"Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show" is a song written and recorded by

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

which appeared as the opening track on the eponymous album. Released as a single in early 1969, it hit number 22 on the U.S. pop singles chart.

Background

The song tells the story of Brother Love, an

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

who travels from town to town preaching. In the middle of the song, Diamond gives a sermon in typical evangelical style. The original 45 mix of the title cut differs from the album version. Aside from being in mono, extra reverb is used throughout the whole song. Neil Diamond's voice was overdubbed onto the lead vocal, creating a harmony. A tubular bell part were added following the phrase "Take my hand in yours...". The fade-out of the song is longer, with a louder horn section and a rattling tambourine part. All of Diamond's CD compilations have used the album mix. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the single as a "powerful piece of rhythm material with a potent lyric." '' The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' calls "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show" "genuinely demented."

Other versions

In 1969,

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

sang a cover version of the song on her Grammy-awarded album '' Is That All There Is?''. Dolly Parton has performed the song on numerous occasions, including on her 1976-77 variety show, as during her 1983 concert at London's Dominion Theatre, which was later broadcast as the TV special ''Dolly in London''. Sonny & Cher covered it on ''

Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs ''Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs'' is the fifth and final studio album by American pop duo Sonny & Cher, released in 1973 by MCA Records. In 2018 it was released on CD. Album information The album was releas ...

''. David Spade lip-synched, and then sang the song while imitating Neil Diamond in his 1999 film '' Lost & Found''. Country group The Wright Brothers Band did a cover version of the song, changing "Take my hand in yours" to "Take my hand, dear Lord." In 2019, the song was used in the trailer for the film ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is a ...

'', as well as in the film itself, and is included on the films soundtrack.

References

{{authority control 1969 singles Songs written by Neil Diamond Neil Diamond songs 1969 songs Song recordings produced by Chips Moman Obscenity controversies in music Uni Records singles Peggy Lee songs Christianity in popular culture controversies Religious controversies in music