The Calling (song) explained

The Calling
Cover:The Calling Yes.webp
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Yes
Album:Talk
B-Side:"Real Love"
Released:16 March 1994 (JPN)[1]
Genre:Rock
Length:4:40 (single edit)
5:58 (radio edit)
6:56 (album edit)
8:05 (original version)
Label:Victory Music
Producer:Trevor Rabin
Prev Title:Saving My Heart
Prev Year:1991
Next Title:Walls
Next Year:1994

"The Calling" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1994 album Talk. It was a rock radio hit for the band, reaching number 3 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Background

In 1992, eight current and former members of Yes toured to support their 1991 album Union. Following the completion of the tour, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and drummer Bill Bruford left the band, leaving the five members who had performed as Yes during the 1980s: singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Alan White and keyboardist Tony Kaye.[2]

"The Calling" was written by Rabin, Anderson and Squire, with Rabin producing. As with the other tracks on Talk, "The Calling" was recorded and mixed digitally, rather than on tape as was done with previous Yes recordings. The song has been described as featuring a modern sound, with heavy focus on Rabin's guitars, and a three-part vocal harmony featuring Anderson, Rabin and Squire.[3]

According to Anderson, the song's lyrics were inspired by the concept of "local history", the current three-thousand year window of history, outside of which mankind has little visibility or understanding.

Chart performance

"The Calling" was a number-three Mainstream Rock hit for the band in 1994, their last (as of 2024) top-ten hit on that chart. Yes had two subsequent Mainstream Rock hits: 1994's "Walls" (also from Talk) and 1997's "Open Your Eyes" from the album of the same name.[4]

"The Calling" has appeared on several Yes compilations. The 2002 boxed set included the album-length version, and the 2003 greatest hits package included the single edit.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Calling.
  2. Book: Welch , Chris . Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes . 3rd . 2003 . . 978-0-7119-9509-3 . November 4, 2010 .
  3. Book: Morse , Tim . Yesstories: Yes In Their Own Words . May 15, 1996 . . 0-312-14453-9 . November 4, 2010 .
  4. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=yes-p5891/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} Yes: Billboard singles chart information ]. . November 4, 2010 .
  5. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=song|id=the-calling-t1528115|pure_url=yes}} Yes: The Calling ]. . November 4, 2010 .