The Letter (Box Tops song) - Wikipedia

"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson that was first recorded by the American rock band the Box Tops in 1967. The song was the group's first and ... TheLetter(BoxTopssong) FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch 1967BoxTopssongwrittenbyWayneCarson "TheLetter"UKsinglepicturesleeveSinglebytheBoxTopsB-side"HappyTimes"ReleasedJuly 1967 (1967-07)StudioAmericanSound,Memphis,TennesseeGenrePoprock,blue-eyedsoulLength1:58LabelMalaSongwriter(s)WayneCarsonProducer(s)DanPennTheBoxTopssingleschronology "TheLetter"(1967) "NeonRainbow"(1967) Audiosamplefilehelp "TheLetter"isasongwrittenbyWayneCarsonthatwasfirstrecordedbytheAmericanrockbandtheBoxTopsin1967.Thesongwasthegroup'sfirstandbiggestrecordcharthit,reachingnumberoneintheUnitedStatesandCanada.Itwasalsoaninternationalsuccessandreachedthetopteninseveralothercountries. TheBoxTopsleadvocalistAlexChiltonsang"TheLetter"inagruffblue-eyedsoulstyle.ThesonglaunchedChilton'scareerandinspirednumerouscoverversions.EnglishrockandsoulsingerJoeCocker's1970renditionbecamehisfirsttoptensingleintheU.S.;severalotherartistshaverecordedversionsofthesongwhichalsoreachedtherecordcharts. RollingStonemagazineincludedtheBoxTopsoriginalatnumber372onitslistofthe"500GreatestSongsofAllTime";[1]theRockandRollHallofFameaddedittothelistofthe"500SongsThatShapedRockandRoll".[2]In2011,thesinglewasinductedintotheGrammyHallofFame.[3] Contents 1Compositionandrecording 2Chartperformance 3JoeCockerrenditions 3.1Chartperformance 4Otherchartingrenditions 5References Compositionandrecording[edit] WayneCarsonwrote"TheLetter",builtonanopeninglinesuggestedbyhisfather:"Givemeaticketforanaeroplane".[4]CarsonincludedthesongonademotapehegavetoChipsMoman,ownerofAmericanSoundStudioinMemphis,Tennessee.WhenstudioassociateDanPennwaslookingforanopportunitytoproducemoresongs,Momansuggestedalocalgroup,theDeVilles,whohadanewleadsinger,sixteenyear-oldAlexChilton.[4]TheotherfourmembersofthegroupthatplayedonthesessionwereDannySmytheondrums,RichardMaloneonelectricguitar,JohnEvansonelectricpiano,andRussCaccamisionbass.[5]PenngavethegroupCarson'sdemotapeforsomesongstoworkup.[4]Withlittleornorehearsal,thegrouparrivedatAmericanSoundtorecord"TheLetter".[5]Chiltonrecalled: Wesetupandstartedrunningthetunedown ...[Dan]adjustedafewthingsontheorgansound,toldthedrummernottodoanythingatallexceptthebasicrhythmthatwascalledfor.Norolls,nonothin'.Thebassplayerwasplayingprettyhotstuff,sohedidn'tmesswithwhatthebassplayerwasdoing.[5] Pennadded:"Theguitarplayerhadthelickright—wecopiedWayne'sdemo.ThenIaskedthekeyboardplayertoplayan'I'maBeliever'typeofthing".[5]Chiltonsangthevocallivewhilethegroupwasperforming;[5]Pennnoted:"Icoachedhim[Chilton]alittle ...toldhimtosay'aer-o-plane,'toldhimtogetalittlegruff,andIdidn'thavetosayanythingelsetohim,hewashookin'em,anaturalsinger."[6]Helaterexplained,"[Chilton]pickeditupexactlyasIhadinmind,maybeevenbetter.Ihadn'tevenpaidanyattentiontohowgoodhesangbecauseIwasbusytryingtoputthebandtogether ...Ihadabunchofgreenhornswho'dnevercutarecord,includingme".[7] Aboutthirtytakeswererequiredforthebasictrack.ThenPennhadMikeLeechprepareastringandhornarrangementforthesongtogiveitafullersound.