Never Ending Song of Love

For the New Seekers album, see Never Ending Song of Love (album).

"Never Ending Song of Love"
Single by Delaney & Bonnie
B-side	"Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)"
Released	May 1971 (U.S.)
Label	Atco
Songwriter(s)	Delaney Bramlett
Producer(s)	Delaney Bramlett
Delaney & Bonnie singles chronology
"Free the People" (1970) "Never Ending Song of Love" (1971) "Only You Know and I Know" (1971)

"Never Ending Song of Love" is a song written by Delaney Bramlett, and, according to some sources, by his wife Bonnie Bramlett. ^[1] It was originally recorded with their band, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, in 1971 on the album Motel Shot . Released as a single by Atco Records the same year, "Never Ending Song of Love" became Delaney & Bonnie's greatest hit on the pop charts, reaching a peak of No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 ^[2] and No. 8 on Easy Listening. ^[3] It reached No. 16 in Australia.

A cover version by the New Seekers was a major hit in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1971. It spent a few weeks at No. 2 in the UK charts and in South Africa, ^[4] and reached No. 1 in the Irish charts. It was featured on their album of the same name.

As of 2008, "Never Ending Song of Love", had been covered by over 100 artists. ^[5]

Chart history

Weekly charts Delaney & Bonnie Chart (1971) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 16 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [7] 16 Canada RPM Top Singles [8] 6 New Zealand ( Listener ) [9] 1 US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 13 US Billboard Adult Contemporary [3] 8 US Cash Box Top 100 [11] 9

Year-end charts Delaney & Bonnie Chart (1971) Rank Australia 93 Canada [12] 81 US Billboard Hot 100 [13] 67 US Cash Box [14] 66

New Seekers

Chart (1971) Peak position Australia[ citation needed ] 25 Ireland (IRMA) [15] 1 South Africa (Springbok) [16] 2 UK Singles (OCC) [17] 2

Chart (1971) Rank Australia 168 South Africa [18] 18 UK 7

Other cover versions

On the country music charts, at least three versions have charted:

• Dickey Lee recorded a version at the same time as Delaney & Bonnie's original, which reached No. 8 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts. ^[19]
• Eleven years later, in 1982, the Osmond Brothers' version reached No. 43 on the country charts. ^[20]
• Crystal Gayle's last U.S. chart hit was a cover of the song, which reached No. 72 on the country chart in 1990. ^[21]
• A French-language cover of the song (as "Un amour qui ne veut pas mourir") was also recorded by Canadian singer Renée Martel in 1972 as one of the first songs she recorded after transitioning from pop to country music. ^{[22] [ better source needed ]} This song was on the charts for 19 weeks in Quebec, including 2 weeks in first position.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Tejano star Ram Herrera also recorded a cover version on Bob Gallarza's 1993 album Forever.^{[ citation needed ]}
• George Jones and Tammy Wynette recorded a version of the song for their 1973 album We're Gonna Hold On .

References

1. Weber, Bruce (2008-12-30). "Delaney Bramlett, Singer-Songwriter and Slide Guitarist, Dies at 69". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2017-09-08.
2. Leszczak, Bob (2014-12-11). Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000 (in Arabic). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 93. ISBN   9781442240087.
3. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 69.
4. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 5 September 2018.
5. "Delaney Bramlett; songwriter who wrote 'Let It Rain'". Los Angeles Times. 2008-12-28. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-09-08.
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 85. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-08-14. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
8. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1971-08-28. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
9. Flavour of New Zealand, 18 October 1971
10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 21, 1971
12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
13. Musicoutfitters.com
14. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never-Ending Song of Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
16. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 5 September 2018.
17. "The New Seekers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
18. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1971" . Retrieved 14 January 2019.
19. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 198.
20. "The Osmonds > Hot Country Songs". Billboard.
21. Whitburn, Joel, Joel Whitburn’s Top Country Songs {1944 to 2005}, Billboard, Record Research Inc., Monomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 2005 p. 143
22. Renée Martel - Un amour qui ne veut pas mourir at YouTube