Song of the Week #82 – “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Written by admin on November 28, 2011 – 2:33 pm -| Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was released on single in August 1973, backed with “Window Raisin’ Granny” and also appeared on the group’s album “Imagination” released two months later. |
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Gladys Knight and the Pips formed in 1953, with eight-year-old Gladys Knight backed by her brother Bubba, sister Brenda, and their cousins William and Eleanor Guest. Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest were replaced with cousins Langston George and Edward Patten in 1959. This line-up had a number of small hits before signing to Motown (minus Langston George) in 1964.
It wasn’t until 1967 that Gladys Knight and the Pips had their first real breakthrough hit on Motown when “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100. A number of smaller hits followed on Motown, but the group were unsatisfied at the label, believing that they were playing second fiddle to acts such as the Supremes and not being presented with the best material.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was Gladys Knight and the Pips’ second and biggest hit for Buddah Records who the group had joined in 1973 after departing Motown. The label switch proved to be a good move with the group hitting their commercial peak in this period, including a string of gold albums, and the top ten singles “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” and “On and On.” The biggest of all was “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was originally titled “Midnight Plane to Houston” and the idea for the song came about from a conversation songwriter Jim Weatherly had with actress Farrah Fawcett. Weatherly says:
| “Lee Majors was a friend of mine. We’d played in the Flag Football League together in L.A. He had just started dating Farrah. One day I called Lee and Farrah answered the phone. We were just talking and she said she was packing. She was gonna take the midnight plane to Houston to visit her folks. So, it just stayed with me. After I got off the phone, I sat down and wrote the song probably in about 30 to 45 minutes. Something like that. Didn’t take me long at all, ’cause I actually used Farrah and Lee as kind of like characters I guess. A girl that comes to L.A. to make it and doesn’t make it and leaves to go back home. The guy goes back with her.” |
Weatherly cut the track on his first album as “Midnight Plane to Houston.” The title change arose when Cissy Houston cut the song because her producer, Sonny Limbo, thought “Georgia” had a more R&B feel. Gladys Knight retained the lyric changes for her version, which was fitting considering that Knight and the Pips were natives of Georgia.
Gladys Knight and the Pips’ definitive recording of the song increased the tempo, introduced some neatly crafted horn lines, and included some memorable contributions from the Pips, who reiterated and expanded on Knight’s soulful lead vocals.
Gladys Knight and the Pips – “Midnight Train to Georgia”
“Midnight Train to Georgia” won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals of 1973, and received the Grammy Hall Of Fame Award in 1999.
Authorship
As noted above, “Midnight Train to Georgia” was written by Jim Weatherly. Weatherly also wrote the hits “Neither One of Us,” “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” and “Between Her Goodbye and My Hello” for Gladys Knight and the Pips in this period.
Recording date/location
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was recorded in the summer of 1973 at Venture Sound Studios in Hillsborough, New Jersey.
Musicians
The following musicians appeared on “Midnight Train to Georgia”:
- Gladys Knight – lead vocals
- Merald “Bubba” Knight, Eddie Patten, and William Guest – background vocals
- Jeff Mironov – guitar
- Bob Babbitt – bass
- Andrew Smith – drums
- Tony Camillo – electric piano, Hammond organ, percussion
- Barry Miles – acoustic piano
- Norman Carr – violin
- Jesse Levy – cello
- Randy Brecker – trumpet
- Michael Brecker – saxophone
- Meco Monardo – trombone.
Chart performance
“Midnight Train to Georgia” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 21 1973. This was the group’s first and only number one. The song reached number 10 on the UK singles chart.
The album “Imagination” reached number nine on the Billboard album chart and topped the R&B album chart.
Other notable versions
Cissy Houston – “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Cissy Houston’s original recording deserves to be better known. Houston’s soulful vocal is excellent and the slower arrangement works well, with an appealing country-style harmonica weaving its way through the song.
Neil Diamond – “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Neil Diamond recorded the song for his 2010 album “Dreams.” In Diamond’s hands it becomes a laidback folk song, not unlike Jim Weatherly’s original. One of Diamond’s biggest strengths as a vocalist is his careful and intelligent phrasing which makes the listener absorb the lyrics and get drawn into the story. That’s in full evidence here.
There will be a new Song of the Week on December 5.
Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” is available on many compilations, including the 2-CD “Midnight Train to Georgia: Best of Gladys Knight and the Pips.”
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Midnight Train to Georgia: Best of Gladys Knight and the Pips (2 CDs) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Tags: Gladys Knight & the Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia
Posted in Song of the Week, Soul |
