It's Midnight (song)

"It's Midnight"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Promised Land
A-side"Promised Land"
B-side"It's Midnight"
ReleasedOctober 1974
Recorded1973
Length3:20
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)[1]
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"If You Talk in Your Sleep" / "Help Me"
(1974)
"It's Midnight"
(1974)
"My Boy" / "Thinking About You"
(1975)

"It's Midnight" is a 1974 song by Elvis Presley.

Writing

It was written together by Jerry Chesnut and Billy Edd Wheeler.[2]

Recording

Elvis Presley recorded it during his December 10–16, 1973 recording sessions at Stax Records in Memphis.[3][4] The session produced three more charting songs: "Promised Land", "If You Talk in Your Sleep" and "Help Me" ("If You Talk in Your Sleep"'s B-side).[3]

Release history

The song was first released in October 1974 as a B-side to a cover of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land".[3][5] (While the Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records indicates "Promised Land" as the A-side,[6] different pressings have "It's Midnight" as the A-side and "Promised Land" as a B-side and vice versa.)[7]

For reasons unknown, initial releases of the song in the United Kingdom on the 45 rpm single RCA Victor PB 10074 retitled the track "It's Midnight and I Miss You."[8]

Reception

"Promised Land" rose to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100,[3] while the two sides together (as "It's Midnight / Promised Land") and "It's Midnight" on its own charted on the Hot Country Singles chart.[3] "It's Midnight" peaked on it at number 9 in January 1975.[5][9]

Critical reception

Billboard in its review of the album Promised Land (in the January 18, 1975 issue) picked "It's Midnight" as one of the best cuts on the album.

Charts

Chart (1974–1975) Peak
position
US Billboard Easy Listening[10] 8*
US Billboard Hot Country Singles[5][9] 14* / 9**
* as "It's Midnight / Promised Land"
** as "It's Midnight"

References

  1. Billy Edd Wheeler (2002). Real Country Humor: Jokes from Country Music Personalities. august house. pp. 110–. ISBN 978-0-87483-652-3.
  2. Alanna Nash (1 February 2012). Elvis and the Memphis Mafia. Aurum Press. pp. 272–. ISBN 978-1-84513-759-5.
  3. Rob Bowman (1997). Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. Music Sales Group. pp. 305–. ISBN 978-0-8256-7284-2.
  4. Kevin Crouch; Tanja Crouch (9 April 2012). The Gospel According To Elvis. Music Sales Group. pp. 223–. ISBN 978-0-85712-758-7.
  5. Maury Dean (2003). Rock and Roll. Algora Publishing. pp. 323–. ISBN 978-0-87586-207-1.
  6. Martin Popoff (5 August 2010). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991. Krause Publications. pp. 940–. ISBN 978-1-4402-1621-3.
  7. "Elvis Presley - It's Midnight / Promised Land at Discogs".
  8. "Elvis Presley - Promised Land/It's Midnight and I Miss You at 45cat".
  9. "Elvis Presley - Chart history (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
    "Elvis Presley - Chart history (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  10. "Elvis Presley - Chart history (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
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