Delta Dawn

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"Delta Dawn"
Template:Infobox song/link by Alex Harvey
from the album Alex Harvey
B-side"Same song"
Released1971
GenreCountry, folk rock
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LabelCapitol
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[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Michael Sunday
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"To Make My Life Beautiful"
(1971) 		"Delta Dawn"
(1971) 		"Old Fashioned Feeling"
(1972)

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"Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey.[a] The first notable recording of the song was in 1972 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album The Divine Miss M. However, it is best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker[1] and a 1973 US number one hit for Helen Reddy.

Titling

The title character is a faded former Southern belle from Brownsville, Tennessee, who, at 41, is obsessed with the long-ago memory of a suitor who jilted her. The lyrics describe how the woman regularly "walks downtown with a suitcase in her hand/looking for a mysterious dark-haired man" who she says will be taking her to "his mansion in the sky".

Writing

Alex Harvey said he wrote the song about his mother:

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My mother had come from the Mississippi Delta and she always lived her life as if she had a suitcase in her hand but nowhere to put it down.

Ten years before Harvey wrote the song, he was performing on TV and told his mother not to come, lest she get drunk and embarrass him. That night she died in a car crash, and Harvey believed it was suicide caused by his rejection.[2]

For years Harvey suffered from guilt over the incident, until a cathartic incident the night he wrote the song. He was at fellow songwriter Larry Collins' house, who was asleep while Harvey noodled around on his guitar. He believed his mother then came to him in a vision:

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I looked up and I felt as if my mother was in the room. I saw her very clearly. She was in a rocking chair and she was laughing...I really believe that my mother didn't come into the room that night to scare me, but to tell me, 'It's okay,' and that she had made her choices in life and it had nothing to do with me. I always felt like that song was a gift to my mother and an apology to her. It was also a way to say 'thank you' to my mother for all she did.[3]

After writing the first few lines of the song, Harvey woke Collins and they finished it together.

Cover versions

The first recording of "Delta Dawn" was made by Harvey for his album Alex Harvey released in November 1971. Harvey had performed as the opening act for Helen Reddy at the Troubadour in January 1972, but at that time Reddy (who also was signed with the Capitol Records label) made no connection with any of Harvey's compositions.[4]

Bette Midler version

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"Delta Dawn"
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US release of the Bette Midler recording
Template:Infobox song/link by Bette Midler
from the album The Divine Miss M
A-side"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
ReleasedMay 1973
StudioAtlantic Recording Studios, New York, New York
GenrePop rock
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LabelAtlantic
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During the time Tanya Tucker’s and Helen Reddy’s recordings of the song were being produced, Bette Midler recorded "Delta Dawn" for her The Divine Miss M debut album, for which her bluesy version was planned as the lead single. Reddy's single was released June 1973, two days after Midler's. The preemption required a marketing change for Midler, so the original B-side "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was shopped to radio, itself becoming a top ten hit.

The song was also included on Midler's 1977 live album Live at Last which was recorded at the Cleveland Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio.

File:Bette Midler 1973 (cropped).JPG
Bette Midler, 1973

Tanya Tucker version

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"Delta Dawn"
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One of side-A labels of the US single
Template:Infobox song/link by Tanya Tucker
from the album Delta Dawn
B-side"I Love the Way He Loves Me"
ReleasedApril 10, 1972
RecordedMarch 17, 1972
StudioColumbia Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreCountry
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LabelColumbia
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[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Billy Sherrill
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"Delta Dawn"
(1972) 		"Love's the Answer/The Jamestown Ferry"
(1972)

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Before Bette Midler's recording, Nashville-based producer Billy Sherrill heard her sing "Delta Dawn" on The Tonight Show and wanted to sign Midler to Epic Records and have her record it. Upon finding that Midler already signed with Atlantic Records, Sherrill cut the song with Tanya Tucker, who was newly signed to Epic,[5] at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Tucker's version was released in April 1972; it reached number six Country that spring.[6]

While Harvey's original version started with the first verse, Sherrill suggested starting with the chorus instead, done a cappella – a term unknown to 13-year-old Tucker.[3] This distinction became a signature of her version.

