Wedding Bell Blues
Encyclopedia
"Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro
in 1966 that became a number one hit for The 5th Dimension in 1969 and subsequently a popular phrase in American culture. The song is written from the perspective of a woman whose boyfriend has not yet proposed to her, who wonders, "am I ever gonna see my wedding day?" The song carries dual themes of adoring love and frustrated lament.
Nyro wrote "Wedding Bell Blues" at the age of 18 as a "mini-suite", featuring several dramatic rhythmic changes — a trait Nyro explored on future albums. It was to be recorded in 1966 for Verve Folkways label as part of what would become her More Than a New Discovery
album. However, producer Herb Bernstein
did not allow Nyro to record this version, which led to Nyro more or less disowning the entire album.
What was recorded was fairly similar in content and arrangement to the later, much more familiar 5th Dimension version, albeit with a somewhat more soulful vocal line. It was released as a single in September 1966 and remained on the Billboard Pop Singles "Bubbling Under" charts segment
for several weeks, peaking at #103.
" and "Sweet Blindness" during 1968. When recording tracks for their upcoming album The Age of Aquarius
, producer Bones Howe
suggested it would be amusing to record another Nyro song, this one about a woman trying to get someone named Bill to commit to marriage. As it happened, 5th Dimension singer Marilyn McCoo
was engaged to another member, Billy Davis, Jr.
, though they had not set a wedding date. So the group recorded it, and in May 1969 the album was released. The first single ahead of the album, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
", was a tremendous hit, while success of the second single, "Workin' On a Groovy Thing", was much more moderate. Then a disc jockey
in San Diego began playing "Wedding Bell Blues" off the album, Soul City Records
saw its potential, and in October 1969 it was put out as a single.
"Wedding Bell Blues" quickly soared to number one on the U.S. pop singles chart
, spending three weeks there in November, 1969. It also reached the top spot on the U.S. adult contemporary chart
, made one of the group's somewhat rare appearances on the U.S. R&B singles chart
, was a Top Five hit in Canada
, and placed in the Top 20 on the UK Singles Chart
(and their only hit there save for the earlier "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In").
In 1969 television appearances, McCoo would explicitly sing parts of the song to Davis; Davis would respond with quizzical looks. (As it happens, they would indeed marry in 1969.) The rest of The 5th Dimension's early hits featured more unison singing than this, and McCoo's prominent vocal and stage role on "Wedding Bell Blues" may have led to her being more featured in the group's early 1970s productions.
Lesley Gore
recorded her own version of the song for Mercury Records
; this version was released in September 1969, and failed to chart, overwhelmed by the attention given to The 5th Dimension's recording.
The song also features on 'Being There', a Series One episode of Ally McBeal
, during one of Ally's 'fantasy sequences' in the law firm office. The song is here sung by Vonda Shepard
.
The song was also used in a scene with an erotic dancing hologram in the 1993 television mini-series Wild Palms
.
The song was parodied in the second episode of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons
, The Parent Rap
. Homer sings incorrect lyrics to the song over the radio, and the radio station deejay says that the song was "Weddings are Nice" by the 5th Dimension.
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
in 1966 that became a number one hit for The 5th Dimension in 1969 and subsequently a popular phrase in American culture. The song is written from the perspective of a woman whose boyfriend has not yet proposed to her, who wonders, "am I ever gonna see my wedding day?" The song carries dual themes of adoring love and frustrated lament.
Laura Nyro original
More Than a New Discovery
More Than A New Discovery is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded during 1966 and released at the beginning of the following year on the Folkways imprint of the Verve label...
album. However, producer Herb Bernstein
Herb Bernstein
- Professional Life :Bernstein arranged and produced records for many artists in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. These artists include Laura Nyro, John Denver, Joel Grey, The Four Seasons, Bob Dylan, The Monkees, Dusty Springfield, Tina Turner, The Happenings, Julie Budd, Lainie Kazan, Frankie Valli,...
did not allow Nyro to record this version, which led to Nyro more or less disowning the entire album.
What was recorded was fairly similar in content and arrangement to the later, much more familiar 5th Dimension version, albeit with a somewhat more soulful vocal line. It was released as a single in September 1966 and remained on the Billboard Pop Singles "Bubbling Under" charts segment
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
for several weeks, peaking at #103.
5th Dimension hit
The 5th Dimension had already found hits with Nyro's "Stoned Soul PicnicStoned Soul Picnic (song)
"Stoned Soul Picnic" was a song from 1968. The most known version of the song was recorded by The 5th Dimension, and was the first single released from their album of the same title. It was the most successful single from that album, reaching #3 on the U.S. Pop chart and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart...
" and "Sweet Blindness" during 1968. When recording tracks for their upcoming album The Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius (album)
The Age of Aquarius is the fourth album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1969 .- Track listing :# "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In [The Flesh Failures]" – 4:51...
