Wikipedia

Right Time of the Night

"Right Time of the Night"is the title of a composition byPeter McCann,which became a top-ten hit single in 1977 via a recording byJennifer Warnes.

"Right Time of the Night"
picture sleeve of February 1983 UK release
SinglebyJennifer Warnes
from the albumJennifer Warnes
B-side"Daddy Don't Go"
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1977
RecordedJuly 1976
StudioDavlen Sound Studios
Genre
Length2:53
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Peter McCann
Producer(s)Jim Ed Norman
Jennifer Warnessingles chronology
"These Days"
(1972) 		"Right Time of the Night"
(1977) 		"I'm Dreaming"
(1977)

Composition

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Peter McCannwould recall his inspiration for writing "Right Time of the Night": "I was out at the beach at Malibu, and it was one of those perfect sunsets. I was there for the entire evening, and the sun went down and the stars came out. But...and it was totally accidental - I didn't mention the beach [or] anything like that [in the lyrics] because that would have regionalized [the song]. "[3]McCann had been working as a staff writer forAmerican Broadcasting Musicfor roughly a year without composing a high-profile song:(Peter McCann quote:)- "I played ['Right Time...'] for [ Boss ] Gerry Teifer...For the first time...he let me play [a] whole song through, and then he did something he'd never done before. He said: 'Play that again.' I played it again, and he goes: 'Wait here.' He brought in everybody in the building who was working there and said 'Play it.' I played it, and they all cheered and went nuts. I thought it was just another song I had written, but apparently not. "[3]

WriterPeter McCannon "Right Time of the Night"
"Right Time of the Night" is intended to make people sigh and hold hands. "Do You Wanna Make Love" is intended to make them think. If I can keep writing songs that have that kind of an identification, that kind of a purpose, then I'll have a career....I don't think there are too many people who couldn't sing "Right Time of the Night". You want a lot of people to record a lot of your songs...You aim for...that kind of a reputation. A lot of people think I should be upset because Jennifer [Warnes] had a hit with "Right Time of the Night" but...it did as much for me as it did for her in terms of reputation and everything like that. "[4]

Originally written and recorded by Peter McCann for his 1977self-titled album,"Right Time of the Night", which would serve as theB-sidefor McCann's own 1977 top ten hit "Do You Wanna Make Love",featured a distinct second verse that was eventually reworked byJennifer Warnes;she herself wrote lyrics for a less overtly masculine second verse which McCann rejected, eventually himself writing new second verse lyrics deemed female-friendly. Prior to the release of Warnes's version of "Right Time",Bette Midlerexpressed an interest in recording the song but asked that thebridgebe reworked, a stipulation McCann was still working on when Warnes's version reached the charts, at which point work on a Midler version was dropped.

"Right Time of the Night" was one of seven songs which McCann played forClive Davis,president ofArista Records(for whom Jennifer Warnes recorded) when McCann was making the rounds of auditions in hopes of being signed as a recording artist. McCann would recall Davis saying: "I don't like you as an artist, but I'm taking six of the seven songs." "Right Time" was one of the six songs Davis optioned (the one song Davis passed on was "Do You Wanna Make Love" which would afford McCann a top ten hit when he recorded it after his October 1976 signing with20th Century Records).[5]

Recording by Jennifer Warnes

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Background

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Session Personnel for "Right Time
of the Night "byJennifer Warnes
Backing vocals• Doug Haywood
Bass• Michael Bowden
Drums• Matt Betton Jr
Guitar•Kenny Edwards,John Leslie Hug
Steel guitar• Doug Livingston
Keyboards• Brian Whitcomb
Strings• Jimmy Getsoff, Ray Kelley

