Danny's Song
| "Danny's Song" | |
|---|---|
| SongbyLoggins and Messina | |
| from the albumSittin' In | |
| Released | November 1971 |
| Recorded | 1971 |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 4:16 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Kenny Loggins |
| Producer(s) | Jim Messina |
"Danny's Song"is a song written by American singer-songwriterKenny Loggins,as a gift for his brother Danny for the birth of his son, Colin. It first appeared on an album by Gator Creek[1]and a year later on the albumSittin' In,the debut album byLoggins and Messina.The song is well remembered for both the Loggins and Messina original, as well as forAnne Murray's 1972 top-ten-charting cover.
Loggins and Messina version
[edit]In 1971, Loggins andJim MessinareleasedSittin' Inand, although the album yielded noTop 40radio hits, "Danny's Song" received a significant amount of radio airplay. Loggins wrote the song for his brother, Danny Loggins, in 1966 as a senior in high school, when Danny became the father of a boy named Colin – his first son.[2]
"Danny's Song" was included as the B-side of one of their early single releases, "Nobody But You" (U.S. No. 86, 1972). Loggins and Messina would achieve chart success in 1973 with their song "Your Mama Don't Dance",but their version of" Danny's Song "remains one of their best-known songs through the frequent airplay it received on rock and adult contemporary radio stations.[2]
Personnel
[edit]- Kenny Loggins– lead vocals,classical acoustic guitar
- Jim Messina– harmony vocals, acoustic guitar
- Al Garth – violin
- Larry Sims – bass, backing vocals
- Merel Bregante – percussion(?)
- Michael Omartian– piano
- Milt Holland– percussion
Anne Murray version
[edit]| "Danny's Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyAnne Murray | ||||
| from the albumDanny's Song | ||||
| B-side | "Drown Me" | |||
| Released | December 23, 1972 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kenny Loggins | |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Ahern | |||
| Anne Murraysingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Canadian country-pop music singerAnne Murraywas a fan of the original recording and recorded acover versionin 1972. Her version of the song omits two of the lyric verses and is in a different key than the original version by Loggins & Messina. Included on heralbum of the same name,Murray's version of "Danny's Song" was a hit, reaching the Top 10 on three majorBillboardmusic charts in early 1973. On thepop chart,the song reached number seven (returning Murray to that chart's top ten for the first time since 1970's "Snowbird");[3]on thecountry chart,it peaked at number ten;[2]and on theeasy listening chart,it spent two weeks at number one in March of that year.[2]Murray's version also earned her aGrammy Awardnomination in the categoryBest Female Pop Vocal performanceat theGrammy Awards of 1974,losing out to "Killing Me Softly with His Song"byRoberta Flack.Murray stated that she loved the original version, but the song took on a deeper meaning for her after the birth of her first child a few years later. In an interview, she stated that "Whenever I was singing that song, it was very meaningful."[2]
Murray covered the song a second time on her 2007 albumDuets: Friends & Legendsas a duet withMartina McBride.
Chart performance
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (1972–1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadianRPMTop Singles[4] | 1 |
| CanadianRPMCountry Tracks[5] | 1 |
| CanadianRPMAdult Contemporary Tracks[6] | 1 |
| USBillboardHot 100[7] | 7 |
| USHot Country Songs(Billboard)[8] | 10 |
| USBillboardEasy Listening | 1 |
| USCash BoxTop 100[9] | 6 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (1973) | Rank |
|---|---|
| CanadaRPMTop Singles[10] | 14 |
| USBillboardHot 100[11] | 37 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] | 45 |
| USCash Box[13] | 25 |
Other covers
[edit]- The song was covered by punk rock bandMe First and the Gimme Gimmeson their albumHave a Ball.[14]This cover is played over the closing credits of the pilot episode of the TV showRaising Hope.
- The song was covered byTift Merritton the 2010 albumSee You on the Moon.
- The song was covered byTimandNicki Bluhmby their band Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers on their 2008 album,Toby's Song.
- The song was covered by Canadian jazz artistElizabeth Shepherdon her 2010 albumHeavy Falls The Night.
- The song was covered byMatthew MorrisonandJayma Maysduring the fifth season of the television showGlee.[15]
- The song was performed by actressMartha Plimpton(as Virginia Chance) in the pilot episode of the showRaising Hopeas a lullaby to her granddaughter. This touching moment became a theme for the program, which was revisited in season four, in the series finale, when Loggins himself appeared to sing it at Virginia's wedding.
- In 2010,Beccy Colerecorded a version for her album,Preloved.
- The song was performed byThe Swon Brotherstwice onseason 4ofThe Voice(U.S.).[16]Their version charted on theBillboardHot 100 (#66),Canadian Hot 100(#53), andHot Country Songs(#16).[17]
- The Murray version of the song was sampled by producerJohn Frusciante& rap groupBlack Knightson the song "Never Let Go", on their 2014 album, Medieval Chamber.[18]On their2022-23 World Tour,Frusciante would perform a portion of Danny's Song at two sold-outRed Hot Chili Peppersconcerts, inBostonandMelbourne.[19][20]
- The song was covered by Marianne Nowottny and Her All American Band on their 2018 albumStudio Recordings 2008–2018.[21]
References
[edit]- ^"Recording: Danny's Song".Second Hand Songs.RetrievedDecember 5,2012.
- ^abcdeHyatt, Wesley (1999).The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits(Billboard Publications)
- ^Whitburn, Joel(2004).The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits,8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^"RPM Adult Contemporary for March 17, 1973".RPM.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
- ^"RPM Country Tracks for January 27, 1973".RPM.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
- ^"RPM Adult Contemporary for January 20, 1973".RPM.RetrievedOctober 11,2010.
- ^"Anne Murray Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.
- ^"Anne Murray Chart History (Hot Country Songs)".Billboard.
- ^"Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 14, 1973".Archived fromthe originalon March 22, 2016.RetrievedOctober 16,2017.
- ^Canada, Library and Archives (July 8, 2017)."Image: RPM Weekly".Library and Archives Canada.
- ^Musicoutfitters
- ^"Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1973".Billboard.RetrievedJuly 28,2021.
- ^"Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973".Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2014.RetrievedOctober 16,2017.
- ^"Me First and the Gimme Gimmes:: Have A Ball – Records: Fat Wreck Chords".Fatwreck.RetrievedOctober 3,2016.
- ^"Facebook".Glee The Music.RetrievedOctober 3,2016.
- ^"Danny's Song (The Voice Performance) – Single by The Swon Brothers".iTunes Store(CA).Apple Inc.RetrievedOctober 8,2014.
- ^"The Swon Brothers Album & Song Chart History".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.RetrievedOctober 8,2014.
- ^"John Frusciante".John Frusciante. October 3, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon September 16, 2016.RetrievedOctober 3,2016.
- ^"John Frusciante Sing's Danny's Song 2022".Red Hot Chili Peppers.RetrievedSeptember 11,2022.
- ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers Setlist at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne".setlist.fm.RetrievedFebruary 9,2023.
- ^"Marianne Nowottny and Her All American Band:" Studio Recordings 2008–2018 "".CD Baby.2018.RetrievedOctober 30,2018.
