Lovely Day (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lovely Day" is a song by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 and R&B singer Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...

. Published in 1977 (see 1977 in music
1977 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....

), the song was written by Withers and Skip Scarborough
Skip Scarborough
Skip Scarborough was a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, best known for romantic ballads.-Biography:Born Clarence Alexander Scarborough in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he lived in Los Angeles most of his life....

 and appears on Withers' 1978 album Menagerie
Menagerie (album)
Menagerie is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Bill Withers, released in 1977 on the Columbia label.-Reception:Menagerie is overall more uptempo and less introspective in feel than Withers' previous albums...

.

Released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 in late 1977, "Lovely Day" peaked at #6 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 and at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart in the US in early 1978. It also made the Top 10 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, where the song reached #7 on the British single chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. Withers' version of "Lovely Day" has been re-released as a single in the United Kingdom at least twice since the song's first chart run; in 1987 the song charted again at #92, while a version credited as the "Sunshine Mix" made the British Top 10 in 1988, rising to #4. This remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 was done by a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 DJ named Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand is a dance music DJ. He has produced artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Salt N Pepa, Sting, TLC, Fun Fun, Tavares, Bill Withers, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Rick Astley, SWV and Phil Collins...

. In 1995, the song was used in adverts for Tetley
Tetley
Tetley, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages , is the world's second largest manufacturer and distributor of tea. Owned by India's Tata Group, Tetley's manufacturing and distribution business is spread across 40 countries and sells over 60 branded tea bags...

 tea in the UK. It was also remixed by Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's MC Mario
MC Mario
Mario Tremblay, better known under his moniker MC Mario, is a French Canadian song producer, disc jockey and radio host from Montreal, Quebec...

 from the original Sun Factory album back in 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....

.

Producer Clarence McDonald also arranged the original 1977 version of the song and played keyboards. Guitars were played by Ray Parker, Jr.
Ray Parker, Jr.
Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...

, Jerry Knight
Jerry Knight
Jerry Knight was an American R&B vocalist and bassist in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Along with Ray Parker Jr., he was a founding member of the group Raydio, singing vocals on their early hit, "Jack and Jill"...

 played bass, and Russell Kunkel
Russ Kunkel
Russell Kunkel , also known as Russ Kunkel, is an American drummer and producer who has worked as a session musician with a number of well-known artists.Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, PA...

 played drums.

Towards the end of the song, Withers holds a note for 18 seconds. This is believed to be the second-longest note in UK chart history, behind Morten Harket
Morten Harket
Morten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...

 of a-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...

's 20-second note in "Summer Moved On
Summer Moved On
"Summer Moved On" is a song by A-ha which became their first single in more than 6 years. The album Minor Earth Major Sky was released in the UK on 22 May 2000, having been released in much of Europe on 27 March. The song was originally hastily written after A-ha agreed to a one-time reunion at the...

". However, it remains the longest note in of any Top 40 hit in the United States.

Covers and samples

"Lovely Day" has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 and sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 numerous times since Withers' original recording. These alternate versions of the song span many different musical genres, including R&B, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

, dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...

, and rap.

One of the more notable versions of this song was performed by The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.
The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.
The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. was an American 1990s R&B and dance music group, assembled by Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C&C Music Factory. The group featured lead vocals by Michelle Visage, who was formerly a member of another Clivilles & Cole group, Seduction...

 featuring Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage is a singer and TV/radio host.-Career:Michelle was discovered in 1989 when she was asked to join Seduction, an R&B and dance vocal trio assembled by Robert Clivilles and David Cole of C&C Music Factory fame...

 and was included on the Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

's soundtrack to the 1992 film The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic-thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s,...

. This mostly rap version was titled "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day", and it reached #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #44 on the Billboard R&B chart, in addition to spending three weeks atop the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 chart in December 1992 and January 1993. This version also reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart.

Other uses of the song include:
  • 1978: American jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire, cover version from his album Sunny Side Up

  • 1979: British jazz fusion
    Jazz fusion
    Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

     group Morrissey-Mullen, cover version from their album Cape Wrath
    Cape Wrath (album)
    Cape Wrath was the second album recorded by British jazz-fusion duo Morrissey - Mullen, although it was the first they recorded in the United Kingdom...


  • 1983: British pop group Central Line
    Central Line (band)
    Central Line were a British pop and jazz-funk group, based in London, England. They recorded three albums for Mercury Records in the 1980s, and had two hit singles in the United States, as well as one Top 40 success in their native country.-Career:...

