"Wild Night" | ||||
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Single by Van Morrison | ||||
from the album Tupelo Honey | ||||
B-side | "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" | |||
Released | 1 September 1971 [1] | |||
Recorded | Spring 1971 in Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Producer(s) | Van Morrison Ted Templeman | |||
Van Morrison singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Wild Night" on YouTube |
"Wild Night" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the opening track on his fifth studio album Tupelo Honey . It was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [4] In 2022, the song peaked at #1 on the radio airplay chart in Canada. [5]
Morrison has continued to perform it in concerts throughout his career and it has been recorded by many artists and bands. A new version recorded by John Mellencamp and Meshell Ndegeocello in 1994 peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of that year and reached number one in Canada for three weeks.
"Wild Night" was first recorded during a session with Lewis Merenstein as producer at Warners Publishing Studio in New York City in autumn 1968. The version released on Tupelo Honey was recorded in spring 1971 at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco with Ted Templeman as producer. [6]
Tom Maginnis in Allmusic describes it as: "an effusive three and a half minutes of Stax-inspired R&B, buoyed by a sweet guitar lick from Ronnie Montrose of such quality that would make Steve Cropper proud." [7] Cash Box described the song as an "intriguing self penned composition," praising the "electrifying vocal and musical performance" [8] Record World said that Morrison's voice is in "rare form" and that the "rock and roll flavor [is] sure to please many fans." [9] Record World also highlighted the "weepy sax." [9]
Reviewing Tupelo Honey in Uncut magazine, David Cavanagh wrote of "Wild Night": "Recorded live in the studio (as all Morrison's albums are), it sounds intricately layered, highly sophisticated by 2007's standards, like speeded-up Steely Dan meets Allen Toussaint. It's fluid but meticulous; ultra-rehearsed but effortless. It promises a party to come." [10]
"Wild Night" as originally recorded by Morrison was rated at No. 747 on Dave Marsh's 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever. [11]
"Wild Night" has remained a popular tune performed by Morrison at many of his concerts from 1970 to 2009. [12] It featured as one of the closing songs during his appearance as the first day headline act at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September 2006. It was included in the Limited Edition Album, Live at Austin City Limits Festival recorded from the performance. The song was used on the soundtrack of the movie Twenty Four Seven and as such is one of the nineteen movie hits featured on Morrison's 2007 compilation album, Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits . The original as remastered in 2007 is one of the hits included on the compilation album, Still on Top - The Greatest Hits . "Wild Night" was included on the 2003 (10 CD) set Ultimate Seventies Collection by Time-Life. [13]
A live performance is also one of the songs performed on Morrison's 1980 concert disc on the Live at Montreux 1980/1974 DVD released in 2006.
Chart (1971) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium [15] | 41 |
Canada RPM Top Singles | 20 |
Netherlands Dutch Singles Chart [16] | 24 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [17] | 28 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [18] | 24 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 1 September 1971 | Vinyl | [19] | |
United Kingdom | 19 November 1971 | |||
Netherlands | November 1971 | |||
Germany | 1971 | |||
France | ||||
Portugal |
"Wild Night" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Martha Reeves | ||||
from the album Martha Reeves | ||||
B-side | "My Man (You Changed My Tune)" (UK, Italy and Japan) "Stand by Me" (US and Australia) "I've Got To Use My Imagination" (France) | |||
Released | 12 July 1974 [20] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Producer(s) | Richard Perry | |||
Martha Reeves singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"Wild Night" on YouTube |
In 1974, Martha Reeves recorded a version of the song for her self-titled debut solo album, [21] and was released as a single. it reached number seventy-four on the R&B charts [22] and at number 95 in Australia. [23] Reeves' version of the song was featured in the 1991 film Thelma & Louise . [24]
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
US R&B chart [25] | 74 |
Australia ARIA [23] | 95 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 12 July 1974 | Vinyl | [26] | |
United States | August 1974 | |||
Australia | ||||
Italy | 1974 | |||
Japan | ||||
France |
"Wild Night" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by John Mellencamp and Meshell Ndegeocello | ||||
from the album Dance Naked | ||||
B-side | "Brothers" (live) | |||
Released | 10 May 1994 | |||
Genre | Rock [27] | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Van Morrison | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
John Mellencamp singles chronology | ||||
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Meshell Ndegeocello singles chronology | ||||
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Music videos | ||||
American musicians John Mellencamp and Meshell Ndegeocello recorded a version of "Wild Night" and released it as a single in 1994. The song was included on Mellencamp's 1994 album, Dance Naked [28] and an "acoustic" remix was released as a promotional single for radio. This version of the song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1994 and remained in the top 40 for 33 weeks. It also topped the US Adult Contemporary chart for eight weeks,the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart for three weeks,and the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for one week. It sold 500,000 copies in the US. [29] A live version by Mellencamp and Ndegeocello appears on Mellencamp's 1999 album Rough Harvest .
Two music videos were filmed for "Wild Night". The first music video for "Wild Night" features Mellencamp,his backing band,and Ndegeocello performing the song in a hall and basement,and continues throughout the video.
Another video for "Wild Night" was filmed,it begins when a cab driver in Chicago (portrayed by American model Shana Zadrick) turns on the radio,the song comes on,gets dressed for work (matching with the opening lyrics) and drives around her various fares (with passengers such as a filmmaker,driving past a place with a sign that reads "60s-70s Dance Hits",possibly a reference to the original or Reeves's version,Mellencamp's then-drummer Kenny Aronoff,a newlywed couple,a man and his dogs,a surfer,and many more) intercut with scenes from the first video,with a few minor differences.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States | — | 500,000 [29] |
Meshell Ndegeocello is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on some of her mid-career work. Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rock. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, being nominated for eleven Grammy Awards, and winning two. She also has been credited for helping to "spark the neo-soul movement".
Tupelo Honey is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in October 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. Morrison had written all of the songs in Woodstock, New York, before his move to Marin County, California, except for "You're My Woman", which he wrote during the recording sessions. Recording began at the beginning of the second quarter of 1971 at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. Morrison moved to the Columbia Studios in May 1971 to complete the album.
"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison. Written by Morrison and recorded in March 1967 for Bang Records owner and producer Bert Berns, it was released as a single in June of the same year on the Bang label, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart. It featured the Sweet Inspirations singing back-up vocals and is considered to be Van Morrison's signature song.
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Big Ones is a compilation album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 1, 1994 by Geffen Records. Big Ones features 12 hits from the band's three consecutive multi-platinum albums, Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), and Get a Grip (1993), as well as the hit "Deuces Are Wild" from the compilation The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience (1993), and two new songs, "Blind Man" and "Walk on Water", which were recorded during a break in the band's Get a Grip Tour. These songs were also included on the band's 2001 compilation album, Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology. Big Ones is the band's second best-selling compilation album, reaching #6 on the Billboard charts, and selling four million copies in the United States alone. The album quickly became a worldwide hit reaching the Top 10 in nine countries before the end of the year.
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"Gloria" is a rock song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, and originally recorded by Morrison's band Them in 1964. It was released as the B-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go". The song became a garage rock staple and a part of many rock bands' repertoires.
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