her most soulful performance to date–miles away from the youthful impetuosity of 'My Man', recorded just three years earlier. The fade, in which she repeatedly shouted 'Please! Please!' was particularly effective." Freeland added that the song highlighted LaVette's "blistering intensity modulated by moments of deep, heartfelt reflection."
Allmusic's Jason Ankeny remarked that the song is "a staple of the Northern soul scene and the countless anthologies it's yielded", and said it is LaVette's "masterpiece, a blisteringly poignant requiem for romance gone bad distinguished by its unique, tangolike rhythm and sweeping string arrangement."
Holly Gleason of 'Relix' called it a "seminal" song "which many consider to be one of the great soul sides of all time".
In a 2013 'Metro Times' article, writer Brett Callwood said of the song: "LaVettes voice soars one minute and purrs the next, each word practically dripping off her tongue. Performed live, the song sounds better today than it ever did".
Other versions
LaVette re-recorded "Let Me Down Easy" in 1969 for Karen Records, a small New York independent label. The remade version, which incorporated funk guitars similar to those on early Funkadelic records, was released as a single.
The song is a highlight of her live shows, as featured in the album 'Let Me Down Easy In Concert', recorded in Germany in 1999. It has also been covered by The Spencer Davis Group on 'The Second Album' (1966),
Inez and Charlie Foxx on 'At Memphis & More' (1973),
Paloma Faith on 'Fall to Grace' (2012).
and Paolo Nutini on 'Caustic Love' (2014).
On February 8, 2022, electronic music duo, ODESZA , released The Last Goodbye, which samples vocals from Let Me Down Easy, remaking the song into a modern classic.
Chart performance
Selected audio and video
* LaVette [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdemcBcs5zk video] 51 years after the original recording, performed at Jazzwoche Burghausen; 2016
Bibliography
Notes
Discography
- Bettye LaVette
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References
{{Reflist|30em|refs='Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Music,' Library of Congress, Copyright Office. Vol. 19; Part 5, No. 1, JanuaryJune 1965 (1967). "Let Me Down Easy". Dondee Pub Co.; [https://books.google.com/books?id=szQhAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA350&lpg=PA350&dq=%22let+me+down+easy%22+wrecia+holloway 23 February 1965; EU868371. p. 350.]
"Ford, Dee Dee, 1936-1972". Library of Congress, Authorities. Retrieved December 22, 2020. .
}}
Category:1960s ballads
Category:1965 songs
Category:1965 singles
Category:Inez and Charlie Foxx songs
Category:Paloma Faith songs
Category:The Spencer Davis Group songs
Category:Calla Records singles
Category:Rhythm and blues ballads
Category:Soul ballads
Category:Torch songs
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