Day Is Done (Peter, Paul and Mary song)
| "Day Is Done" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Peter, Paul and Mary | ||||
| from the album Peter, Paul and Mommy | ||||
| B-side | "Make Believe Town" | |||
| Released | March 24, 1969[1] | |||
| Format | Vinyl single | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Peter Yarrow | |||
| Peter, Paul and Mary singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Day Is Done" is a song written by Peter Yarrow. It was recorded by Yarrow's group Peter, Paul and Mary and released as a single in 1969. The song reached No. 21 on Billboard Hot 100, and was ranked No. 48 on the Billboard year-end Top Easy Listening Singles chart of 1969.[2]
Background
"Day Is Done" was written by Peter Yarrow in 1968, and it was the last single that Peter, Paul and Mary recorded together as a group (their next single "Leaving on a Jet Plane" released later that year was recorded earlier for their Album 1700 released in 1967).[3] The song was released in March 1969 and reached No. 21 on Billboard Hot 100 for chart dated June 21, 1969.[4]
The song was written as an anti-war song during the Vietnam War era,[5] and Yarrow performed it as the opening song at a concert during the anti-war march he helped organized in Washington in November 1969.[6][7] It became one of the well-known protest songs in the era.[8] According to Yarrow, the message of the song is that "children will lead us to a better world".[9]
The song was recorded live at Carnegie Hall for the single and an orchestra was overdubbed and arranged at A&T Studios by Chris Dedrick.[10]
Yarrow later released a children book based on the lyrics of the song as part of his Songbook Series.[11] It contains a three-song CD with a version of the song he recorded with his daughter Bethany.[12]
Charts
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] | 5 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] | 17 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 21 |
Cover Versions
A French translation titled "Mon Enfant" was written by Boris Bergman and recorded by Nana Mouskouri for her 1969 album, "Dans le soleil et dans le vent." She has also covered the English version.
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge covered the song in 1970.
Agnes Chan covered the song on her 1971 debut album, "Will The Circle Game Be Unbroken?"
References
- ↑ "Peter, Paul And Mary – Day Is Done". 45cat.
- ↑ "Top Records of 1969". Billboard. December 27, 1969.
- ↑ Amy Willis (September 17, 2009). "Peter, Paul and Mary: Career timeline". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. June 21, 1969.
- ↑ "Peter Yarrow - Day Is Done". Politics and Prose. October 2, 2009.
- ↑ "Puff: Still Not a Drug Song". Chronogram.
- ↑ "How classical music reached half a million young people". On An Overgrown Path.
- ↑ "Protest Songs". Traditional Music Library.
- ↑ Lisa Torem (February 13, 2010). "Interview with Peter Yarrow". Penny Black Music.
- ↑ http://www.45worlds.com/cdalbum/cd/r273907
- ↑ "Peter Yarrow - Day Is Done". Politics and Prose.
- ↑ Sonya Ellingboe (October 2, 2009). "Take my hand when day is done". Centennial Citizen.
- ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5922." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6026." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "Peter, Paul and Mary Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Peter, Paul and Mary Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