, producer Bones Howe
Bones Howe
Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe is a Grammy-award-winning record producer and recording engineer associated with 1960s and 1970s hits, mostly of the sunshine pop genre, including most of the hits of The 5th Dimension and The Association, as well as music supervision of several films...
suggested it would be amusing to record another Nyro song, this one about a woman trying to get someone named Bill to commit to marriage. As it happened, 5th Dimension singer Marilyn McCoo
Marilyn McCoo
Marilyn McCoo is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold...
was engaged to another member, Billy Davis, Jr.
Billy Davis, Jr.
Billy Davis, Jr. is an American musician, best known as a member of The 5th Dimension. Along with his wife, Marilyn McCoo, he had hit records during 1976 and 1977 with "I Hope We Get to Love in Time", "Your Love", and "You Don't Have to Be a Star "...
, though they had not set a wedding date. So the group recorded it, and in May 1969 the album was released. The first single ahead of the album, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado & Gerome Ragni , and Galt MacDermot , released as a single by The 5th Dimension. The song peaked at number one for six weeks on the U.S...
", was a tremendous hit, while success of the second single, "Workin' On a Groovy Thing", was much more moderate. Then a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
in San Diego began playing "Wedding Bell Blues" off the album, Soul City Records
Soul City Records
Soul City was a British soul label run by Dave Godin, David Nathan and Robert Blackmore from a record shop of the same name in London . Its first release was Don Gardener & Dee Dee Ford's Don't You Worry in March 1969...
saw its potential, and in October 1969 it was put out as a single.
"Wedding Bell Blues" quickly soared to number one on the U.S. pop singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, spending three weeks there in November, 1969. It also reached the top spot on the U.S. adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
, made one of the group's somewhat rare appearances on the U.S. R&B singles chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, was a Top Five hit in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and placed in the Top 20 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(and their only hit there save for the earlier "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In").
In 1969 television appearances, McCoo would explicitly sing parts of the song to Davis; Davis would respond with quizzical looks. (As it happens, they would indeed marry in 1969.) The rest of The 5th Dimension's early hits featured more unison singing than this, and McCoo's prominent vocal and stage role on "Wedding Bell Blues" may have led to her being more featured in the group's early 1970s productions.
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
recorded her own version of the song for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
; this version was released in September 1969, and failed to chart, overwhelmed by the attention given to The 5th Dimension's recording.
Cultural resonance
The phrase "wedding bell blues" soon became cultural shorthand for anyone in doubt about the subject event or the state of being unmarried in general. As such many written or dramatic works have been named after the song title. These include:- the 1990 Heather Graham PozzessereHeather Graham PozzessereHeather Graham Pozzessere is a best-selling US writer, who writes primarily romance novels...
novel Wedding Bell Blues - the 1999 Julia WattsJulia WattsJulia Watts is an American author of novels, short stories, etc., especially in the genres of young adult fiction and lesbian fiction/erotica....
novel Wedding Bell Blues - the 2004 Robyn Amos romance Wedding Bell Blues
- the 1996 comedy film Wedding Bell BluesWedding Bell Blues (film)Wedding Bell Blues is a 1996 romantic comedy film, directed by Dana Lustig and starring Illeana Douglas, supermodel Paulina Porizkova, and Julie Warner...
- published articles on gay marriage-related topics by the likes of Richard PosnerRichard PosnerRichard Allen Posner is an American jurist, legal theorist, and economist who is currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School...
in The New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Sarah Wildman in The American ProspectThe American ProspectThe American Prospect is a monthly American political magazine dedicated to American liberalism. Based in Washington, DC, The American Prospect is a journal "of liberal ideas, committed to a just society, an enriched democracy, and effective liberal politics" which focuses on United States politics...
, university professors in academic journals - the episode titles of various television series, for episodes related to characters wondering if marriage was in the offing or otherwise fitting plotlines, including but not limited to episodes from:
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The song also features on 'Being There', a Series One episode of Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, during one of Ally's 'fantasy sequences' in the law firm office. The song is here sung by Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New...
.
The song was also used in a scene with an erotic dancing hologram in the 1993 television mini-series Wild Palms
Wild Palms
Wild Palms is a six-hour mini-series, which first aired in May 1993 on the ABC network in the United States. Written by Bruce Wagner, who was also the executive producer, Wild Palms was a sci-fi drama about the dangers of brainwashing through technology and drugs...
.
The song was parodied in the second episode of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, The Parent Rap
The Parent Rap
“The Parent Rap” is the second episode and official premiere of the thirteenth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 11, 2001. In the episode, Bart and his father, Homer, are sentenced by the cruel judge Constance Harm to be tethered to each...
. Homer sings incorrect lyrics to the song over the radio, and the radio station deejay says that the song was "Weddings are Nice" by the 5th Dimension.
See also
- Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1969 (USA)