    , cover version from their album Breaking Point (this version reached #81 on the UK Singles Chart)

  • 1985: Italian singer, Mike Francis
    Mike Francis (musician)
    Michele Francesco Puccioni , better known under his stage name Mike Francis, was an Italian singer and composer, born in Florence. He was best known for his 1982 hit, "Survivor".-History:...

    , cover version from his 1985 album Features.

  • 1992: British entertainer, Des O Connor, cover version from his Portrait album.

  • 1994: American gospel group Out of Eden
    Out of Eden
    Out of Eden was an American Gospel music group often identified with R&B, and contemporary Christian music. It featured sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey...

    , cover version from their album Lovin' the Day
    Lovin' the Day
    Lovin' the Day is the debut album of the Dove Award-winning American urban gospel group Out of Eden, released in 1994. It features sisters Lisa, Andrea, and Danielle Kimmey...


  • 1998: American gospel songwriter Kirk Franklin
    Kirk Franklin
    Kirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...

    , cover version from his album The Nu Nation Project
    The Nu Nation Project
    The Nu Nation Project is the fifth studio album by Kirk Franklin. It is his last CD with The Family and God's Property, the first to feature One Nation Crew, and the only one to feature Nu Nation. The U.S. release on Interscope Records occurred on ....

    (titled "Gonna Be a Lovely Day")

  • 1998: American rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
    DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
    DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vocalist Will Smith met Jeff Townes while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes the team members became local celebrities...

    , sampled original song on their track "Lovely Daze" from their greatest hits album
    Greatest Hits (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince album)
    Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album includes several of the duo's biggest hits, including "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble," "Parents Just Don't Understand," and "Summertime"...


  • 1999: British Jazz-funk band Shakatak
    Shakatak
    Shakatak are an English jazz-funk band, founded in 1980.-Career:Shakatak scored a number of chart entries, including two Top Ten hits in the UK Singles Chart, "Night Birds" and "Down on the Street" plus a further 12 entries in the Guinness book of British Hit Singles...

    , cover version from their album Magic.

  • 1999: American rappers Too Short, Ant Banks
    Ant Banks
    Anthony Banks, known simply as Ant Banks, is a producer and rapper from Oakland, California.-Biography:As a child he took part in a band at school and from there learned to play a variety of instruments along the way. At school he only learned Classical, but at home he taught himself to play Funk...

     and Rappin' 4-Tay
    Rappin' 4-Tay
    Anthony Forté , better known by his stage name Rappin' 4-Tay, is an American rapper from the Fillmore District of San Francisco, California.-Music career:...

    , sampled original song on their track "Playa's Holiday" from Banks' album Derty Werk

  • 2000: Finnish rapper Seremoniamestari
    Seremoniamestari
    Seremoniamestari, or Sere for short, is a Finnish rap artist. He was the first artist to release a Finnish-only rap EP and the first to release a Finnish-only album ....

     covered original song on his track "Ihana päivä" from the album Omin sanoin

  • 2002: British DJ's Brancaccio & Aisher
    Brancaccio & Aisher
    Brancaccio & Aisher are a duo of house music producers Luke Brancaccio and Bruce Aisher.As remixers they have a large catalog of hits. They hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and the UK Dance Chart in 2002 with the track "It's Gonna Be...", it also reached the position #40 in...

    , sampled original song on their track "It's Gonna Be...(A Lovely Day)" (this version reached #40 on the UK Singles Chart as well as hitting #1 on both the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and the UK Official Dance Chart)

  • 2002: American contemporary gospel group Take 6
    Take 6
    Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two...

    , cover version from their album Beautiful World
    Beautiful World (Take 6 album)
    Beautiful World, released in 2002 on Warner Bros. Records, is a Gospel music album by American contemporary Gospel music group Take 6.This album contains cover versions of songs by various artists.-Track listing:...


  • 2003: American R&B singer Luther Vandross
    Luther Vandross
    Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...

     featuring rapper Busta Rhymes
    Busta Rhymes
    Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

    , cover version from Vandross' Grammy Award
    Grammy Award
    A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

    -winning album Dance with My Father
    Dance with My Father
    -Production:*Executive Producer: Luther Vandross*Producers: Luther Vandross, Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, Marcus Miller*Re-mix Producers: Eddie F., Kay Gee, Darren Lighty*Engineers: Ray Bardani, Paul J...


