Let Me Down Easy (Bettye LaVette song)
"Let Me Down Easy" is a song that was first recorded in 1965 by American soul singer Bettye LaVette. It was written by Dee Dee Ford (née Wrecia Mae Ford; 1936–1972), who copyrighted in 1965 under her married name, Wrecia Holloway.[1][2][3][a] The original recording by LaVette, released as a single by Calla Records, peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart.
| "Let Me Down Easy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bettye LaVette | ||||
| B-side | "What I Don't Know (Won't Hurt Me)" | |||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Calla | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Wrecia Holloway | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Gardner | |||
| Bettye LaVette singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition and release edit
Dee Dee Ford, a singer who teamed up with Don Gardner on the top-20 single "I Need Your Lovin'" in 1962, wrote "Let Me Down Easy" three years later using her real name Wrecia Holloway.[4] The song, a torch ballad,[5] was performed by Bettye LaVette, arranged by Dale Warren, and produced by Gardner.[4] New York independent label Calla Records released the track as a single and it reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles chart.[6] LaVette performed it on a 1965 episode of Shindig![7] and on the 2012/13 Hootenanny show presented by Jools Holland.[8]
Critical reception edit
A 1965 Billboard review of "Let Me Down Easy" complimented the song's "driving beat" and LaVette's "outstanding wailing vocal performance."[9] In 2006, music journalist Bill Friskics-Warren described it as "a gloriously anguished record aggravated by nagging syncopation, astringent strings, and a stinging blues guitar break".[10] Ladies of Soul author David Freeland wrote that "the record featured her most soulful performance to date–miles away from the youthful impetuosity of 'My Man', recorded just three years earlier. The fade, in which she repeatedly shouted 'Please! Please!' was particularly effective." Freeland added that the song highlighted LaVette's "blistering intensity modulated by moments of deep, heartfelt reflection."[11]Allmusic's Jason Ankeny remarked that the song is "a staple of the Northern soul scene and the countless anthologies it's yielded", and said it is LaVette's "masterpiece, a blisteringly poignant requiem for romance gone bad distinguished by its unique, tangolike rhythm and sweeping string arrangement."[12] Holly Gleason of Relix called it a "seminal" song "which many consider to be one of the great soul sides of all time".[13] In a 2013 Metro Times article, writer Brett Callwood said of the song: "LaVette’s voice soars one minute and purrs the next, each word practically dripping off her tongue. Performed live, the song sounds better today than it ever did".[14]
Other versions edit
LaVette re-recorded "Let Me Down Easy" in 1969 for Karen Records, a small New York independent label. The remade version, which incorporated funk guitars similar to those on early Funkadelic records, was released as a single.[10] The song is a highlight of her live shows, as featured in the album Let Me Down Easy In Concert, recorded in Germany in 1999. It has also been covered by The Spencer Davis Group on The Second Album (1966),[15]Inez and Charlie Foxx on At Memphis & More (1973),[16]Paloma Faith on Fall to Grace (2012).[17] and Paolo Nutini on Caustic Love (2014).[18]
On February 8, 2022, electronic music duo ODESZA released “The Last Goodbye”, an electropop track which samples vocals from “Let Me Down Easy.”[19]
Chart performance edit
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[20] | 103 |
| U.S. Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles (Billboard)[6] | 20 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[21] | 90 |
Selected audio and video edit
- LaVette – video – 51 years after the original recording, performed at Jazzwoche Burghausen; 2016
Bibliography edit
Notes edit
- ^ Wrecia Ford, in March 1955, at Newark, New Jersey, married Calvin Holloway. (Ancestry.com)
Discography edit
References edit
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Music, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. Vol. 19; Part 5, No. 1, January–June 1965 (1967). "Let Me Down Easy". © Dondee Pub Co.; 23 February 1965; EU868371. p. 350.
- ^ "Ford, Dee Dee, 1936-1972". Library of Congress, Authorities. Retrieved December 22, 2020. LCCN no00-65708.
- ^ New Jersey State Archives, Trenton. Marriage Indexes; Index type: Bride; Year range: 1955; Surname range: A–K. "New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901–2016". Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Marriage license data Bride: Wrecia M. Ford (née Ford) Groom: Calvin Holloway Marriage date: March 1955 Marriage place: Newark, Essex, New Jersey Certificate no.: 5998 - ^ a b Hildebrand, Lee (September–October 2006). "Classic Women of Soul". Living Blues. University of Mississippi. 1 (186): 18. ISSN 0024-5232.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ a b "Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 20. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 15, 1965. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Henig, Samantha (November 11, 2010). "Dept. of Amplification: 'Who the Hell Is Bettye LaVette?'". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Jools Holland returns with his Annual Hootenanny". North Wales Daily Post. December 21, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 15. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 10, 1965. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ a b Gaitskill, Mary; Carr, Daphne (2006). Da Capo Best Music Writing 2006: The Year's Finest Writing on Rock, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Pop, Country, & More (Revised ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0306814990.
- ^ Freeland, David (2001). Ladies of Soul. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 84–5. ISBN 978-1578063314.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Bettye LaVette & Carol Fran - 'Bluesoul Belles ' - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ Gleason, Holly (December 2012). "Hunger Games: After a 50-year journey of near-hits, brushes with stardom and countless tales of sex, drugs and soul music, singer Bettye LaVette is finally getting her due". Relix. Relix Media Group. 1 (244): 42. ISSN 0146-3489.
- ^ Callwood, Brett (December 30, 2013). . Metro Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "The Spencer Davis Group - 'The Second Album' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Inez & Charlie Foxx - 'At Memphis & More' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Paloma Faith - 'Fall to Grace' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Paolo Nutini - 'Caustic Love' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ Bain, Katie (2022-02-08). "ODESZA Returns With Their First New Music In Four Years: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "'Billboard' Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 22. May 29, 1965. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles: Week Ending May 15, 1965". Cashbox Magazine, Inc. Retrieved March 25, 2014.