Little Town (song)
| "Little Town" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Cliff Richard | |
| from the album Now You See Me, Now You Don't | |
| B-side |
|
| Released | 15 November 1982 (1982年11月15日)[1] |
| Recorded |
|
| Studio | |
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Length | 4:08 |
| Label | EMI |
| Composer(s) | Chris Eaton |
| Lyricist(s) | Phillips Brooks |
| Producer(s) | Cliff Richard, Craig Pruess |
| Cliff Richard singles chronology | |
"Little Town" is a new arrangement of the traditional Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by English singer-songwriter Chris Eaton. Eaton adapted the lyrics (with some rearrangement of parts of verses) to a new melody he composed in a contemporary Christmas music style. It was first recorded by English singer Cliff Richard and released as a single in the UK for the 1982 Christmas season, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]
In the US, the better known version is the rendition by renowned CCM artist Amy Grant, who included it on her 1983 album A Christmas Album .[4]
Cliff Richard original
[edit ]"Little Town" was released in November 1982 as the third single from Richard's 1982 studio album Now You See Me, Now You Don't . It peaked at number 11 for two weeks on the UK Singles Chart over the Christmas week and the following week.[3] The recording featured singer and vocal arranger Tony Rivers and countertenor Nigel Perrin.
Personnel
[edit ]As per the album liner notes:[2]
- Cliff Richard – lead vocal, backing vocals
- Tony Rivers – backing vocals, vocal arrangement
- Nigel Perrin – backing vocals, countertenor solo vocal
- Martyn Ford – orchestra conductor
- Craig Pruess – orchestral arrangement, piano, synthesizers, sequencers, electronic percussion, sleigh bells
- Graham Jarvis – drums
- Orchestra:
- Dave Arnold – Timpani, chimes
- John Wilbraham – trumpet
- Crispian Steele-Perkins – trumpet
- Paul Cosh – trumpet
- Ted Hobart – trumpet
- Michael Laird – trumpet
- Gerry Ruddock – trumpet
- Mark Emney – trumpet
- Simon Ferguson – trumpet
- Jeff Bryant – French horn
- John Pigneevy – French horn
- Chris Larkin – French horn
- John Rooke – French horn
- Robin Davies – French horn
- Phillip Eastop – French horn
- Geoff Perkins – bass trombone
- Steve Saunders – bass trombone
- John Iveson – tenor trombone
- Dave Purser – tenor trombone
- Michael Hext – tenor trombone
- David Whitson – tenor trombone
- Paul Beer – tenor trombone
- Roger Brenner – tenor trombone
- Ian Anderson – double bass
- Michael Brittain – double bass
- Chris Laurence – double bass
Chart performance
[edit ]| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] | 40 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[3] | 11 |
Release
[edit ]The song was first released on 30 August 1982 on Richard's studio album Now You See Me, Now You Don't . The single was released in the UK on the 15 November 1982 in the standard 7-inch vinyl format with picture cover, and also as a 7-inch picture disc variant.[7] On the B-side were "Love and a Helping Hand" and "You, Me and Jesus", except in the US/Canada, where "Be in My Heart" (from the album) was used instead.[8]
In 1988, the song was included on Richard's compilation album Private Collection: 1979–1988 and as an extra B-side on the 12-inch and CD single of his UK Christmas hit "Mistletoe and Wine".[7]
A remixed version of the song with additional instrumentation was included on Richard's 1991 and 2003 Christmas albums Together with Cliff Richard and Cliff at Christmas . The song has also been included on some compilation box sets, The Singles Collection (2002) and ...And They Said it Wouldn't Last (2008).[7]
Amy Grant version
[edit ]In 1983, CCM artist Amy Grant recorded a slightly more upbeat version of the song on her Christmas album, A Christmas Album .[4]
External links
[edit ]- Transcription: "Little Town", Cliff Richard by Mike Beecher, December 1982, Electronics & Music Maker archive at mu:zines
- Magazine article: Cliff Richard - music making and his latest LP 'Now You See Me... Now You Don't' by Mike Beecher, December 1982, Electronics & Music Maker archive at mu:zines
- Retrospective review: From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richard's Story by Philips Mayaab, March 2019, ccmclassic.com, New Hope Management
References
[edit ]- ^ "The Cliff Richard Song Database website: Discography - Singles". cliffrichardsongs.com. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ a b Now You See Me, Now You Don't (LP). Cliff Richard. EMI. 1982.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b Mayaab, Philips. "From Mainstream to CCM: Cliff Richard's Story". ccmclassic.com. New Hope Management. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – Little Town" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Little Town". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ a b c "Cliff Richard - Little Town (Release Details)". www.cliffrichardsongs.com. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Little Town - Cliff Richard (EMI America)". www.45cat.com. Retrieved 30 September 2019.