Hush (Billy Joe Royal song)
| "Hush" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Watching from the Bandstand" |
| "Hush" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "One More Rainy Day" |
| "Hush" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Dead or Alive" (live), "Bad Attitude" (live) |
"Hush" is a song written by American composer and musician Joe South, for recording artist Billy Joe Royal, whose single peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 28 October - 11 November 1967.[2] The chorus begins "Hush, hush, I thought I heard her calling my name", which is a takeoff from the traditional gospel song lyrics "Hush, hush, somebody's calling my name". Kris Ife covered "Hush" in 1967. Australian performer Russell Morris recorded a version in 1967 with Somebody's Image, and a much heavier version with his band The Rubes in 1980.
Deep Purple version
The song was subsequently recorded by British hard rock band Deep Purple for their 1968 debut album Shades of Deep Purple. The track became the group's first hit single peaking at number 4 on the Hot 100 on 21–28 September 1968 and number 2 in Canada while going largely unnoticed in the United Kingdom. A live, US-televised version of "Hush" appeared as a bonus track on the 2000 CD-reissue of the Shades of Deep Purple album.
In celebration of the band's 20th anniversary, Deep Purple re-recorded the song in 1988 for their album Nobody's Perfect. The track was released as a single and reached number 62 on the UK singles chart and number 44 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock chart.
"Hush" is one of four songs originally recorded with vocals sung by Rod Evans that the band have performed with Ian Gillan on vocals later on. Others are "Kentucky Woman", originally from the album The Book of Taliesyn from 1968, "Mandrake Root" from the same album that originally featured "Hush", and "Bird Has Flown" from the album Deep Purple, or Deep Purple III, released in 1969.
Other versions
Johnny Hallyday recorded a French cover, "Mal", in 1968. Love Affair recorded a cover that was included as a track on the "The Everlasting Love Affair" album, released in the December of the same year.
Funky Junction recorded a version of "Hush" on their only album Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple in 1973. The band featured Phil Lynott, Eric Bell and Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy.[3]
Funk Machine (an Italo-Disco band) recorded a version for their 1982 album "Dance on the Groove and do the Funk".
The American noise rock band Killdozer covered "Hush" on their 1989 covers-only album, For Ladies Only.
UK psych-rock band Prime Movers covered "Hush" on their 1991 album, Earth Church.
Gotthard's self-titled debut album, released in 1992, featured a cover version of "Hush" recorded by the band themselves.
The Electric Amish recorded a parody called "Mush" on their Milkin' It album.
Kula Shaker, a British psychedelic rock band released "Hush" as a single was released in February 24 1997. It reached number 2 on the UK singles chart and number 19 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US, where it was included on the I Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack album.
Eric Gales recorded a version on his 2006 album "Crystal Vision".
In other media
The Deep Purple version was featured in films:
- 1995 – Apollo 13
- 2000 – Isn't She Great
- 2001 – When Strangers Appear
- 2004 – Beyond the Sea
- 2006 – Children of Men
- 2008 – Strange Wilderness
The song was parodied as "Push" in promos for the short-lived 1998 American soap opera Push.
The song was played in the second season of the television series Prison Break during the episode "Scan". It was also featured in the second episode of the short-lived Freaks and Geeks.
The game Battlefield: Vietnam included "Hush" as part of the in-game soundtrack.
The Xbox 360 version of the game Guitar Hero II features the Deep Purple arrangement as a playable song.
The 2008 television advertisement for the Jaguar XF features the 'monitor mix' version of Hush, from Deep Purple's The Early Years album.
The song can also be heard in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, in a television spot for the 2009 film Taking Woodstock,[clarification needed] as well as played over footage of Derby County goals in the movie about Brian Clough, The Damned United.
Deep Purple's version of the song is featured in full during two shootouts early in the 2012 video game Spec Ops: The Line.
Personnel
1968 Deep Purple version
- Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
- Rod Evans - lead vocals
- Nick Simper - bass, backing vocals
- Ian Paice - drums
- Jon Lord - organ, backing vocals
1988 Deep Purple version
- Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
- Ian Gillan - vocals, Harmonica
- Roger Glover - bass
- Ian Paice - drums
- Jon Lord - organ, keyboards
References
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/song/hush-mt0004499893
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/billy-joe-royal/chart-history/
- ^ Alan Byrne, "Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune", Firefly, 2004