[4]Leechrecalled:"Myveryfirststringarrangementwas'TheLetter',andtheonlyreasonIdidthatwasbecauseIknewhowtowritemusicnotation ...NobodyelseinthegroupdidorI'msuresomeoneelsewouldhavegottenthecall."[4]Pennalsooverdubbedthesoundofanairplanetakingofftothetrackfromaspecialeffectsrecordthathadbeencheckedoutfromthelocallibrary.[5]Heexplained: Thatwasabigpartoftherecord ...WhenIfinisheditup,IplayeditforChips[Moman],andhesaid,"That'saprettygoodlittlerock&rollrecord,butyou'vegottotakethatairplaneoffit."Isaid,"Iftherecord'sgoingout,it'sgoingoutwiththeairplaneonit".Hesaid,"Okay,it'syourrecord."[5] TheDeVilleswererenamedtheBoxTopsand"TheLetter",atonly1minute,58seconds,wasreleasedbyMalaRecords,asubsidiaryofBellRecords. Chartperformance[edit] "TheLetter"reachednumberoneontheHot100singleschartpublishedbyBillboardmagazineonSeptember23,1967.[8]ItremainedatthetoppositionforfourweeksandBillboardrankedtherecordasthenumbertwosongfor1967.[9]Thesinglesoldmorethanonemillioncopies[10]andtheRIAAcertifieditasgold.[11] 1967singlescharts Chart Peak AustraliaGo-Set[12] 4 CanadaRPMTopSingles[13] 1 Ireland(IRMA)[14] 11 Netherlands(SingleTop100)[15] 3 UKSinglesChart[16] 5 USBillboardHot100[10] 1 USCashBoxTop100[17] 1 1967year-endcharts Chart Rank AustraliaGo-Set[18] 37 Canada[19] 1 Netherlands(DutchTop40)[20] 44 USBillboardHot100[21] 2 USCashBox[22] 1 1958–2018charts Chart Rank USBillboardHot100[23] 434 JoeCockerrenditions[edit] "TheLetter"GermansinglepicturesleeveSinglebyJoeCockerB-side"SpaceCaptain"ReleasedApril 1970 (1970-04)RecordedMarch17,1970StudioA&Msoundstage,Hollywood,CaliforniaGenreRockLength4:10LabelA&MSongwriter(s)WayneCarsonProducer(s)DennyCordell,LeonRussellJoeCockersingleschronology "SheCameinThroughtheBathroomWindow"(1970) "TheLetter"(1970) "CryMeaRiver"(1970) Audiosamplefilehelp EnglishsingerJoeCockerrecorded"TheLetter"duringtherehearsalsforhisupcomingMadDogsandEnglishmentouronMarch17,1970.[24]LeonRussellandtheShelterPeopleprovidedthebackup;RussellandDennyCordellproducedtherecording.[24]A&MRecordsreleaseditasasingle,with"SpaceCaptain"astheB-side.ItappearedinBillboard'sHot100inApril1970andeventuallyreachednumberseven.[25]"TheLetter"becameCocker'sfirsttoptensingleintheUS.IntheUK,thesinglereachednumber39.[26] Cockerperformedthesong(and"SpaceCaptain")duringhis1970performanceattheFillmoreEastauditoriuminNewYorkCity.[24]RecordingsofbothsongsareincludedontheliveMadDogs&Englishmenalbum,whichwasreleasedinAugust1970andwasabestseller.[27]Theconcertwasalsofilmedinitsentiretyandreleasedintheaters.In2003,itwasreleasedonDVD.[27] Chartperformance[edit] 1970singlescharts Chart Peak AustraliaGo-Set[28] 27 CanadaRPMTopSingles[29] 7 UKSinglesChart[26] 39 USBillboardHot100[30] 7 USCashBoxTop100[31] 5 1970year-endcharts Chart Rank Canada[32] 91 Otherchartingrenditions[edit] In1979,arenditionbycountrysingerSammiSmithreachedNo.27ontheBillboardHotCountrySingleschart.[33]AyearlaterintheUK,AmiiStewart'sversionreachedNo.39ontheUKSinglesChart.[34] References[edit] ^ "The500GreatestSongsofAllTime".RollingStone.No. 963.December9,2004.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonJuly6,2017.RetrievedJune8,2017. ^ "500SongsThatShapedRockandRoll".RockandRollHallofFame.1995.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonMay2,2007.RetrievedJune8,2017. ^"GrammyHallofFameAwards–PastRecipients".Grammy.org.2011.