Red Velvet (song)
| "Red Velvet" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Cash | |
| from the album Old Golden Throat | |
| A-side | "Red Velvet" |
| B-side | "The Wind Changes" |
| Released | 1967 |
| Genre | country |
| Label | Columbia 4-44288 |
| Songwriter(s) | Ian Tyson |
| Producer(s) | Don Law and Frank Jones[1] |
| Audio | |
| "Red Velvet" on YouTube | |
"Red Velvet" is a song written by Ian Tyson. While the Johnny Cash version is the best known, it was first recorded by Ian & Sylvia Tyson in 1965 on their album Early Morning Rain.[2]
Recorded by Cash at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee,[3] the song was released in September 1967 as a single[4][5] (Columbia 4-44288, with "The Wind Changes" on the opposite side).[6][7][8] It was later included on his album Old Golden Throat (1968).
Billboard magazine gave the song a "Country Spotlight" review, stating: "Folkster Ian Tyson's plaintive ballad serves as potent material for Cash as he performs it in his compelling and winning style. Another big Cash hit."[9] Actually, it did not chart at all.[6] "The Wind Changes" made it to 60 on the Billboard country chart, then dropped off completely after only six weeks.[10][5]
Analysis
[edit]During the sessions for From Sea to Shining Sea Cash recorded "Red Velvet." [...] It's a truly inspired piece of writing from Tyson, and a song Cash was immediately drawn to. Cash once remarked that he usually had good ears for picking a hit song, and he thought this song would be a huge hit for him. Ultimately it wasn't, but it should have been. It's a beautiful, descriptive westernthemed story with poetic lyrics. It tells about a girl who comes down on a day coach to be with her boyfriend, told very well and nicely sung.
— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash[7]
Other Versions
[edit]- Gordon Lightfoot included it on a 1998 album, A Painter Passing Through.[11][circular reference]
- Tom Russell includes the song in his tribute album to Ian & Sylvia, Play One More - The Songs of Ian & Sylvia, 2017.[12]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Red Velvet" | I. Tyson | 2:43 |
| 2. | "The Wind Changes" | J. Cash | 2:46 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Johnny Cash - Red Velvet". Discogs. 1967. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- ^ "Early Morning Rain ~ Release by Ian & Sylvia". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
- ^ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
- ^ a b Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
September
"The Wind Changes"/"Red Velvet" (Columbia 4-44288) released. Following the recent chart successes this single is a relative failure, reaching only #60 during a six-week chart spell. - ^ a b C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 138–. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat Books. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-1-61713-608-5.Curiously, just prior to the album's release, Columbia issued another single featuring two songs—"Red Velvet" and "The Wind Changes"—that were not duets, with the latter stalling at #60 on the Country chart before quickly dropping off. Released in the fall of 1967, Carryin' On brought together Johnny and June's two ...
- ^ a b John M. Alexander (16 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 150–. ISBN 978-1-61075-628-0.
- ^ "Billboard". Billboard. 23 May 1970. pp. 1–. ISSN 0006-2510.
Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975. Krause Publications. 2000. ISBN 978-0-87341-934-5.
Tim Neely (1 August 2002). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-471-7.
Tim Neely (31 August 2006). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 9780896893078.
John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.John L. Smith (1 January 1985). The Johnny Cash Discography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-24654-8. - ^ "Billboard". Billboard. 23 September 1967. pp. 18–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
"The Wind Changes Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-11. - ^ "A Painter Passing Through". Wikipedia. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "Play One More - The Songs Of Ian & Sylvia ~ Release by Tom Russell". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
External links
[edit]- "Red Velvet" on the Johnny Cash official website