Template:SinglechartTemplate:Singlechart
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Country Tracks[7] 3
File:Tanya Tucker.png
Tanya Tucker, 1973

Helen Reddy version

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"Delta Dawn"
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One of US reissues
Template:Infobox song/link by Helen Reddy
from the album Long Hard Climb
B-side"If We Could Still Be Friends"
ReleasedJune 1973[8]
Recorded1972
GenrePop[9]
LengthScript error: No such module "hms".
LabelCapitol
[[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Larry Collins, Alex Harvey
[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Tom Catalano
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"Peaceful"
(1973) 		"Delta Dawn"
(1973) 		"Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)"
(1973)

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Record producer Tom Catalano created an instrumental track of "Delta Dawn." Catalano first offered the vocal track to Barbra Streisand, but she refused; after this he gave the vocal to Reddy.[10]

Reddy's version, which added upward modulation to Tucker's cold intro and nonstop vocals throughout, entered the top ten on 18 August 1973, on its way to its lone week at number one on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart, on 15 September 1973. It remained in the top 10 for eight weeks,[11] and was ranked as the No. 14 song for 1973 according to Billboard. "Delta Dawn" was also the first of Reddy's six consecutive—and eight overall—number one hits on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.[12] The song also topped the Cash Box chart on 8 September 1973, remaining at number one for two weeks.[13]

Reddy had reached number two with both "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and I Am Woman in her native Australia; "Delta Dawn" became her first number one hit there, spending five weeks at the top of the Kent Music Report in August and September 1973.[14] "Delta Dawn" also marked Reddy's only chart appearance in South Africa, reaching number 13 in the autumn of 1973.[15]

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Weekly charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] 1
Canada RPM Top Singles[16] 1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[17] 1
New Zealand (Listener)[18] 1
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 1
US Billboard Easy Listening[20] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[21] 1
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Year-end charts
Chart (1973) Rank
Australia[22] 6
Canada RPM Top Singles[23] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 14
US Billboard Easy Listening[25] 1
US Cash Box[26] 3

Certifications

Certifications for the Helen Reddy version
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 50,000 
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] Gold 0 
United States (RIAA)[29] Gold 1,000,000 

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Sylvie Vartan version (French)

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"Toi le garçon"
Template:Infobox song/link by Sylvie Vartan
LanguageFrench
English titleYou're the boy
B-side"L'amour au diapason"
ReleasedOctober 1973
GenrePop
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LabelRCA
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"L’homme que tu seras"
(1973) 		"Toi le garçon"
(1973) 		"Bye Bye Leroy Brown"
(1973)

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In 1973, the song was adapted into French by Michel Mallory as "Toi le garçon" (meaning "You're the boy"). It was recorded by French pop singer Sylvie Vartan and released as a non-album single in October 1973.[30] Vartan's version peaked at Number 22 on the French Belgian charts on March 9, 1974.[31]

Chart (1974) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[32] 22

Other versions

Nola Francis released a version of the song in 1973. It peaked at number 98 in Australia.[33]

American country group Home Free released the a capella version of "Delta Dawn" together with country singer and songwriter Brooke Eden in 2023.[34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Harvey more often went by the name Alexander Harvey in later years, to avoid being confused with Glaswegian rocker Alex Harvey.

See also

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 357.
  2. ^ Chicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music: The Inspirational Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Country Songs by Jack Canfield — Template:ISBN
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Delta Dawn by Helen Reddy". Songfacts.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."(unknown)". Billboard. Vol. 84, no. 2. January 8, 1972. p. 12.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kosser, Michael (2006). How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: A History Of Music Row. Lanham, Maryland, US: Backbeat Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-49306-512-7.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tucker, Tanya (1997). Nickel Dreams: My life (Large print ed.). Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. p. 132. ISBN 0-7862-1182-2.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."RPM Country Singles - Volume 17, No. 23". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Discography". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 31. August 3, 1974. p. 52. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Breihan, Tom (April 19, 2019). "The Number Ones: Helen Reddy's "Delta Dawn"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tucker, Tanya (1997). Nickel Dreams: my life (Large print ed.). Waterville, Maine: Thorndike Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-7862-1182-2.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."All US Top 40 Singles For 1973". Billboard.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 126. ISBN 0-8230-7693-8.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cash Box Top Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Australian Weekly Single Ccharts (David Kent) for 1973". Hitsofalldecades.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts R". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. March 30, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 29, 1973. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  18. ^ {https://charts.nz/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=44536&pages=2
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Helen Reddy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Helen Reddy Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 15, 1973". Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Canada, Library and Archives (December 26, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Billboard Year-End Charts 1973" (PDF). Americanradiohistory.com.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Cash Box. March 23, 1974. p. 51. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Gold from Down Under" (PDF). Cash Box. November 22, 1975. p. unknown. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."45 Tours 70 – Site officiel de Sylvie Vartan" (in français). Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sylvie Vartan - Toi le garçon - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sylvie Vartan - Toi le garçon - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 117. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Thompson, Gayle (April 21, 2023). "Home Free Releases 'Delta Dawn' With Brooke Eden [WATCH] -". Retrieved January 8, 2026.

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