  • 2004: American rappers Twista
    Twista
    Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...

     and Anthony Hamilton
    Anthony Hamilton (musician)
    Anthony Hamilton is an American R&B, and soul singer-songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From , which featured the singles "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene."-Life and career:Hamilton was born in Charlotte,...

    , sampled original song on their track "Sunshine" from Twista's album Kamikaze
    Kamikaze (album)
    Kamikaze is the fourth studio album by Chicago, Illinois, rapper Twista which reached the top of the US Billboard 200 album charts in early 2004 based on the success of the lead single "Slow Jamz". It was released on January 27, 2004. The album has received generally positive reviews from critics...


  • 2006: American pop band Maroon 5
    Maroon 5
    Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...

    , cover version from the soundtrack to the Luke Wilson
    Luke Wilson
    Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...

     film Hoot
    Hoot (film)
    Hoot is a 2006 American family comedy film based on Carl Hiaasen's novel of the same name. It was directed by Wil Shriner and produced by New Line Cinema and Walden Media. Hoot was released on May 5, 2006....

    (this version features backing vocals by Bill Withers)

  • 2006: American jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour
    Lee Ritenour
    Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...

    , with American pop singer Taylor Dayne
    Taylor Dayne
    Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine...

     and South African singer Zamajobe instrumental cover version from his album Smoke & Mirrors

  • 2006: New Age
    New Age
    The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...

    /Contemporary jazz
    Smooth jazz
    Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....

     French keyboardist Philippe Saisse
    Philippe Saisse
    Philippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...

     covered the song with his "Philippe Saisse Acoustique Trio" from the album "Body and Soul Sessions."

  • 2007: American R&B singer Diana Ross
    Diana Ross
    Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

    , cover version from her album I Love You
    I Love You (Diana Ross album)
    I Love You is Diana Ross' latest album, released in the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe on October 2nd 2006. Diana was inspired to release an album of love songs after she had been looking through a family photo album and wanted to base her next project around the greatest factor in her...


  • 2007: American rapper Swizz Beatz
    Swizz Beatz
    Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...

    , sampled original song on his track "Take a Picture" from the album One Man Band Man
    One Man Band Man
    Sample credits*"It's Me Bitches" – Contains a sample of "Hollywood Babylon" by Crazy Town.*"Bust Ya Gunz" – Embodies portions of "Down Bottom" by Drag-On.*"Take a Picture" – Contains a sample of "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers....


  • 2007: American rapper Z-Ro
    Z-Ro
    Joseph Wayne McVey , better known by his stage name Z-Ro, is an American rapper, singer and producer from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by the New York Times.-Early life:...

    , sampled original song on his track "A Lovely Day," which features Lil' Flip
    Lil' Flip
    Wesley Eric Weston, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is a American multi-platinum hiphop artist best known for his singles Sunshine, "Game Over" and Rollin on 20's from the 2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack....

     & Big Shasta. The song was on Z-Ro's album King Of Tha Ghetto: Power

  • 2008: Drummer Russ Kunkel and his group Chateau Beach covered the song from the 2008 album "Rivage."

  • 2008: Urban jazz
    Urban jazz
    Urban jazz is the fusion of smooth jazz and R&B/hip-hop music. Urban jazz usually contains strong R&B percussion and bass lines. A few of the better known urban jazz artists are Boney James, Ronny Jordan, Nick Colionne, Wayman Tisdale, Najee, and Paul Jackson, Jr.Some of the more successful...

     bassist Michael Manson presented his version from the album "Up Front."

  • 2009: American saxophonist Elan Trotman covered the song from his album "This Time Around."

  • 2010: American rapper LL Cool J
    LL Cool J
    James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...

    , sampled original song on his track "LLovely Day."

  • 2010: This song featured in the film 127 Hours
    127 Hours
    127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....

    during the scene where James Franco
    James Franco
    James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...

     (Aron Ralston) on the second day of his horrific ordeal, makes a pulley to release the rock trapping his arm. This song also features in the soundtrack of the movie.

  • 2010: American R&B singer and jazz saxaphonist Walter Beasley
    Walter Beasley
    Walter Beasley is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music, and founder of Affable Publishing and Affable Records.-Biography:Beasley grew up in El Centro, California...

     recorded his own version of Lovely Day on the album Backatcha.

  • 2011: R&B Singer Jill Scott
    Jill Scott
    Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...

     covered this song in one of her last recordings with Hidden Beach Recordings
    Hidden Beach Recordings
    Hidden Beach is an American independent record label specializing in Urban Alternative, R&B, Soul, Inspirational and Contemporary Jazz music genres...

    .

See also


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK