This Week's Oldie But Goodie is: "Son Of A Preacher Man"
"Son of a Preacher Man" was written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. It was originally recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield for her 1968 album Dusty in Memphis. The single, released in late 1968 became an international hit, reaching No. 9 in the UK singles chart and No. 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 in January 1969.
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes, he was, he was, oh, yes, he was
The album Dusty in Memphis. was inducted in to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2020, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry:
Though the single “Son of a Preacher Man” was a hit, early album sales proved modest. Over time, “Dusty in Memphis” grew in stature to become widely recognized as an important album by a woman in the rock era. Elvis Costello, who contributed the liner notes on the “Memphis” 2002 reissue, writes, “Dusty Springfield's singing on this album is among the very best ever put on record by anyone.” Her voice, Costello wrote, was “... recorded in the audio equivalent of ‘extreme close-up.’ Every breath and sigh is caught and yet it can soar.”
The song was originally offered to Aretha Franklin, but she turned it down because she thought it was disrespectful (Franklin was the daughter of a preacher). However, she later changed her mind and recorded the song in 1969 for her This Girl's in Love with You album.
The backup vocals for the Dusty Springfield recording were performed by the Sweet Inspirations, an American R&B girl group known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. The recently deceased Cissy Houston, mother of singer Whitney Houston, was one of the members of the group on the recording.
In addition to Aretha Franklin, the song has been covered by many artists, including Ike & Tina Turner, Bobbie Gentry, Chet Atkins, Joss Stone, and Natalie Merchant.
The song found renewed popularity in 1994 when it was used in a scene in the film Pulp Fiction. Reportedly, the song was so important to director Quentin Tarantino that he said he would not have included the scene in the film if he could not get the song to accompany it.
I have included the original recording by Dusty Springfield and the Aretha Franklin versions below.
Such a great song from such a great artist ! Thanks for sharing !