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonJune26,2015.RetrievedJune8,2017. ^abcde Jones,Roben(2010).MemphisBoys:TheStoryofAmericanStudios.UniversityPressofMississippi.pp. 78–81.ISBN 9781604734010. ^abcdefg George-Warren,Holly(2014).AManCalledDestruction:TheLifeandMusicofAlexChilton.Penguin.eBook.ISBN 978-0-670-02563-3. ^ McKeen,William(2000).RockandRollIsHeretoStay:AnAnthology(1st ed.).NewYorkCity:W.W.Norton.pp. 495–496.ISBN 0-393-04700-8. ^ McNutt,Randy(2002).GuitarTowns:AJourneytotheCrossroadsofRock'n'Roll(1stUS ed.).Bloomington,Indiana:IndianaUniversityPress.pp. 104–105.ISBN 0-253-34058-6. ^ "Hot100".Billboard.Vol. 79,no. 38.September23,1967.p. 24.ISSN 0006-2510. ^ "TopRecordsof1967".Billboard.Vol. 79,no. 52.December30,1967.p. 42.ISSN 0006-2510. ^ab Whitburn,Joel(1997).JoelWhitburn'sTopPopSingles.MenomoneeFalls,Wisconsin:RecordResearch.p. 64.ISBN 0-89820-122-5. ^ "Gold&PlatinumSearch–TheBoxTops".RIAA.RetrievedJune8,2017. ^"Go-SetNationalTop40".Poparchives.com.au.December13,1967.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonMarch6,2017.RetrievedJune10,2017. ^"ItemDisplay-RPM-LibraryandArchivesCanada".ArchivedfromtheoriginalonApril3,2017.RetrievedApril4,2017. ^"TheIrishCharts–SearchResults–TheLetter".IrishSinglesChart.RetrievedJuly11,2017. ^"TheBoxTops–TheLetter"(inDutch).SingleTop100. ^"BoxTops–Singles".OfficialCharts.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonJuly13,2017.RetrievedJune8,2017. ^ Hoffmann,Frank(1983).TheCashBoxSinglesCharts,1950–1981.Metuchen,NewJersey:ScarecrowPress.p. 58. ^"Go-SetNationalTop40for1967".Poparchives.com.au.December1967.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonMarch6,2017.RetrievedJune10,2017. ^"Canadachart".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.Archivedfromtheoriginalon12August2016.Retrieved25January2018. ^"Top100-Jaaroverzichtvan1967".DutchTop40.RetrievedSeptember21,2020. ^"TopRecordsof1967(BasedonBillboardCharts)"(PDF).Billboard.December30,1967.p. 42.RetrievedMarch3,2018. ^"CashBoxYEPopSingles-1967".Tropicalglen.com.Archivedfromtheoriginalon30September2018.Retrieved25January2018. ^"BillboardHot10060thAnniversaryInteractiveChart".Billboard.RetrievedDecember10,2018. ^abc MadDogs&Englishmen(DVDnotes).JoeCocker.SantaMonica,California:A&MRecords.2005.p. 7.B0005532-09.{{citeAVmedianotes}}:CS1maint:othersinciteAVmedia(notes)(link) ^JoelWhitburn'sTopPopSingles1955-1990,ISBN 0-89820-089-X ^ab"JoeCocker–Singles".OfficialCharts.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonJuly5,2017.RetrievedJune15,2017. ^abEder,Bruce."JoeCocker:MadDogs&Englishmen[2003Video/DVD]".AllMusic.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonMarch1,2016.RetrievedJune15,2017. ^"Go-SetNationalTop60".Poparchives.com.au.August15,1970.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonMarch16,2017.RetrievedJune10,2017. ^"ItemDisplay-RPM-LibraryandArchivesCanada,July4,1970".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.17July2013.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonDecember3,2017.Retrieved2017-06-04. ^JoelWhitburn'sTopPopSingles1955-1990-ISBN 0-89820-089-X ^"CashBoxTop1006/20/70".Tropicalglen.com.Archivedfromtheoriginalon8June2015.Retrieved25January2018. ^"RPM'sTop100of1970".RPM.September1,1971.