No Regrets (Tom Rush song)

Last updated
"No Regrets"
Tom Rush - No Regrets.jpg
Single by Tom Rush
from the album The Circle Game
B-side "Shadow Dream Song"
ReleasedJanuary 19, 1968 (1968-01-19)
Genre Folk rock
Length3:50
Label Elektra
Songwriter(s) Tom Rush
Producer(s) Arthur Gorson
Tom Rush singles chronology
"On the Road Again"
(1967)
"No Regrets"
(1968)
"Something in the Way She Moves"
(1968)
"No Regrets"
Single by Tom Rush
from the album Ladies Love Outlaws
ReleasedJanuary 1975 (1975-01)
Genre Folk rock, country rock
Length5:40
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Tom Rush
Producer(s) Mark Spector
Tom Rush singles chronology
"Ladies Love Outlaws"
(1974)
"No Regrets"
(1975)

"No Regrets" is a song by folk and blues singer/songwriter Tom Rush. It is the final song on his 1968 album The Circle Game and was released as a single in the UK in January 1968 and in the US in April. It peaked at number 57 on the UK BMRB Breakers, an official extension of the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Contents

His 1968 composition has become an acknowledged standard, with numerous cover versions having been recorded, most notably by The Walker Brothers. In addition to his 1968 sparse acoustic recording of the song, Rush later recorded a more lush, orchestrated pop version for Columbia Records featuring Carly Simon on background vocals and a screaming electric guitar solo for his 1974 album Ladies Love Outlaws .

The Walker Brothers version

"No Regrets"
No regrets single sleeve.jpeg
Single by The Walker Brothers
from the album No Regrets
B-side "Remember Me"
ReleasedNovember 14, 1975 (1975-11-14) [2]
Recorded1975
Studio
Genre
Length5:47
Label GTO
Songwriter(s) Tom Rush
Producer(s)
The Walker Brothers singles chronology
"Love Her (reissue)"
(1971)
"No Regrets"
(1975)
"Lines"
(1976)

The Walker Brothers recorded and released "No Regrets" as their comeback single in 1975, their first since 1967's "Walking in the Rain" and eleventh overall.

The song was also used as the title of its parent album. The single was slightly different as it features a John Walker harmony vocal not present on the album version which in turn includes female backing singers absent from the single. [3]

"No Regrets" was a major hit spending twelve weeks on the UK Singles Chart and peaking at #7 in February 1976 [4] giving Rush belated Top Ten exposure as a songwriter in the UK. The single would prove to be the group's final taste of commercial success while together, as the parent album and subsequent Walker Brothers releases failed to find a wide audience. The B-side "Remember Me" was written by John Walker under the pseudonym A. Dayam.

Track listing

GTO – GT 42
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."No Regrets" Rush 5:47
2."Remember Me" A. Dayam 3:51

Chart positions

Chart (1975–76)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] 28
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6] 10
Ireland (IRMA) [7] 5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8] 9
UK Singles (OCC) [9] 7

Midge Ure version

"No Regrets"
Midge Ure No Regrets 12-inch.jpg
12" single cover
Single by Midge Ure
B-side "Mood Music"
ReleasedMay 28, 1982 (1982-05-28)
Recorded1982
Studio Mayfair Studios (London)
Genre Synth-pop
Length4:00
Label Chrysalis
Songwriter(s) Tom Rush
Producer(s) Midge Ure
Midge Ure singles chronology
"No Regrets"
(1982)
"After a Fashion"
(1983)

In May 1982, Scottish musician Midge Ure released a cover of the song as his debut solo single. "No Regrets" was also produced by Ure, who was "tired of doing it for others, so I decided to do it for myself" and was co-produced and engineered by John Hudson. [10]

Background

In 1976, Ure went on Top of the Pops as part of Slik with "Forever and Ever". At the same time, the Walker Brothers were also on with their version of "No Regrets". Ure said that "it just stuck in the back of my head" and after doing a favour for a studio engineer (presumably John Hudson), Ure was offered some studio time. So, he decided to record "No Regrets" based on what he remembered of the Walker Brothers' version. Ure also said that "it was dabbling with fire, I should not have gone anywhere near it". [11] After the release of the single, Ure also thought about doing a solo album, but never found the time and it was not until 1985 that he released his album The Gift . [12]

Reception

Reviewing for Record Mirror , Simon Tebbutt described the song as "a brilliant mixture of the big emotional American ballad … with the kind of clean cut and almost cold European precision we've come to associate with Mr Ure." [13]

Track listing

Chrysalis – CHS 2618 / CHS 12 2618
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."No Regrets" Rush 4:00
2."Mood Music"Ure3:30

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1982)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [15] 53
Ireland (IRMA) [7] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [16] 35
UK Singles (OCC) [17] 9

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References

  1. "Britain's Top 50". Record Retailer . 17 February 1968.
  2. "45cat - The Walker Brothers - No Regrets / Remember Me - GTO - UK - GT 42". 45cat. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  3. Williams, Lewis (2006). Scott Walker – The Rhymes of Goodbye (1st ed.). London: Plexus. p. 151. ISBN   0-85965-395-1.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 589/590. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 331. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. "The Walker Brothers – No Regrets" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – No Regrets". Irish Singles Chart.
  8. 1 2 "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Walker Brothers" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  9. "Walker Brothers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  10. "Newsbeat". Record Mirror : 4. 29 May 1982. Retrieved 21 April 2021 via flickr.com.
  11. Twambley, Andrew (7 April 2021). "Midge Ure - Interview". www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  12. "Midge Ure". Sound on Sound . December 1985. Retrieved 21 April 2021 via www.muzines.co.uk.
  13. "Singles". Record Mirror : 19. 5 June 1982. Retrieved 21 April 2021 via flickr.com.
  14. Midge Ure – No Regrets (1982, Blue Injection Moulded Labels, Vinyl), June 1982, retrieved 2021-04-21
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 318. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  16. "Midge Ure – No Regrets". Top 40 Singles.
  17. "Midge Ure: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.