Never Ending Song of Love explained

Never Ending Song of Love
Cover:	Never_Ending_Song_of_Love_-_Delaney_&_Bonnie.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Delaney & Bonnie
Released:	May 1971 (U.S.)
B-Side:	Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)
Label:	Atco
Producer:	Delaney Bramlett
Prev Title:	Free the People
Prev Year:	1970
Next Title:	Only You Know and I Know
Next Year:	1971

"Never Ending Song of Love" is a song written by Delaney Bramlett, and, according to some sources, by his wife Bonnie Bramlett.^[1] It was originally recorded with their band, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, in 1971 on the album Motel Shot. Released as a single by Atco Records the same year, "Never Ending Song of Love" became Delaney & Bonnie's greatest hit on the pop charts, reaching a peak of No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100^[2] and No. 8 on Easy Listening.^[3] It reached No. 16 in Australia.

A cover version by The New Seekers was a major hit in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1971. It spent a few weeks at No. 2 in the UK charts and in South Africa,^[4] and reached No. 1 in the Irish charts. It was featured on their album of the same name.

As of 2008, "Never Ending Song of Love", had been covered by over 100 artists.^[5]

Chart history

Weekly charts

Delaney & Bonnie

Chart (1971)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	16
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[7]	16
Canada RPM Top Singles^[8]	6
New Zealand (Listener)^[9]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[10]	13
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	8
US Cash Box Top 100^[11]	9

Year-end charts

Delaney & Bonnie

Chart (1971)	Rank
Australia	93
Canada ^[12]	81
US Billboard Hot 100^[13]	67
US Cash Box ^[14]	66

New Seekers

Chart (1971)	Peak position
Australia	25
South Africa (Springbok)^[15]	2

Chart (1971)	Rank
Australia	168
South Africa ^[16]	18
UK	7

Other cover versions

On the country music charts, at least three versions have become hits:

• Dickey Lee recorded a version at the same time as Delaney & Bonnie's original, which reached No. 8 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts. ^[17]
• Eleven years later, in 1982, The Osmond Brothers had a minor hit with the song, which reached No. 43 on the country charts.^[18]
• Crystal Gayle's last U.S. chart hit was a cover of the song, which reached No. 72 on the country chart in 1990.^[19]
• A French-language cover of the song (as "Un amour qui ne veut pas mourir") was also recorded by Canadian singer Renée Martel in 1972 as one of the first songs she recorded after transitioning from pop to country music.^[20] This song was on the charts for 19 weeks in Quebec, including 2 weeks in first position.

Tejano star Ram Herrera also recorded a cover version on Bob Gallarza's 1993 album Forever.

Notes and References

1. News: Delaney Bramlett, Singer-Songwriter and Slide Guitarist, Dies at 69 . Weber . Bruce . 2008-12-30 . The New York Times . 2017-09-08 . en-US . 0362-4331.
2. Book: Leszczak, Bob . Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000 . 2014-12-11 . Rowman & Littlefield . 9781442240087 . 93 . ar.
3. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 69.
4. Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989. 5 September 2018.
5. News: Delaney Bramlett; songwriter who wrote 'Let It Rain' . 2008-12-28 . Los Angeles Times . 2017-09-08 . en-US . 0458-3035.
6. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 85.
7. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 1971-08-14 . 2019-01-14.
8. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 1971-08-28 . 2019-01-14.
9. http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=1300#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 18 October 1971
10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 -
11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160913233227/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19710821.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 21, 1971
12. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada. collectionscanada.gc.ca.
13. http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1971.htm Musicoutfitters.com
14. Web site: Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971 . January 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161006205612/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1971YESP.html . October 6, 2016 . dead .
15. Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989. 5 September 2018.
16. Web site: Top 20 Hit Singles of 1971. 14 January 2019.
17. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn

    . The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 198.

18. The Osmonds > Hot Country Songs . Billboard .
19. Whitburn, Joel, Joel Whitburn’s Top Country Songs , Billboard, Record Research Inc., Monomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 2005 p. 143
20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOEVGN6bA2s Renée Martel - Un amour qui ne veut pas mourir