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonAugust28,2017.RetrievedJune7,2017–viabac-lac.gc.ca. ^Whitburn,Joel(2008).HotCountrySongs1944to2008.RecordResearch.p. 390.ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2. ^"AmiiStewart–Singles".OfficialCharts.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonAugust27,2019.RetrievedDecember3,2021. vteTheBoxTops RickLevy GaryTalley BillCunningham RonKrasinski BarryWalsh RickAllen ThomasBoggs AlexChilton HaroldCloud JohnEvans BobbyGuidotti GeneHouston RickPipkin JoeSavage SwainSchaefer DannySmythe LarrySpillman Studioalbums TheLetter/NeonRainbow CryLikeaBaby Non-Stop Dimensions TearOff! Songs "TheLetter" "NeonRainbow" "CryLikeaBaby" "IShallBeReleased" "SoulDeep" Relatedarticles BigStar BellRecords vteJoeCockerStudioalbums WithaLittleHelpfromMyFriends JoeCocker! JoeCocker ICanStandaLittleRain JamaicaSayYouWill Stingray LuxuryYouCanAfford SheffieldSteel CivilizedMan Cocker UnchainMyHeart OneNightofSin NightCalls HaveaLittleFaith Organic AcrossfromMidnight NoOrdinaryWorld RespectYourself Heart&Soul HymnforMySoul HardKnocks FireItUp Livealbums MadDogs&Englishmen LiveinL.A. SpaceCaptain LiveinNewYork JoeCockerLive OnAir StandingHere-LiveinColorado MadDogs&Englishmen:TheCompleteFillmoreEastConcerts LiveatWoodstock FireItUp:Live(2013) Songs "TheLetter" "WomantoWoman" "CrazyinLove" Compilations CockerHappy JoeCocker'sGreatestHits TheBestofJoeCocker(1983) JoeCockerClassicsVolume4 TheLegend TheBestofJoeCocker(1992) TheLongVoyageHome GreatestHits TheAnthology GreatestLoveSongs TheUltimateCollection1968-2003 UltimateCollection Gold Icon Relatedarticles Discography TheWonderYears(TVseries) Category vteHaleyReinhart Discography Videography Songs Studioalbums ListenUp!(2012) Better(2016) What'sThatSound?(2017) EPs AmericanIdolSeason10Highlights:HaleyReinhart(2011) Singles "Baby,It'sColdOutside" "Free" "Can'tHelpFallinginLove" "Better" "BabyIt'sYou" "ForWhatIt'sWorth" "SomethingStrange" "PieceofMyHeart* Concerttours AmericanIdolsLive!Tour2011 Authoritycontrol MusicBrainzreleasegroup MusicBrainzwork Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Letter_(Box_Tops_song)&oldid=1068642756" Categories:Songsaboutletters(message)1967debutsingles1970singlesBillboardHot100number-onesinglesCashboxnumber-onesinglesRPMTopSinglesnumber-onesinglesNumber-onesinglesinNorwaySongswrittenbyWayneCarsonSongrecordingsproducedbyDennyCordellTheBoxTopssongsJoeCockersongsTheMindbenderssongsA&MRecordssingles1967songsHiddencategories:CS1maint:othersinciteAVmedia(notes)ArticleswithshortdescriptionShortdescriptionisdifferentfromWikidataArticleswithhAudiomicroformatsSinglechartusagesforIreland2SinglechartcalledwithoutartistSinglechartusagesforDutch100ArticleswithMusicBrainzreleasegroupidentifiersArticleswithMusicBrainzworkidentifiers Navigationmenu Personaltools NotloggedinTalkContributionsCreateaccountLogin Namespaces ArticleTalk English expanded collapsed Views ReadEditViewhistory More expanded collapsed Search Navigation MainpageContentsCurrenteventsRandomarticleAboutWikipediaContactusDonate Contribute HelpLearntoeditCommunityportalRecentchangesUploadfile Tools WhatlinkshereRelatedchangesUploadfileSpecialpagesPermanentlinkPageinformationCitethispageWikidataitem Print/export DownloadasPDFPrintableversion Languages العربيةČeštinaDanskDeutschEspañolFrançaisItalianoNederlandsSvenska Editlinks