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Red Velvet (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Red Velvet"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Old Golden Throat
A-side"Red Velvet"
B-side"The Wind Changes"
Released1967 (1967)
Genrecountry
LabelColumbia 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

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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

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Track listing

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7" single (Columbia 4-44288,[1] 1967)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Red Velvet"I. Tyson2:43
2."The Wind Changes"J. Cash2:46

References

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  1. ^ a b "Johnny Cash - Red Velvet". Discogs. 1967. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  2. ^ "Early Morning Rain ~ Release by Ian & Sylvia". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ^ John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
  4. ^ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  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.
  6. ^ 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 ...
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Billboard". Billboard. 23 September 1967. pp. 18–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "A Painter Passing Through". Wikipedia. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Play One More - The Songs Of Ian & Sylvia ~ Release by Tom Russell". Musicbrainz. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
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