Peaceful (song)
"Peaceful" is a song written by Kenny Rankin, and recorded by several artists. It is best known as hit singles for Georgie Fame (1969) and Helen Reddy (1973).
"Peaceful" | ||||
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Single by Helen Reddy | ||||
from the album I Am Woman | ||||
B-side | "What Would They Say" | |||
Released | February 1973 | |||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Genre | Easy listening | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | Capitol Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kenny Rankin | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Catalano | |||
Helen Reddy singles chronology | ||||
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Introduced by Rankin on his 1967 debut album Mind Dusters on Mercury Records, "Peaceful" was recorded by Bobbie Gentry for her 1968 album Local Gentry on Capitol Records. A 1969 single recording by Georgie Fame, produced by Mike Smith and arranged/conducted by Keith Mansfield for CBS, reached number 16 in UK that summer.[1] Fame's version of "Peaceful" had a concurrent single release in the US by Epic Records, prompting Mercury to issue Rankin's original track as a single, but neither single charted.[2] "Peaceful" was also recorded in 1969 by The Friends of Distinction for their Grazin' album on RCA.
Rankin re-recorded the song in 1972, in a new arrangement for his album Like a Seed, his Atlantic Records debut and first chart appearance. That same year Helen Reddy recorded "Peaceful" for her 1972 I Am Woman album. Issued as the follow-up to the number 1 hit "I Am Woman" in February 1973, Reddy's version of "Peaceful" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 that May. "Peaceful" also became Reddy's second consecutive number 2 Easy Listening hit: the follow-up "Delta Dawn" would be Reddy's first Easy Listening #1 (the first of six consecutive and eight overall). In Canada, "Peaceful" spent two weeks at number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[3]
In September 1996 Rhino issued a retrospective Kenny Rankin album with "Peaceful" as the title cut, the full title being Peaceful: The Best of Kenny Rankin.[4]
Chart performance
Georgie Fame version
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
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UK | 16 |
Helen Reddy version
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/peaceful/
- "The Official Charts Company".
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- "AMG".
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, April 21, 1973
- Bac-lac.gc.ca
- Musicoutfitters.com