The inauguralArista Recordssingle and album releases ofJennifer Warnes:the single "Right Time of the Night" and its parentJennifer Warnesalbum, were both released in January 1977, over a year and a half subsequent to Warnes' April 1975 signing with Arista.[6][7]Although the recording of theJennifer Warnesalbum had commenced in May 1975,[8]her producerJim Pricewould record Warnes only sporadically as his work schedule permitted -(Jennifer Warnes quote:)"[Price was] producing,...arranging, singing, engineering, playing horns and so forth [for various artists] "[9]- and so Arista presidentClive Daviswas not presented with the completed tracks intended to comprise Warnes' inaugural Arista album until the summer of 1976.[6]

Davis' reaction to the intended album for Warnes was(Clive Davis quote):"It was a good enough album but it didn't have anything on it that could give her the hit single she needs",[6]and Davis resultantly recruitedJim Ed Normanto produce two tracks to supplement Price's work, with Norman overseeing Warnes' sessions for the tracks "Right Time of the Night" and "I'm Dreamin" at Davlen Sound Studios in July 1976.[9][10](Jennifer Warnes quote:):"Clive picked 'I'm Dreaming' and 'Right Time of the Night', and he brought in Jim Ed Norman...to give those songs very explicit tracks "[11]- Norman, who had been a member ofDon Henley's pre-Eagles band Shiloh, having overseen string arrangements for theEagles' albumsDesperadoandOne of These Nightsand also having arranged strings forLinda Ronstadt's version of "Desperado"(albumDon't Cry Now/ 1973).(Jennifer Warnes quote:):"Because of the amount of money Linda Ronstadt was making forAsylum [Records]Arista pretty much saw me as [their] ticket [to similar success]. "[12]

ProducerJim Ed Norman
on "Right Time of the Night"
Jennifer Warnes didn't want to do "Right Time of the Night". I tried to intellectually express why I thought that song could work for her, how it had potential, how it could be done [saying:] 'I would do my best to make sure that she got what she wanted, et cetera et cetera.' It took several dinners and meals to finally get her to kind of relax and say: 'Okay okay'. "[13]

Warnes' recordings of "Right Time of the Night" and "I'm Dreaming" would mark the debut of Jim Ed Norman as a record producer: Norman had been working as a recording studio tape copyist when he was recruited as a producer by Clive Davis on the recommendation ofHank MedressandDave Appellthe producers of Arista star actTony Orlando & Dawn(Norman had arranged and conducted the strings for the 1976Group With No NamealbumMoon Over Brooklynwhich was a Medress-Appell production). Upon hearing "Right Time..."as one of a number ofdemosof songs Davis felt had hit potential, Norman would recall telling Davis: "If you’re going to give me a chance to make a record for you, let it be with that song."[14]

Davis, who assisted in the vocal arrangement of "Right Time of the Night",[15]assignedVal Garayto mix "Right Time..."and" I'm Dreaming "and also remix Warnes' Jim Price-produced tracks: Garay had mixed the Linda Ronstadt albumsHeart Like a WheelandPrisoner in Disguiseand around the time of his work on theJennifer Warnesalbum was working on Ronstadt's albumHasten Down the Wind.The production costs of the Jim Price sessions with Jennifer Warnes had totaled $60,000: the recording of the two supplementary tracks: "Right Time..."and" I'm Dreaming ", plus the expenditure for the Garay remix upped the production costs of theJennifer Warnesalbum to a $115,000 total.[6]

Warnes' recording of "Right Time of the Night" features a lyrically distinct second verse from the originalPeter McCannsong: Warnes herself wrote lyrics for a less overtly masculine second verse which McCann rejected, eventually himself writing new second verse lyrics deemed female-friendly.

Release and reception

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After scheduling theJennifer Warnesalbum for August 1976 release,[16]Davis elected to hold back release until the new year, deeming Warnes' album likely to be lost in theholiday season sales boom:[6]both the album and its lead single "Right Time of the Night" were resultantly released 1 January 1977.[6]"Right Time..."would debut on the 29 January 1977 edition of theBillboardHot 100at #81, Warnes' first appearance on the chart in a nine-year recording career: the single would reach a #6 Hot 100 peak that May - paralleled by a #5 peak inCash Box.[17]

