To Know Him Is to Love Him
| "To Know Him Is to Love Him" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Teddy Bears | |
| B-side | "Don't Worry My Little Pet" |
| Released | September 1958[1] |
| Recorded | 1958 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Dore |
| Writer(s) | Phil Spector[2] |
"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was To Love Him."[3] It was first recorded by his only vocal group,[2]the Teddy Bears. Their recording went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1958. Recorded as "To Know Her Is to Love Her", the Beatles' version wasn't officially released until their 1994 Live at the BBC compilation album. Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones, Gary Glitter, Peter and Gordon, and Bobby Vinton made versions called "To Know You Is to Love You". In 1987, the song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the U.S. country singles charts. The song is in 12/8 time.
Chart positions
| Chart (1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Preceded by "Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (Teddy Bears version) December 1, 1958 - December 21, 1958 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by David Seville and The Chipmunks |
Jody Miller version
In 1972, Jody Miller took a version to #18 on the Billboard country charts.
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris version
| "To Know Him Is to Love Him" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Trio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | January 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Phil Spector | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | George Massenburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In 1987, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris covered the song, including it on their Trio album, and releasing it as the album's first single. Their version reached number one on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart in May 1987. Its music video was directed by White Copeman.[4]
Chart positions
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Preceded by "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder" by Michael Johnson |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single May 16, 1987 |
Succeeded by "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You" by The O'Kanes |
| Preceded by "Don't Go to Strangers" by T. Graham Brown |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single May 16-May 23, 1987 |
Other versions
| "To Know You Is to Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Vinton | ||||
| from the album Vinton | ||||
| Released | 1969 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Writer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
| Bobby Vinton singles chronology | ||||
|
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| "To Know Him Is to Love Him" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Amy Winehouse | |
| from the album Back to Black (Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc) | |
| Released | 2007 |
| Genre | Soul |
| Length | 2:25 |
| Label | Island |
| Writer(s) | Phil Spector |
John Lennon recorded his own version of the song in 1973 ("To Know Her Is to Love Her"), but it would not see release until the 1986 compilation Menlove Ave. In 2007, Amy Winehouse recorded the song acoustically for a B-side of "You Know I'm No Good". A version by Winehouse also appeared on the 2007 compilation album, The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show. In the same year, the song was recorded as a duet by Jill Johnson and Lisa Miskovsky.[5] On July 10, 2010 the song was performed by David Gilmour and Roger Waters when they played a concert in aid of the Hoping Foundation[6] – their first performance together since Pink Floyd's gig for Live 8 in July 2005 - as a tongue-in-cheek reference to their often-volatile creative relationship.
Steeleye Span played a cover of the song on their 1974 album Now We Are Six which features, as a guest, David Bowie on alto saxophone. The inclusion of a rock 'n' roll standard baffled many listeners who had come to expect Steeleye Span's interpretations of traditional fare; what is generally not known, however, is that the track does represent an aspect of Steeleye Span's live show at that time (1974). They were known for doing a rock and roll encore during this period, influenced by the band Sha Na Na with whom they toured.
In 2011, Kikki Danielsson recorded the song on the album Första dagen på resten av mitt liv [7]
References
- ^ Classic Tracks, Back To Back Singles; Thunder Bay Press, 2008.
- ^ a b "Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4] : UNT Digital Library". Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969-04-27. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ http://crime.about.com/od/famousdiduno/p/philspector.htm
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Emmylou Harris : To Know Him Is To Love Him". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ "Svensk mediedatabas". Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Hoping Foundation". Hoping Foundation. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ "Svensk mediedatabas". Retrieved 18 May 2011.
External links
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