I Don't Know How to Love Him

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"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
I dont know how to love him by yvonne elliman US single side-A.png
A-side label of the US single
Single by Yvonne Elliman
from the album Jesus Christ Superstar
B-side "Overture: Jesus Christ Superstar"
Released1971
Recorded1970
Studio Olympic, London
Genre Folk
Length3:36
Label Decca, MCA
Composer(s) Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist(s) Tim Rice
Producer(s)
  • Lloyd Webber
  • Rice
Yvonne Elliman singles chronology
"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
(1971)
"Everything's Alright"
(1971)
Audio sample
"I Don't Know How to Love Him"

Other non-theatrical versions

The earliest single version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was that cut by Karen Wyman an artist on the roster of MCA/Decca Records the label of release for the original Jesus Christ Superstar album: Wyman's single, produced by Ken Greengrass and Peter Matz, was released in November 1970 in the US and was also released in 1970 in the UK. Introduced on her May 1971 album release One Together, Wyman's "I Don't Know How to Love Him" had reached #101 in Record World's "The Singles Chart 101–150" during a December 1970 – January 1971 eight-week tenure.

A version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" done in medley with "Everything's Alright", also from Jesus Christ Superstar, was recorded on the Happy Tiger label by a group credited as the Kimberlys; released in January 1971 the same week as the Helen Reddy version, the Kimberleys' track received enough regional attention to reach No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 that March.

Dutch vocalist Bojoura had a 1971 single release of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" with the song relegated to B-side status, the single's A-side being "Everything's Alright".

The appearance of Helen Reddy's version on the Billboard Hot 100 also drew the single release of the version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by Petula Clark which single – produced by Johnny Harris – would be Clark's last released on Warner Brothers.

In the British Isles "I Don't Know How to Love Him" first became a hit in the Republic of Ireland where Tina & Real McCoy took it to No. 1 in December 1971. In January 1972 the version by Petula Clark was released in the UK to chart at No. 47 marking Clark's final appearance on the UK Singles chart except for the 1988 remix of her 1964 hit "Downtown". Clark's "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was to be her final single release on Pye Records. Concurrent with Clark's version, the original Yvonne Elliman track was issued as a single on a double A-side with "Superstar" by Murray Head; this single peaked at UK No. 47. Tony Hatch, who had produced Petula Clark's hit singles of the 1960s, had produced a version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by his then-wife Jackie Trent, which was issued as a single 5 November 1971: Hatch would later produce a rendition of the song by Julie Budd for her 1972 self-titled album. A 1972 version by Sylvie McNeill on a UK 45, United Artists UA UP35415, was released (11 August) timed for the first UK stage musical of Jesus Christ Superstar; she had actually performed it on The Benny Hill Show (original air date: 23 February 1972).

Petula Clark also recorded "I Don't Know How to Love Him" in French as "La Chanson de Marie-Madeleine" which served as the title cut for a 1972 French language album which also featured Clark's version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him". "La Chanson de Marie-Madeleine" became a chart item (#66) for Clark in Quebec in March 1972 despite being bested in France by the Anne-Marie David version from the Paris cast recording which reached No. 29.

In 1972, Cilla Black recorded the song for Day by Day with Cilla – her seventh and final studio album to be produced by George Martin. Black revealed in her 2003 autobiography What's It All About how she had worked so hard to produce the song which she loved but as her record label EMI Records were having industrial action the album was delayed a year. The singer went on to explain "Disappointed though I was, there was at least a crumb of comfort for me when Tim Rice hailed my recording as 'the definitive version'." [31] Also in 2003, Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote for the booklet of Black's compilation album The Best of 1963–78 "Her version of 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' in my opinion stands up alongside her other great songs...". Black's original vocal was remixed for her 2009 club remixes album Cilla All Mixed Up .

Shirley Bassey recorded "I Don't Know How to Love Him" for her 1972 album release And I Love You So with the track having a single release as the B-side of the title track. Johnny Harris, who'd produced Petula Clark's version of "I Don't How to Love Him", was the producer of Bassey's And I Love You So album (Noel Rogers was credited as executive producer) and on that album's "I Don't Know How to Love Him" track Harris acted as arranger/conductor.

References

  1. Sinclair, Tom (8 August 1997). "You Only 'Live' Twice". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  2. Citron, Stephen (2001). Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber: the new musical. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.  114–115. ISBN   0-19-509601-0.
  3. Braun, Michael (1972). Jesus Christ Superstar: The Authorised Version. London: Pan Books Ltd. ISBN   0330235176.
  4. Simpson, Paul (2003). The Rough Guide to Cult Pop. London: The Penguin Group. p.  141. ISBN   978-1843532293.
  5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 17 April 1971. p. 20. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. Yvonne Elliman credits at AllMusic
  7. 1 2 "Sir Tim Rice – Jesus Christ Superstar". Timrice.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  8. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 3 July 1971. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. "Official Charts Company" . Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 ISBN   0-89820-089-X
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  13. "Superstar rises to glory". Adelaidenow.com.au. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  14. "Listen preview of Melanie C new album – Stages". BroadwayWorld . 19 October 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  15. 1 2 "I Don't Know How to Love Him – Single". iTunes. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  16. Melanie C (28 July 2012). "'I Don't Know How to Love Him' download links". MelanieC.net. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  17. Stage Tube (22 July 2012). "First Listen – Superstar' s Melanie C Releases "I Don't Know How to Love Him" Single". Westend.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  18. Melanie C – I Don't Know How to Love Him (single) at Discogs 22 July 2012
  19. "Archive Chart – 29th December 2012". Official Charts Company. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  20. Melanie C – I Don't Know How to Love Him (promotional single) at Discogs 22 July 2012
  21. "Tracks on Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber – Marina Prior (1992) | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  22. Julia McKenzie – The Musicals Album at AllMusic . Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  23. 1 2 Billboard vol#86 No. 31 (3 August 1974). p. 38.
  24. Reddy, Helen (2006). The Woman I Am: a memoir. New York: The Penguin Group. pp.  135–138. ISBN   1-58542-489-7.
  25. Billboard vol#83 No. 16 (17 April 1972) p.29
  26. "Helen Reddy – I Don't Know How to Love Him". Las-solanas.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  27. 1 2 "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  28. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990, ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  29. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  30. "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  31. Black, Cilla (2003). What's It All About. UK: Ebury. p. 223. ISBN   0-09-189035-7.