"Right Time of the Night" would also become the first Arista release to reach theC&W chart,where it peaked at #17: the single's promotion inNashville- the hub of C&W music - was handled by the Nashville office ofABC Music Productionswho were the publishers of the song.[18]On theBillboardranking ofEasy Listeninghits "Right Time of the Night" would reach #1[11]and would be ranked at #11 on the tally of the year's most successful Easy Listening hits.[19]

Ranked at #34 onBillboard's listing of the most successful Hot 100 hits of the year 1977,[20]"Right Time of the Night" would be the first of six Hot 100 entries for Jennifer Warnes as a soloist and would remain her most successful solo hit, her one furthertop 40hit "I Know a Heartache When I See One" peaking at #19 in 1979. However Warnes was to twice reach #1 on theBillboardHot 100 as a duo member, first withJoe Cockeron "Up Where We Belong"(1982)[21]and then withBill Medleyon "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"(1987).[22]

SingerJennifer Warneson
"Right Time of the Night"
I'm grateful for it, but I didn't pick the song...It's a mixed feeling...to have someone else make the decisions for you and then of course it's successful because they have the radio operation. What can I say? People love the song.[23]

High Fidelitycritic Todd Everett would contrast "Right Time of the Night" with the bulk of its parent album: in Everett's estimation the Jim Price-produced tracks evinced the penchant of Warnes' earlier albums "toward rock & roll asart song"and were sung by Warnes" as though [with] fists clenched, both arms straight down at her sides, staring at the microphone ", while" Right Time...""boasts a much more powerful vocal treatment (when I first heard it on the radio I thought that it was [iconic 60's vocalist]Darlene Love!) that sounds great, but may not be the kind of thing that Warnes wants to be identified with. "[24]While promotingFamous Blue Raincoat,her career defining 1986 album ofLeonard Cohensongs, Warnes was indeed quoted as saying: "I had an easier time singing [Cohen's] songs than I had singing 'Right Time of the Night'. There's a side to [Cohen's] music that's more complex than what normal pop music will allow;"[25]"My heart and soul and mind are more complex than 'It's the right time of the night for making love' - although I'm grateful for [that] pop hit...I had [more profound] things to say ".[26]

Chart performance

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US charts (1977) Peak International charts (1977) Peak Year-end charts (1977) Rank
US Hot 100 (Billboard) 6 Australian Top Singles (Kent Music Report) 33 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[27] 40
US Easy Listening (Billboard)[28] 1 Canadian Top Singles (RPM) 3 US Hot 100 (Billboard)[29] 34
US Hot Country Singles (Billboard) 17 Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM) 1 US Easy Listening (Billboard)[30] 11
Canadian Country Playlist (RPM) 18

UK release

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"Right Time of the Night" had a 4 March 1977 UK single release, garnering sufficient interest that in May 1977 "Right Time..."ranked onRecord Mirrormagazine's "Starbreaker" chart - the equivalent of theBubbling Under...chart inBillboard- although the single would not advance into the official UK Top 50.[31]"Right Time..."would be reissued in the UK in February 1983: Arista, who had dropped Warnes from its roster in 1982, replaced the originalB-side"Daddy Don't Go" with "I'm Restless"a track from Warnes' 1979 album releaseShot Through the Heart.Warnes' duet withJoe Cocker:"Up Where We Belong"(onIsland Records), was in the UK Top Ten in February 1983 but this apparently failed to afford any prestige to the re-release of "Right Time..."as the track again failed to rank in the official UK chart (despite the official chart by that time having expanded to a Top 100).[32]

Other versions

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"Right Time of the Night" also featured on 1977 album releases byReba McEntire- on herself-titled debut album- andLynn Anderson(I Love What Love Is Doin' to Me). Anderson performed the song on the final episode ofThe Brady Bunch Hour.

Mary Masonrecorded the song inmedleywith theMarmaladehit "Baby Make It Soon"; introduced on Mason'sAngel of the Morningalbum, the track "Right Time of the Night/Baby Make It Soon" was released as a single in the UK in 1978.

