Answer Me, My Love
Encyclopedia
"Answer Me, My Love" is a popular
song
, originally written (with German
lyrics, under the title "Mütterlein") by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. The English
lyrics were written by Carl Sigman
in 1953
.
Sigman first wrote the song as a religious-themed song, "Answer Me
," (in which the first line reads "Answer me, Lord above") as a question to God about why the singer has lost his lover, which became a joint #1 hit both for Frankie Laine
and David Whitfield
in the United Kingdom
in November 1953
. This was the only time in UK chart history that two versions of the same song tied at the top. The BBC banned the song because of the "religious" lyrics and Sigman then rewrote them to address the lost lover directly, under the title "Answer Me, My Love." Whitfield then re-recorded the number with the new lyrics so as to get BBC air-plays. Both his versions have appeared on CD.
The best-selling version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole
in 1954
. The recording was released by Capitol Records
as catalog number
2687. The record first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 24, 1954 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6.
In 2000
, it was performed by Joni Mitchell
on an album, Both Sides Now. It was performed in concert (but not recorded) by Bob Dylan
in the early 1990s.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, originally written (with German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
lyrics, under the title "Mütterlein") by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics were written by Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
in 1953
1953 in music
-Events:*February 6 – Contralto Kathleen Ferrier, already terminally ill with cancer, leaves Covent Garden Opera House on a stretcher after being taken ill on the second night of her run in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice....
.
Sigman first wrote the song as a religious-themed song, "Answer Me
Answer Me
"Answer Me" is a popular song, originally written by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. The English lyrics were written by Carl Sigman in 1952....
," (in which the first line reads "Answer me, Lord above") as a question to God about why the singer has lost his lover, which became a joint #1 hit both for Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
and David Whitfield
David Whitfield
David Whitfield was a popular British male tenor vocalist. This operatic-style tenor had a formidable and predominantly female fan base in the 1950s.-Life and career:...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in November 1953
1953 in music
-Events:*February 6 – Contralto Kathleen Ferrier, already terminally ill with cancer, leaves Covent Garden Opera House on a stretcher after being taken ill on the second night of her run in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice....
. This was the only time in UK chart history that two versions of the same song tied at the top. The BBC banned the song because of the "religious" lyrics and Sigman then rewrote them to address the lost lover directly, under the title "Answer Me, My Love." Whitfield then re-recorded the number with the new lyrics so as to get BBC air-plays. Both his versions have appeared on CD.
The best-selling version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
in 1954
1954 in music
-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
. The recording was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
2687. The record first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 24, 1954 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6.
In 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
, it was performed by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
on an album, Both Sides Now. It was performed in concert (but not recorded) by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
in the early 1990s.
Recorded versions
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) - Nat King ColeNat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
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