Misplaced Pages

#210789

21-567: Julie Gold (born February 3, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her musical composition " From a Distance ," which became a hit for Bette Midler and won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991. "From a Distance" has millions of airplays. It has been recited into the Congressional Record by Senator Barbara Boxer , recorded internationally and translated into many languages. It has been illustrated as

42-488: A "sure-hit", saying that it "should have been done by Whitney Houston ". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report felt the singer's Grammy for "Wind Beneath My Wings" "reaffirmed her innate ability to extract every single ounce of emotion out of a song. Teaming once again with producer Arif Mardin , she seems right at home with a tune that has much of the same quality as her giant hit of last year. Bette's certain to go

63-427: A 2020 retrospective review, Matthew Hocter from Albumism stated that the song "showcases her magnificent vocality, coupled with lyrics entrenched in hope and peace." Conversely, Midler's recording of the song ranked at number 37 on VH1 's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever." and ranked at number 14 on Blender Magazine 's list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever". Criticisms focus on the song's lyrical content and

84-424: A Christmas edition for her 2006 Christmas album, Cool Yule , with additional lyrics by Los Angeles native Jay Landers. Additional recordings of the original have been performed by Gold, Griffith, Simon Nicol (of Fairport Convention ) and many others. Larry Flick from Billboard described "From a Distance" as a "soothing hymn that invokes inspirational images similar to " Wind Beneath My Wings ", adding that

105-411: A Distance Julie Gold has stated that she believes in an immanent and beneficent God, and also thinks that people have a right to interpret the song any way they want, as with all art. She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are. Nanci Griffith recorded it first in her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind . Nanci Griffith stated that

126-559: A Distance" in her Lone Star State of Mind album. Griffith performed it live many times and a version of her live performance on August 19–20, 1988 at the Anderson Fair , a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting, appeared in her live album One Fair Summer Evening . The Griffith version charted only in Ireland, where her version became a sleeper hit, spending 17 non-consecutive weeks in

147-638: A children's book and machined into music boxes . It has been quoted in books, calendars, greeting cards and the wake-up call for the astronauts in the Mir space station the first time Americans worked with Russians in space. A wide range of recording artists have covered it, including Jewel , Elaine Paige , Cliff Richard , the African Children's Choir , Judy Collins , the Byrds , Fairport Convention , Kathy Mattea and Donna Summer . Nanci Griffith ,

168-583: A possible 5 stars and began the review with, "This is singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith's first live album, and it captures the essence of what has endeared Griffith to fans of both folk and cosmopolitan country. Although One Fair Summer Evening was not an immediate phenomenon at the cash registers, the revealing nature of the performance has secured it a place in the hearts of enthusiasts since its release in 1988." All tracks are written by Nanci Griffith, except where indicated Track information and credits adapted from Discogs and AllMusic , then verified from

189-400: A songwriter Julie Gold sent her the song in 1986, asking Griffith what was wrong with it, as Gold had sent it to many artists and record companies but none wanted to record it. Griffith answered that she loved it so much the moment she heard it and that she wanted to hear it performed personally by Gold. This established a relationship between the two with Griffith being the first to record "From

210-648: The Billboard Hot 100 . The song went on to win a Grammy for Song of the Year (for Julie Gold) in 1991 and a "3 Million Airs Award" from Broadcast Music Incorporated . The song also reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number six following a re-release in 1991, having originally failed to make the top 40 when released concurrently with Cliff Richard 's version. Midler re-recorded

231-481: The #43 position of the Billboard Country Albums chart. Jon Cummings of PopDose wrote, "Stripped of most of the country elements that had been ladled over their studio versions, Griffith’s songs emerge crisp and timeless; indeed, these live recordings accomplish the rare feat of rendering their studio antecedents obsolete." AllMusic ' s Lindsay Planer retrospectively gave the album 4½ out of

SECTION 10

#1732786864211

252-673: The Irish Top 30 during 1988, peaking at number nine in April. "From a Distance" became an international commercial success after it was covered by American singer Bette Midler for her seventh studio album, Some People's Lives (1990). World events at this time gave the song a resonance as an anthem during the Gulf War . It reached number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number two on

273-597: The Main Point and Bijou Cafe. From 1990 to 1994, she was a member of Four Bitchin' Babes , with Christine Lavin , Megon McDonough and Sally Fingerett . Gold's maternal grandparents and mother were Jewish immigrants from Russia in the 1930s. Her paternal Jewish grandparents came from Romania . Her Orthodox mother and Conservative father were a founding couple in Philadelphia's Reform Temple Beth Elohim. Her Jewish background has influenced her songs. From

294-609: The Scottish Glasgow Gospel Choir. The track was produced by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver and mastered at Soundmastwers, London. Tesco Ireland, Beaumex Ireland and Believe Digital distributed the single online and it was made available in Tesco stores through Ireland. The proceeds would go to build an Irish national monument for the Magdalene women. One Fair Summer Evening One Fair Summer Evening

315-422: The distance again." Gene Sandbloom from The Network Forty found that the lyrics "manage to take in the globe (with a minimum of sugar) and deliver a song worth listening to a hundred times. The music, produced by sound specialist Arif Mardin, is a slow crescendo made to support Midler's voice without overwhelming." He added that she "again uses her "no frills" vocal approach which makes this song so genuine." In

336-407: The first to record "From a Distance", also recorded Gold's songs "Heaven", "Southbound Train", "Good Night New York" and "Mountain of Sorrow". Other artists who performed Gold's songs include Patti LaBelle , Patti LuPone , Lea Salonga , and Andrea Marcovicci . Her song "Thanks to You" was featured in the 1993 film Andre , and "Dream Loud" was featured in the 2002 film Unfaithful . Gold wrote

357-612: The lyrics to the 1992 image campaign song commissioned by WNBC entitled "We're 4 New York", alongside Edd Kalehoff , who also penned the jingle and the news theme. Gold was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania and later moved to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1974 and from Temple University in 1978. She appeared as a featured performer in many Philadelphia area coffee houses and entertainment venues, including

378-556: The production of Midler's version. Original version Christmas version Shipments figures based on certification alone. A cover by Cliff Richard released in October 1990 (very shortly after Midler's) served as the title track to his album From a Distance: The Event , which reached number 11 on the UK Singles Charts and number 16 in Ireland. Richard opened his 1999 concert at Royal Albert Hall with

399-517: The song "proves that the Divine Miss M still has what it takes to tackle top 40 territory." Hannsjörg Riemann from German Bravo gave Midler's version two out of three, viewing it as a "tearjerker". He added, "The scandal noodle of the US show scene has a great voice, as can also be seen here. Leisurely tempo, pleasant melody, medium strong arrangement." Alison Mayes from Calgary Herald called it

420-589: The song. "From a Distance" became a 2011 charity single in support of Magdalene Survivors Together, a charity set up in July 2009 by Steven O'Riordan focusing on the human rights aspect of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. The 2011 single directed by O'Riordan had vocal participation from several artists: Sinéad O'Connor , Tommy Fleming , Brian Kennedy , Daniel O'Donnell , Ann Scott , Moya Brennan , Charlie Landsborough , Patrick Sheehy, Lumiere and

441-438: Was Nanci Griffith 's seventh album, and her first one recorded in a live setting. It was recorded on August 19 and August 20, 1988, at Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting. Griffith mainly performed live versions of songs from her previously released albums, but added in a couple of new ones: "Deadwood, South Dakota" and "I Would Bring You Ireland". The album rose into

SECTION 20

#1732786864211
#210789