It's Gonna Take a Miracle
"It's Gonna Take a Miracle" is a popular song written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, and Lou Stallman. It was first an R&B hit in 1965 for The Royalettes, who reached the Top 30 on the U.S. R&B chart[1] and peaked at number 41 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on Cash Box.[2]
"It's Gonna Take a Miracle" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
A-side track label of the U.S. vinyl single | ||||
Single by The Royalettes | ||||
B-side | "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" | |||
Released | July 1965 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Label | MGM Records | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
The Royalettes singles chronology | ||||
|
The song was originally written and intended for Little Anthony & The Imperials, but they never recorded it due to a royalty dispute with the song's writers/label owners Teddy Randazzo and Don Costa at the group's record label, DCP (Don Costa Productions) Records.[3] Imperials member (and Double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee) Sammy Strain recalls:
"We had a lot of hit records (with DCP) but we hadn’t received any royalties,” said Strain. “We protested and said we’re not going into the studio anymore until we get an accounting. We didn’t record for about eight or nine months. In the interim, Teddy Randazzo produced a girl group out of Baltimore called the Royalettes. He gave them a song called 'It’s Gonna Take a Miracle' which was written for Little Anthony & the Imperials. When it first came out, everybody thought it was us. He also produced Derek Martin who had a hit called 'You Better Go.' But we missed a million seller with 'Gonna Take a Miracle' when we went on strike with the record company."[4]
Charts
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] | 41 |
US Billboard R&B[6] | 28 |
US Cash Box Top 100[7] | 37 |
Deniece Williams cover
"It's Gonna Take a Miracle" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Artwork for the Dutch vinyl release | ||||
Single by Deniece Williams | ||||
from the album Niecy | ||||
B-side | "A Part of Love" | |||
Released | March 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 4:09 | |||
Label | ARC/Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Thom Bell | |||
Deniece Williams singles chronology | ||||
|
The most successful version of "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" was the 1982 remake by R&B and gospel singer Deniece Williams. Her version went to number one on the R&B chart for two weeks[8] and reached number ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[9]
Other cover versions
- In 1970, Alton Ellis recorded the song for his album Sunday Coming.
- In 1971, Laura Nyro recorded the song for her album Gonna Take a Miracle, where the background vocals for the album were performed by LaBelle. This Laura Nyro recording featured in "A Home at the End of the World" (2004).
- In 1994, The Manhattan Transfer recorded a version with Bette Midler on lead vocals. This was released in 1995 on Manhattan Transfer's Tonin'.
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 503.
- "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 9, 1965". Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 503.
- "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 9, 1965". Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 625.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1982-07-10. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
- NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, 16 January 1983
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 625.
- "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 26, 1982". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- Musicoutfitters.com