The Divine Miss M

The Divine Miss M is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Bette Midler, released in 1972 on the Atlantic Records label. The title of the album refers to Midler's famous stage persona.

This article is about the 1972 album by Bette Midler. For the person known by this nickname, see Bette Midler.
The Divine Miss M
Studio album by
Bette Midler
ReleasedNovember 7, 1972
Recorded1971/1972
StudioAtlantic Recording Studios
(New York, New York)
GenrePop, pop rock, traditional pop
Length41:03
LabelAtlantic
ProducerAhmet Ertegün, Barry Manilow, Joel Dorn, Geoffrey Haslam
Bette Midler chronology
The Divine Miss M
(1972)		 Bette Midler
(1973)
Singles from The Divine Miss M
  1. "Do You Want to Dance?"
  2. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
  3. "Friends"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Christgau's Record GuideA–[2]
Q[3]

The album was co-produced by Barry Manilow, and includes several songs that since have become repertoire standards, such as "Do You Want to Dance?", "Chapel of Love", "Hello In There", "Friends" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

The Divine Miss M reached the Top Ten on Billboard's album chart and was later awarded a Platinum Disc by the RIAA. In 1973, the album won Midler a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. "Do You Want to Dance?", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Friends" were all Top 40 hit singles from the album, with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" climbing to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

The album was released on CD for the first time in 1990. A remastered version of the album was released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995.

A remastered deluxe edition was released in October 2016.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do You Want to Dance"Bobby Freeman2:44
2."Chapel of Love"Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector2:55
3."Superstar"Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell5:11
4."Daytime Hustler"Jeff Kent3:34
5."Am I Blue"Harry Akst, Grant Clarke5:25
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Friends"Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart2:50
7."Hello in There"John Prine4:17
8."Leader of the Pack"George Morton, Barry, Greenwich3:30
9."Delta Dawn"Larry Collins, Alex Harvey5:18
10."Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"Don Raye, Hughie Prince2:25
11."Friends"Klingman, Linhart2:54
2016 deluxe edition disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chapel of Love" (Single Mix)Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector2:44
2."Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (Single Version)Don Raye, Hughie Prince2:18
3."Do You Want to Dance?" (Single Mix)Bobby Freeman2:55
4."Friends" (Single Mix)Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart2:59
5."Old Cape Cod" (Earliest Recording & Mix)Claire Rothrock, Milton Yakus, Allan Jeffrey2:52
6."Marahuana" (Earliest Recording & Mix)Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow2:32
7."Superstar" (Alternate Recording)Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell5:08
8."Saturday Night" (Demo)Randy Meisner, Don Henley, Glenn Frey3:09
9."Mr. Freedom & I" (Demo)Mark Klingman3:01

Personnel

Production
  • Ahmet Ertegün – producer, tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Barry Manilow – producer, tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Geoffrey Haslam – producer, tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Joel Dorn – producer, tracks: A1, A5, B1, B2, B5
  • Lew Hahn – recording engineer
  • Barry Manilow – musical arranger, musical conductor
  • Richard Amsel – cover illustration
  • Richard Mantel – cover art direction & design
  • Kenn Duncan – backliner photo
  • Remixed by: Geoffrey Haslam, Lew Hahn, Bob Liftin
  • Remixed at Regent Sound Studios and Atlantic Studios
  • Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York.

Charts
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 10
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] 5
Japanease Albums (Oricon)[6] 58
US Billboard 200[7] 9

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[8] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[9] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Buss, Bryan. The Divine Miss M at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. O'Brien, Lucy (March 1996). "Bette Midler". Q: 116.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4794". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  6. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  7. "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  8. "Canadian album certifications – Bette Midler – The Divine Miss M". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  9. "American album certifications – Bette Midler – The Divine Miss M". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 December 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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