January 1978
January 21, 1978, and amidst a Top 40 Singles chart crowded with major releases from artists such as the BeeGees, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, the Electric Light Orchestra, and Queen, at position 35 and rising is a single from West Virginia-born singer Bill Withers, called 'Lovely Day'.
Withers by that time was a well-known chart presence, thanks to previous hits such as 'Ain't No Sunshine' (1971) and 'Lean on Me' (1972). 'Lovely Day', taken from his 1977 album 'Menagerie', features an amazing vocal performance: Withers sustained one note for 18 seconds, one of the longest ever recorded on a major record release. What makes Withers' performance even more impressive is that this note came after a series of sustained notes beginning around the 2:53 mark.
In the modern era, in which Auto-Tune and other software packages routinely are used to correct the vocals of major recording stars, Withers' performance is all the more impressive.
When I wake up in the morning, love And the sunlight hurts my eyes And something without warning, love Bears heavy on my mind Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day ... lovely day, lovely day, lovely day ... When the day that lies ahead of me Seems impossible to face When someone else instead of me Always seems to know the way Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day..... When the day that lies ahead of me Seems impossible to face When someone else instead of me Always seems to know the way Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day...
.jpg)
