Written 1953 | Writer(s) Artie Glenn | |
"Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn for his son Darrell to sing. Darrell recorded it while still in high school in 1953, along with Artie's band the Rhythm Riders. The song was rejected by Hill and Range Songs and Acuff-Rose Music. The song was eventually published by Valley Publishers which also released the single featuring Darrell Glenn. It became a local hit and then it went nationwide. The original version of the song (Valley 105) was issued in May 1953. The song became one of the most covered of 1953. Darrell Glenn's original recording reached number one on the Cash Box charts (where all versions were amalgamated) and number six on Billboard. Darrell Glenn's original version also hit number six on the Billboard pop singles chart and number four on the Billboard country and western chart, Rex Allen's number eight, Ella Fitzgerald number 15, and Art Lund reached number 23.
Contents
A recording by June Valli with orchestra directed by Joe Reisman was made in New York City on June 11, 1953. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog umber 20-5368 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog numbers HR 10007, N 14105 and CS 14. This was the most successful pop version on the Billboard charts, reaching number four after charting for 17 weeks beginning August 1, 1953.
Elvis Presley version
On October 30, 1960, Elvis Presley recorded a version of the song during the sessions for his RCA Records gospel album, His Hand in Mine. It was not included on that album, but rather was held back by RCA and finally released as an "Easter Special" single (447-0643) in April 1965, hitting number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and topping the Easy Listening chart for seven weeks, the greatest chart success for Presley over a six-year span. The single reached number one on the British charts in 1965 where it stayed for two weeks. It was later included as a bonus track on Presley's 1967 gospel album, How Great Thou Art. The single was eventually certified "Platinum" by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units in the US.
Bob Marley & The Wailers version
In April, 1968, the vocal trio The Wailers, featuring Bob Marley on lead vocals and guitar, Rita Marley (replacing Neville Livingston aka Bunny Wailer, who was in jail at the time) and Peter Tosh on harmony vocals backed by Rastafarian nyabinghi percussion group Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus recorded an adapted version of the song in Kingston, Jamaica. Its lyrics were adapted from the Orioles' version by Rasta leader Mortimo Planno, who also produced and pressed the single entitled "Selassie Is the Chapel", the first ever Rastafarian song recorded and released by Bob Marley. The song is thus meaningful to Rastafarians as its lyrics were modified in order to affirm the divinity of Haile Selassie as the born again Christ:
Haile Selassie is the chapel/Power of the trinity/Build your mind on this direction/Serve the living God and live
Only a few hundred copies of the single were pressed on a blank label at the time, making this song a much sought-after rarity for decades until it was finally reissued and documented on CD on the Selassie Is the Chapel album (JAD Records, 1997) as part of the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967 to 1972 series produced by Bruno Blum and Roger Steffens. A vinyl single was also released by JAD in 2002. The recording was reissued on that single along with the original Mortimo Planno-voiced flip side, Rastafarian cult song "A Little Prayer" as well as on the 2002 four CD Bob Marley Rebel anthology set released in France only and deleted in 2003. A "Selassie Is the Chapel" remix produced by Bruno Blum with a contribution by original Marley backing group The Wailers was released on the European Rastafari label in 1998 (and the Jamaican Human Race label a few years later) as "War/Selassie Is the Chapel". They feature a virtual duet between Bob Marley and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in medley style. This duet version single hit number one in the UK Echoes magazine in April 1998. A dub version entitled "War/Selassie in Dub" was released on the flip side. A later Jamaican DJ version by Joseph Cotton entitled "Conflicts" was released on the Rastafari label in 2009.
Other versions
More than 50 artists have released a version of "Crying in the Chapel".