"Light of a Clear Blue Morning" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
from the album New Harvest...First Gathering | ||||
B-side | "There" | |||
Released | March 21, 1977 | |||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 4:53 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
|
"Light of a Clear Blue Morning" is a song written and recorded by American entertainer Dolly Parton. The song first appeared on her 1977 New Harvest...First Gathering album, and provided a top twenty country music hit for her as a single. As Parton has told interviewers over the years, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" was her "song of deliverance," coming out of the pain from her break with longtime musical and business partner Porter Wagoner. [1] Parton left Wagoner's band in 1974, to aim her career in a more mainstream pop direction; Wagoner responded by taking legal action, and the next couple of years were reportedly painful for both performers[ citation needed ]. According to the unauthorized 1978 biography, Dolly, by Alanna Nash, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" was written as Parton felt the figurative clouds lifting, as the fruits of her sacrifices of the previous few years were becoming apparent.
Parton has recorded "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" three times. It was released as a single in March 1977 from the album New Harvest...First Gathering. The song just missed the top ten on the U.S. country charts, peaking at number 11. Parton rerecorded the song to include in her 1992 film Straight Talk ; for this recording, she changed the lyrics of verse two. A third recording of the song appeared on an album of patriotic and religious songs Parton released in 2003 titled, For God and Country .
Mark Deming of Allmusic declared that, "'Light of a Clear Blue Morning', is a sophisticated piece of adult contemporary songcraft". [2]
On a list of top 50 Dolly Parton songs, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" at number 4, calling it symbolic of a "new-era Dolly — luminous, independent, and on the verge of superstardom." [3]
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [4] | 11 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] | 87 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 4 |
Glen Campbell covered the song on his 1991 album Unconditional Love .
American professional choir, Conspirare, covered it in 2009 live and for their album "A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert." The group's director, Craig Hella Johnson, created the arrangement for a cappella choir with Tin whistle. The arrangement has been published and has since been performed by many choirs around the world. The arrangement omits verse 2.
The Wailin' Jennys covered the song on their 2017 album Fifteen .
Miley Cyrus covered the song on the May 8, 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live as a Mother's Day tribute. Cyrus honored her godmother, Parton, during the tribute along with her own and the cast member's mothers.
Morgan James covered the song in the May 14, 2021 airing of a PBS Special called We Are Family: Songs of Hope and Unity.
Waxahatchee included the song in an extended version of her 2020 album Saint Cloud , released to celebrate the album's one year anniversary with three cover songs added to the original tracklist [6] .
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily for her decades-long career in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly, which led to success during the remainder of the 1960s, before her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Some of Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.
Jolene is the thirteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 4, 1974, by RCA Victor. The title track, "Jolene", tells the tale of a housewife confronting a beautiful seductress who she believes is having an affair with her husband. It became Parton's second solo number-one country single; it also was a moderate pop hit for her, and also did well in the United Kingdom. Since the introduction of downloads to the Official Chart in 2005, it has amassed 255,300 downloads and 6.68 million streams. It has been covered by numerous performers.
Dolly is an American variety show starring Dolly Parton broadcast in first-run syndication from September 13, 1976, to March 7, 1977.
Coat of Many Colors is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 4, 1971, by RCA Victor. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1972 CMA Awards. It also appeared on Time magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time and at No. 257 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Parton has cited the title track on numerous occasions as her personal favorite of all the songs she has written.
New Harvest...First Gathering is the eighteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 14, 1977, by RCA Victor. It is significant for being Parton's first self-produced album, as well as her first effort aimed specifically at the pop charts.
All I Can Do is the seventeenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 16, 1976, by RCA Victor. The album was co-produced by Parton and Porter Wagoner and would be the last of Parton's solo albums to have any involvement from Wagoner. It was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards. The album spawned three singles: "Hey, Lucky Lady", "All I Can Do", and "Shattered Image".
Best of Dolly Parton was a 1975 compilation album of Dolly Parton's early 1970s work that has long been regarded by critics as the definitive representation of Parton's most influential period. The album reached # 5 on the U.S. country albums chart, and contained the title tracks to the previous six Parton albums, as well as the tracks "I Will Always Love You" and "Travelin' Man".
Porter & Dolly is the thirteenth and final collaborative studio album by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. It was released on August 4, 1980, by RCA Victor. The album is made up of previously unreleased material recorded during Wagoner and Parton's duet years (1967–76), with new studio overdubs. It was released as part of a settlement from legal action Wagoner took against Parton following her departure from his band and syndicated television series. Two singles were released from the album. "Making Plans" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and "If You Go, I'll Follow You" peaked at number 12.
Just Because I'm a Woman is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on April 15, 1968, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's title track was the only single released and it peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The Fairest of Them All is the fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 2, 1970, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It was the first of Parton's albums on which she wrote the majority of the songs. The Fairest of Them All peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's only single, "Daddy Come and Get Me", peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Straight Talk is the soundtrack to the 1992 film of the same name starring Dolly Parton and James Woods. Composed of ten original Parton compositions, the album reached #22 on the US country albums charts. Two singles were released: the title track and "Light of a Clear Blue Morning". The music video for "Straight Talk" was directed by Dominic Orlando at the SIR Stage in Hollywood, CA. The video's guest musicians included Russ Kunkel, C. J. Vanston, Kenny Gradney, Steve Farris, and Greg Ladanyi.
Little Sparrow is the thirty-eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and "Shine" won Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The album is dedicated to Parton's father, Lee Parton, who died in November 2000.
For God and Country is the fortieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 11, 2003, by Welk Music Group and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton with Kent Wells and Tony Smith. It is considered Parton's musical attempt to deal with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Included are covers of famous patriotic songs and new Parton originals. The album is perhaps best remembered for its cover photo, depicting Parton posing as though appearing in a vintage USO poster.
"Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on May 22, 1973, then released on October 15, 1973 by RCA Victor as the first single and title track from her album of the same name.
"Hard Candy Christmas" is a song written by composer-lyricist Carol Hall for the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
"After the Gold Rush" is a song written and performed by Neil Young and is the title song from his 1970 album of the same name. In addition to After the Gold Rush, it also appears on the compilation albums Decade, and Greatest Hits, and on Live Rust.
"Coat of Many Colors" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Dolly Parton. It was released in September 1971 as the second single and title track from the album Coat of Many Colors.
Those Were the Days is the forty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 11, 2005, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. The album is a collection of covers of 1960s and 1970s folk and pop songs performed in a bluegrass style, some featuring the artists who originally recorded them. Parton supported the album with The Vintage Tour from August through December 2005.
"Travelin' Prayer" is a song written and performed by singer Billy Joel, and released as the third US single from his 1973 album Piano Man as its opening track. The song is "urgent" and "banjo-fueled". It reached number No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 34 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1974. It was a slightly bigger hit in Canada, where it reached No. 61.