Let It Be Me (The Everly Brothers song)
"Let It Be Me" is a popular song originally published in French in 1955 as "Je t'appartiens" interpreted by Gilbert Bécaud. It became popular worldwide with an English version by the Everly Brothers and later with the duet by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler.
| "Je t'appartiens" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Gilbert Bécaud | |
| Released | 1955 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Songwriter(s) | Pierre Delanoë (lyrics) Gilbert Bécaud (music) |
| "Let It Be Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Everly Brothers | ||||
| B-side | "Since You Broke My Heart" | |||
| Released | 1960 | |||
| Recorded | December 1959 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | Cadence | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gilbert Bécaud, Manny Curtis, Pierre Delanoë | |||
| Producer(s) | Archie Bleyer | |||
| The Everly Brothers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Let It Be Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler | ||||
| B-side | "Ain't That Loving You Baby" | |||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gilbert Bécaud, Manny Curtis, Pierre Delanoë | |||
| Betty Everett and Jerry Butler singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Je t'appartiens"
"Je t'appartiens" was recorded by Gilbert Bécaud in 1955, with music by Bécaud and lyrics in French by Pierre Delanoë. It became a hit for Bécaud and in 1956 was re-recorded by Les Compagnons de la chanson.
First English version by Jill Corey
The English language version used lyrics by Manny Curtis and was performed in 1957 by Jill Corey in the television series Climax! Corey's version, with orchestration by Jimmy Carroll, was released as a single and was moderately successful.
The Everly Brothers version
The Everly Brothers helped to further popularize the song with their 1959 rendition of "Let It Be Me" which reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] The harmony arrangement of this version was often emulated in subsequent remakes. This was the first Everly Brothers single to be recorded in New York, and not in Nashville. The musicians that backed up the brothers on the record included Howard Collins, Barry Galbraith and Mundell Lowe on guitar, Lloyd Trotman on bass, Jerry Allison on drums and Hank Rowland on piano.
Betty Everett and Jerry Butler version
In 1964, Betty Everett and Jerry Butler released their version of the song. Their version peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Cashbox Soul/R&B charts for three weeks.[2]
Cover versions
- 1960 – Andy Williams recorded the song for his seventh album, Under Paris Skies.
- 1965 – The Shadows recorded the song for their fourth album, The Sound of The Shadows.
- 1965 – Sonny & Cher recorded the song for their debut album, Look at Us.[vague]
- 1965 – Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare included a recording of the song on their duets album Tunes for Two[3]
- 1966 – Australian pop star Johnny Young, with his backing band Kompany, released this song on an EP. It was a top 10 hit record[vague] in Australia.
- 1966 – Nancy Sinatra included it on her album How Does That Grab You?
- 1966 - Manfred Mann on EP Just Like a Woman[4]
- 1967 – The Sweet Inspirations released their version as a single. The song reached Billboard's R&B chart[vague] and also became a minor Hot 100 hit.[5]
- 1968 – Françoise Hardy recorded a version for her album En anglais
- 1969 – Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry had a top forty Hot 100 hit[vague] duet with their version of the song. It also charted on Billboard's country chart.[vague]
- 1969 – Petula Clark included it on her UK album Portrait of Petula.
- 1969 – The 5th Dimension covered it on their hit album The Age of Aquarius. The song featured lead vocals from Billy Davis Jr.[6]
- 1969 – Tom Jones included it on his cover album This is Tom Jones.
- 1970 – Elvis Presley performed a live version on his album On Stage. It later appeared on his compilation album with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016. The album was titled after the Presley hit, The Wonder of You.
- 1970 – Bob Dylan covered the song on his double album Self Portrait.
- 1970 – Roberta Flack made a version for her second album Chapter Two.
- 1972 – Nina Simone released a version on the 1974 album It Is Finished.
- 1973 – Mary McCaslin covered it on her sophomore album Way Out West.
- 1976 – New Trolls released a version on the 1976 album Concerto Grosso n.2.
- 1980 – Kenny Rogers and Dottie West released a version on the 1980 album Sweet Harmony.[citation needed]
- 1982 - Willie Nelson recorded the song for his album Always On My Mind and released it as a single.
- 1994 – Julio Iglesias recorded a version with Art Garfunkel for his album Crazy.
- 2009 – Rod Stewart recorded a version with Jennifer Hudson for his album Soulbook.
- 2012 – George Harrison's old demo cover of the song was included in the compilation album, Early Takes: Volume 1.
- 2014 – Bryan Adams included his version on the Japanese edition of his album Tracks of My Years.
The Everly Brothers
| Chart (1960) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 24 |
| Canada | 8 |
| UK[7] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 7 |
Betty Everett and Jerry Butler
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 5 |
The Sweet Inspirations
Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 36 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 85 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 15 |
Willie Nelson
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] | 2 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] | 11 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 40 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 | 47 |
References
- ^ Trager, Oliver (1997). The American Book of the Dead: The Definitive Grateful Dead Encyclopedia. New York City: Fireside Books. pp. [unknown/unpaginated]. ISBN 978-0-684-81402-5. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 95.
- ^ "Tunes for Two - Bobby Bare | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ "Manfred Mann - Just Like A Woman". Discogs.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Let it Be Me," The 5th Dimension, YouTube, uploaded April 20, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g8X1cXyiRA
- ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. February 1, 1960. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "The Everly Brothers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Betty Everett Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Glen Campbell Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Glen Campbell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Glen Campbell Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.