My Love (Petula Clark song)

"My Love" is a 1965 single release by Petula Clark which in early 1966 became an international hit, reaching #1 in the US: the track continued Clark's collaboration with songwriter and record producer Tony Hatch.

In November 1965 Tony Hatch, on a flight from London to Los Angeles, was putting the finishing touches on his composition "The Life and Soul of the Party" which he planned to record with Clark in Los Angeles to serve as her next single. In casual conversation with the American sitting next to him Hatch was advised that this song's title would be meaningless to the American public. Hatch then proceeded to write lyrics for a song whose title - "My Love" - could not conceivably present any comprehension issue: the lyrics were completed during the flight and Hatch completed the music soon after landing in Los Angeles.

"My Love" was recorded at Western Studios^[1] and featured the backing of the Wrecking Crew.^[2] Petula Clark would recall: "We recorded three songs on that session...I liked the two other songs quite a lot, but I really didn't like 'My Love'...I thought it was a bit ordinary. I had got so used to these wonderful songs that Tony had been writing with all these different moods and I thought "My Love" was just a bit flat."^[3] Clark would describe her discouraging Warner Bros a&r man Joe Smith from issuing "My Love" as a single: "he's a very small man physically...about the right height for me. I was able to get hold of his lapels, and I said to him, 'Joe, I don't care which [of the three songs] you put out, but just don't put out "My Love". And he said: 'Trust me, baby.'"^[3]

Smith did in fact okay the single release of "My Love" which would return Clark to the top of the US charts for the first time since her breakthrough success with "Downtown", as "My Love" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 5 February 1966, making her the first British female to have two US #1 hits.^[4] Also a #1 hit in Canada, "My Love" returned Clark to the UK Top Ten for the first time since "Downtown" two years previous with a March 1966 peak of #4. " In the UK the single earned a Silver disc for sales of 200,000 units.

"My Love" also provided Clark with a hit in Australia (#4), Finland (#18), New Zealand (#6), Rhodesia (#1) and South Africa (#6) and reached #13 in both the Netherlands and the Dutch speaking region of Belgium. In Germany "My Love" became a hit first in its original English version (#13) and then again when rendered in German as "Verzeih' die dummen Tränen" (Forgive the foolish tears) (#21). Translated recordings by Clark also made "My Love" a hit in France and Italy, respectively as "Mon amour" (#12) and "L'amore e il vento" (Love is the wind) (#24).

Cover versions

The Norwegian rendering "Det er så lett å leve livet" was recorded in 1966 by Vigdis Mostad, also the Swedish rendering "Det är så lätt att leva livet" by Gitte Haenning and the Finnish rendering "Rakkauteni" by Hannele Laaksonen. "Rakkauteni" was also recorded by Laila Kinnunen whose version appears on the 2002 compilation Kadonneet Helmet.
Mrs. Miller covered the song in 1966, on her debut album with Capitol Records entitled Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits and is on the 1997 compilation CD of her work released on Capitol's Ultra-Lounge label: Wild, Cool & Swingin', The Artist Collection Vol. 3: Mrs. Miller.
John Davidson covered it in 1966 for his album Time of My Life!.
The 1967 album release Pet Project by the Bob Florence Big Band features an instrumental version of "My Love", the album being devoted to songs associated with Petula Clark.
Sonny James (C&W singer) covered "My Love" in 1970. His version reached No. 1 that May on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart, in the midst of his then-record string of 16-straight No. 1 singles in as many releases.^[5] Also in 1970 C&W singer Barbara Fairchild recorded "My Love" for her debut album Someone Special.
Nancy Boyd (nl) remade "My Love" for her 1987 album of classic hit songs Let's Hang On credited to Nancy Boyd & Cappello's.
Florence Henderson (Actress/singer) performed the song as a serenade on the famous 1969 "Tonight Show" segment in which Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky.

References

↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
↑ Hal Blaine, David Goggin (1990). Hal Blaine & the Wrecking Crew (1st US ed.). Mixbooks. p. XVII. ISBN 0-918371-01-5.
1 2 "Petula Clark". Songfacts.com. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
↑ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 192. ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 172.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Preceded by "We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Petula Clark version) February 5, 1966	Succeeded by "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie
Preceded by "The Pool Shark" by Dave Dudley	Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single (Sonny James version) May 16, 1970 - May 31, 1970	Succeeded by "Hello Darlin'" by Conway Twitty

Petula Clark

Discography

Albums	Downtown I Know a Place The International Hits My Love I Couldn't Live Without Your Love Petula Clark's Hit Parade Colour My World These Are My Songs The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener Petula Then & Now: The Very Best of Petula Clark

Singles	"The Little Shoemaker" "Suddenly There's a Valley" "With All My Heart" "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" "Sailor" "Romeo" "Dance On" "Downtown" "Anyone Who Had a Heart" "I Know a Place" "Round Every Corner" "You're the One" "My Love" "A Sign of the Times" "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" "Who Am I" "Colour My World" "This Is My Song" "The Last Waltz" "Don't Sleep in the Subway" "The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)" "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" "Kiss Me Goodbye" "Happy Heart" "I Don't Know How to Love Him" "My Guy" "Wedding Song (There Is Love)" "The Old Fashioned Way" "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"

Sonny James

Notable singles	"Young Love" "Lovesick Blues" "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" "Apache" "The Minute You're Gone" "You're the Only World I Know" "Behind the Tear" "Take Good Care of Her" "Need You" "I'll Never Find Another You" "It's the Little Things" "A World of Our Own" "Heaven Says Hello" "Born to Be with You" "Only the Lonely" "Running Bear" "Since I Met You Baby" "It's Just a Matter of Time" "My Love" "Don't Keep Me Hangin' On" "Endlessly" "Empty Arms" "Bright Lights, Big City" "Here Comes Honey Again" "Only Love Can Break a Heart" "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" "When the Snow Is on the Roses" "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)" "In the Jailhouse Now" "Abilene"

Related articles	Discography Capitol Records

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