Jack Daniels was having problems in his relationship. He partnered with Bonnie Thompson and this song was the result. Daniels had written another of Tyrone Davis' his "Can I Change my Mind" in 1968.
As for singer Tyrone Davis, he was born Tyrone Fettson. Like many, many performers, he was born in Mississippi, but wound up in Chicago. He would wind up as chauffer for blues great Freddie King and also sang in clubs where he was discovered. His first records released as Tyrone the Wonder Boy did not do well, but he hit it big with his next label and changed his name to Davis at the suggestion of producer Carl Davis (very creative of him).
Tyrone would release 25 singles and 32 albums in his career, but no song for him was as successful as "Turn Back the Hands of Time." The song would sit two weeks at number one on the R & B charts and hit number three on the pop charts as well. The record would go gold the same year.
The song grabs you right away with the opening riff of base, which turns out to be the hook, along with the backing vocals saying "If I could turn back the hands of Time."
Oh darling I'm so lonely without you
Can't sleep at night always think about you
But if I had the chance to start all over
I would be wishing today on a four leaf clover
And leaving you with the last thing on my mind
If I could turn back the hands of time
Tyrone would have a successful career doing live performances. He had a stroke in 2004 and passed away in 2005 at the age of 66.
"Moondance" was the big hit on the identically titled album by Van Morrison in 1970. Looking back on that album, Moondance got all the airplay and one would think that "Glad Tidings" was an afterthought as it was the tenth and last cut on the album.
According to Van, he received a letter while he was in New York from a friend in London. The friend had written glad tidings on the back of the envelope and that gave him the idea for the song.
We read a number of old reviews and they were dead on in that it sounds like something coming right out of an old R & B studio. Vans vocals are sincere, smooth and soulful. The horn arrangements are classic and don't step on the vocals at all.
The song was featured throughout the final episode of The Soprano's fifth season and went so far as to let us her van sing "We send you glad tidings from New York" as Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) is blown away by Tony Soprano (John Gandolfini) wielding a shotgun. The show gave this song another life.
And they'll lay you down low in the easy
And the lips that you kiss will say Christmas.
And the miles that you traveled the distance
So believe no lies, dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la...
And the businessmen will shake hands and talk in numbers
And the princess will wake up from her slumber
Then all the knights will step forth with their arm bands
And ev'ry stranger you meet in the street will make demands
So believe no lies, then dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la...
[Bridge:]
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll talk to you while you're in trances
And you'll visualize not taking any chances
But meet them halfway with love, peace and persuasion
And expect them to rise for the occasion
Don't it gratify when you see it materialize
Right in front of your eyes
That surprise
And they'll lay you down low and easy
As for Morrison, there is not enough room on this blog to do his work justice.
George Ivan Morrison was born in Northern Ireland in 1945. He played several instruments and sang with traditional Irish show bands before becoming lead vocalist for Them, an R & B band from the area. They were most identified by the song "Gloria"
Van would strike out on his own in 1967 as the smash "Brown Eyed Girl" was coming out. He has been recording and performing ever since. He has 30 + albums to his credit, six Grammys, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has numerous foreign awards as well and got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Aretha Franklin is one of the most recognizable singers in history. Born in Memphis, both of her parents were gospel singers but her mother abandoned the family and later died while Aretha was very young. Her dad would become a famous pastor in Detroit and Aretha sang in church and recorded gospel at 14. Smokey Robinson knew the family. and introduced her to Berry Gordy Jr. at Motown. The result? Eighteen Grammy's, Seventeen top ten (Hot 100) hits and Twenty no. 1 hits on the R & B charts. Aretha was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegün and Betty Nelson and first recorded by soul singer Ben E. King in 1962. It would reach as high as #2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and #11 on the pop chart. The songwriter Ahmet Ertegun may ring a bell with you as he was the founder of Atlantic Records and established the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Aretha Franklin (The Queen of Soul) covered the song for her twenty-first album, Spirit in the Dark, released on Atlantic Records. Her version, performed with the Dixie Flyers, was released as a single in 1970. Franklin's version was certified gold with sales of over a million copies. In the United Kingdom it reached #13. This was the first of two covers Franklin did of songs made popular by King. The other was her cover of "Spanish Harlem" in 1971.
"Don't play that song for me
'Cause it brings back memories
Of days that I once knew
The days that I spent with you
Oh no, don't let him play it
It fills my heart with pain
Please stop it right away
I remember just-a what he said"
This song is powerful and you can feel Aretha's anguish throughout the song. This really comes through towards the end of the song. The horns give it a rousing lift and by the time she starts shouting "You lied!", you want to find whoever did this to her and slap them. Of all her songs, this is the one you hear the least, despite it being one of her best...
Other acts who have recorded or performed the song include Adriano Celentano (in 1977) and Mariah Carey. It was also performed to great acclaim on American Idol by Kelly Clarkson---the eventual winner---in the first season. More recently Sam Moore duetted the song with Bekka Bramlett on his 2006 album Overnight Sensational.
Here is Aretha showing her piano chops in performing the song live on the Cliff Richards Show. Note that she is crossing her legs and beating time with her left leg as she plays the pedals with her right...
An additional note: Staff at Monahan's Song of the Week believe some of her finest performances are on her completely overlooked album "Aretha Sings the Blues". You can find it on Amazon for $5.99. Buy it! We give it a 5M rating!