John Travolta's recording of "Right Time of the Night" was released as a single in 1975 and was later included on his 1978 compiliation albumTravolta Fever.

Eva Dahlgrenrecorded the song with her self-penned Swedish lyrics as "Finns Det Nån Som Bryr Sig Om" which served as the title cut for Dahlgren's 1978 debut album.

"Right Time of the Night" has also been recorded byTracy Huang,byDominic Kirwan,byDanny Raywith Shirley James, and byAnita Sarawak.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Soft Rock Music Genre Overview".AllMusic.Retrieved2022-09-25.
  2. ^Breihan, Tom (Jun 19, 2020)."The Number Ones: Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes'" Up Where We Belong ".Stereogum.RetrievedJuly 22,2023.And Warnes scored a pop success in 1976, when her single "Right Time Of The Night" peaked at #6.
  3. ^ab"Jennifer Warnes hit came at 'Right Time' for songwriter".The Tennessean (Tennessean ).Retrieved18 June2015.
  4. ^The Bridgeport[Conn.]Post16 June 1977 "McCann Is Making It: It's the 'Right Time'" By Helen A. Jankoski p.66
  5. ^Billboardvol 89 #30 (30 July 1977) p.16
  6. ^abcdef"Clive's Comeback".The New York Times.1977-04-24.
  7. ^BillboardVol 87 #18 (3 May 1975) "Signings" p.30
  8. ^BillboardVol 87 #22 (31 May 1975) "Studio Track" p.31
  9. ^abThe Los Angeles Times 22 May 1977 "Second Flowering of Jennifer Warnes" by Dennis Hunt pp. 82, 90.
  10. ^BillboardVol 88 #31 (31 July 1976) "Studio Track" p. 34.
  11. ^abHyatt, Wesley (1999).The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits(Billboard Publications)
  12. ^"Warnes, Cohen: Raincoat with a Silver Lining".Los Angeles Times.1987-04-12.
  13. ^Jarrett, Michael (2014).Producing Country; the inside story of great recordings(1st US ed.). Middletown CT: Wesleyan University Press. p. 156.ISBN978-0-8195-7463-3.
  14. ^"Classic Tracks: Jennifer Warnes'" Right Time of the Night "".12 January 2017.
  15. ^Newsday10 April 1977 "Arista's Superstar: the rise fall & resurrection of Clive Davis have combined to make him a myth in the record business" by Wayne Robins pages 71-72
  16. ^BillboardVol 88 #34 (21 August 1976) "New LP/ Tape Releases" p. 62.
  17. ^Whitburn, Joel(1996).The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits,9th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  18. ^Cash Box19 March 1977 p. 35
  19. ^BillboardVol 89 #51 (24 December 1977) p.76
  20. ^BillboardVol 89 #51 (24 December 1977) p.64
  21. ^Leszczak, Bob (2016).Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999.Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 24.ISBN9781442271494.
  22. ^Leszczak, Bob (2016).Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999.Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 87.ISBN9781442271494.
  23. ^Warnes, Jennifer(November 13, 2007). "Interview with Jennifer Warnes".Bob Edwards Show(Interview). Interviewed byBob Edwards.XM Radio.
  24. ^High FidelityVol 27 #5 (May 1977) p.128
  25. ^Calgary Herald18 December 1986 "Cohen's Poetic Songs Set Singer Dancing" by James Muretich p.F6
  26. ^The Roseville Press-Tribune"Singer Talks About Her Music" by Joey Berlin 24 January 1988 p.C-5
  27. ^"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.Retrieved2016-10-11.
  28. ^"Adult Contemporary Music Chart".Billboard. 1977-04-16.Retrieved2016-10-11.
  29. ^"Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977".Musicoutfitters.Retrieved2016-10-11.
  30. ^Billboardvol 89 #51 (24 December 1977) p. 76
  31. ^"Record Mirror/ BBC charts".Record Mirror.5 May 1977. p. 2.
  32. ^"Jennifer Warnes Discography - UK".45cat.Retrieved2016-10-11.
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