1970s, Rock

It’s a Heartache

October 1, 2018

First released by Juice Newton (MEX #3 1977 |US #86 1978).
Other hit versions by Bonnie Tyler (US #3/UK #4/CAN #1/AUS #1 1978), Dave & Sugar (C&W #32 1981), Trick Pony (C&W #22 2005).
Also recorded by Rod Stewart (2006).

From the wiki: “‘It’s a Heartache’ was written by Ronnie Scott & Steve Wolfe. Scott was working with Wolfe as a songwriting and producing team when they spotted Bonnie Tyler in ‘The Townsman Club’ in Swansea, Wales in 1976, and they became Tyler’s managers, songwriters, and producers, writing and producing eight out of the ten songs on Tyler’s first album, The World Starts Tonight (1977). The album included Tyler’s first two UK Top-30 hits, ‘Lost in France’ and ‘More Than a Lover’.

“Tyler’s second album, Natural Force (released in the US as It’s a Heartache in 1978) included five Scott/Wolfe songs including the track ‘It’s a Heartache’ which reached #4 in the UK, and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song had already been recorded and first released by Juice Newton almost a year earlier, in 1977.

Hurt (Juice Newton)

April 30, 2018

First recorded by Roy Hamilton (R&B #8 1954).
Other hit versions by Timi Yuro (US #4/MOR #2/R&B #22 1961), Little Anthony & the Imperials (US #55 1966), Fausto Leali (as “A Chi” ITA #1 1967), Connie Cato (C&W #14 1975), The Manhattans (US #97/R&B #10/UK #4 1976), Elvis Presley (US #28/MOR #7/C&W #6/UK #37 1976), Juice Newton (C&W #1 1985).
Also recorded by Carly Simon (1981).

From the wiki: “‘Hurt’ was written by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs, and was first recorded by Roy Hamilton (‘Unchained Melody‘, ‘Don’t Let Go‘), whose version peaked at #8 on the R&B Best Seller chart and spent a total of seven weeks on the chart.

“The song is considered to be the signature hit of Timi Yuro, whose version peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. But,

The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)

July 24, 2014

First recorded and released (as a B-side) by Juice Newton (1975).
Hit versions by Dottsy (C&W #86 1976), Juice Newton (re-recording US #7/C&W #1 1982).

From the wiki: “‘The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)’ was originally recorded and released in 1975 on Juice Newton’s debut album, Juice Newton and Silver Spur. The 1975 version was not, however, issued as a single, although it was the B-side of two other Newton singles. In the meantime, Dottsy (Dottsy Brodt Dwyer) recorded her version ‘The Sweetest Thing’ in 1976 and took it to #86 on the Country music charts, and used it as the title track to her album The Sweetest Thing. Newton re-recorded the song on her 1981 album, the career-launching Juice.

Angel of the Morning

November 11, 2013

First recorded by Evie Sands (1967).
Also recorded by Danny Michaels (1967), Billie Davis (UK 1967), Joya Landis (1968).
Hit versions by Merilee Rush (US #7/UK #55/CAN #1/AUS #1 1968), P.P. Arnold (UK #29 1968), Mary Mason (UK #27 1977), Guys ‘n Dolls (NETH #11 1977), Juice Newton (US #4/C&W #22/CAN #1 1981).

From the wiki: “‘Angel of the Morning’ was written by Chip Taylor (‘Wild Thing‘, ‘I Can’t Let Go‘), and was first offered to singer-actress Connie Francis (‘Who’s Sorry Now’ [1957], ‘Where the Boys Are’ [1961]). Francis turned it down because she thought that it was too risqué(!) for her career.

“Taylor then produced a recording with Evie Sands (‘I Can’t Let Go‘) but the financial straits of Cameo-Parkway Records, who had Sands on their roster, reportedly prevented either that version’s release or its distribution. Other early recordings of the song were made in 1967 by Southern California country music fixture Danny Michaels (produced by Lee Hazlewood for his LHI label) and, in the UK, by vocalist Billie Davis.

“‘Angel of the Morning’ finally became a hit in the spring and summer of 1968 with the recording by Merrilee Rush produced that January at American Sound Studios in Memphis with Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill producing. It charted into the Top 10 in the US, also becoming an international hit. Her recording would earn Rush a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance (Female) in 1969.

Queen of Hearts

January 13, 2013

First recorded by Dave Edmunds (UK #11 1979).
Also recorded by Rodney Crowell (1980).
Other hit version by Juice Newton (US #2/C&W #14/CAN #8/AUS #8/NZ #7/DEN #6/SA #2 1981).

‘Queen of Hearts’ is the country-pop ballad crafted by Hank DeVito, the renowned pedal steel guitarist within Emmylou Harris’ backing ensemble, The Hot Band. This song made its initial appearance through Dave Edmunds, who featured it on his 1979 album Repeat When Necessary. When released as a single, it quickly ascended to #11 on the UK charts in that same year.

In 1980, ‘Queen of Hearts’ then found a notable home on Rodney Crowell’s album, But What Will the Neighbors Think. This version was particularly significant as the composer himself, DeVito, contributed his guitar skills to the recording. However, the song reached its zenith of recognition when the talented country-rock songstress Juice Newton included it on her 1981 album Juice.

Newton reminisced about the song’s journey, saying, ‘I performed [‘Queen of Hearts’] live for about a year…Then I presented it to [producer] Richard Landis when we began working on the Juice album. At that point, he wasn’t entirely convinced it would become a breakout hit, but I told him I thought it was an incredibly cool song… so we decided to record it.’

Juice Newton’s rendition of the track catapulted her to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to international stardom, achieving Top-10 status in countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Switzerland. It also garnered respectable success in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. Newton’s earnest interpretation of ‘Queen of Hearts’ earned her a Grammy nomination in 1982 in the ‘Best Female Vocalist, Country and Western’ category, solidifying her place in the country music spotlight.

Rodney Crowell, “Queen of Hearts” (1980):

Juice Newton, “Queen of Hearts” (1981):

Tagged: Juice Newton