"Hush" is a song written by American composer and musician

Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...

, for recording artist

Billy Joe Royal Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965. Life and career Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and rai ...

. The song was later covered by Somebody's Image (an Australian band fronted by

Russell Morris Russell Norman Morris (born 31 July 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who had five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recog ...

) in 1967. It reached #15. It was also covered by

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

in 1968 and by

Kula Shaker Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a num ...

in 1997. Each artist had a Top 5 hit with their version.

Billy Joe Royal version

recorded "Hush" on 12 July 1967 in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

with Barry Bailey, future lead guitarist for the

Atlanta Rhythm Section Atlanta Rhythm Section (or ARS) is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). The band's current l ...

, on guitar.

, Royal's regular songwriter/producer, was travelling to Nashville with Royal and writing "

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

" in the car. Royal didn't like it, so South wrote "Hush" for him while leaning on the dashboard. Royal did record "Rose Garden" for his album ''Billy Joe Royal featuring Hush'', though didn't release it as a single. In 1971, "Rose Garden" become an international for

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

, and was South's most successful composition. Royal later regretted not liking the song. Although more successful than Royal's last six single releases, only two of which had ranked even low on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Hush" would not afford Royal a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

comeback: managing only one "top-tier" market breakout in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- whose prime Top 40 station WLS would rank "Hush" as high as #5 tying the WLS hit parade peak for both Royal's 1965 career record " Down in the Boondocks" and also

's 1968 "Hush" cover - "Hush" would rise no higher on the Hot 100 than #52, with a Canadian pop chart peak of #45. The qualified success of "Hush" was sufficient to allow for the release of Royal's second album ''Billy Joe Royal featuring Hush''. "Hush" did afford Billy Joe Royal a one-off hit on the European continent, reaching #12 on the German singles chart and becoming a Top Ten hit in Belgium (#1), the Netherlands (#5) and Switzerland (#2). A promo clip for Billy Joe Royal's release of the song was filmed at the boardwalk amusement park and outskirts of an unidentified Southern beach town.

Deep Purple version

The song was subsequently recorded by British hard rock band

for their 1968 debut album ''

Shades of Deep Purple ''Shades of Deep Purple'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, released in July 1968 on Tetragrammaton in the United States and in September 1968 on Parlophone in the United Kingdom. The band, initially called Round ...

'', group member

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

having heard the

original while living in

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: (Ritchie Blackmore quote:) "It was a great song

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

would be a good song orour act, if we could come up with a different arrangement...We ecordedthe whole song in two takes." The track became the group's first hit single peaking at number 4 on the Hot 100 on 21–28 September 1968, number 16 in Italy in late 1968, and number 2 in Canada while going largely unnoticed in the United Kingdom. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "psychedelicized reversion of the time-back Billy Joe Royal song," saying that the instrumental work and tailoring of the rock song all point to sheer force". In 1968, Deep Purple performed live on

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

's ''

Playboy After Dark ''Playboy After Dark'' is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It aired in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Overview ''Playboy After Dark'' followed much the sa ...

'' TV series. The band opened the episode playing the instrumental "

And the Address "And the Address" is a song by England, English group Deep Purple. It appears on their debut ''Shades of Deep Purple'' and on their 2020 album ''Whoosh!''. Early history The song is the very first composed by the band. It was written by Ritchi ...

". After Hefner heard a ghost story from

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

and had a guitar lesson from

, Deep Purple performed "Hush" which is available in the ''Playboy After Dark -2nd Collection'' 2007

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

release and the 2000 CD-reissue of the ''Shades of Deep Purple'' album. In celebration of the band's 20th anniversary, Deep Purple re-recorded the song in 1988 for their album '' Nobody's Perfect''. The track was released as a single and reached number 62 on the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number 44 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock chart. "Hush" is one of four songs originally recorded with the band's original vocalist

Rod Evans Roderic Evans (born 19 January 1947) is a British former singer. In the late 1960s, he began his professional career in The Maze, formerly MI5, after which he was a member of the original Deep Purple line-up, who produced three studio albums ...

and bassist

Nick Simper Nicholas John Simper (born 3 November 1945) is an English bass guitarist, who was a co-founding member of Deep Purple and Warhorse. In the 1960s, he began his professional career in bands such as Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, The Flower Pot Me ...

that Deep Purple have performed with their replacements

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

and

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and Ro ...

later on. Others are "

Mandrake Root "Mandrake Root" is a song by Deep Purple that is featured on their debut album ''Shades of Deep Purple''. The title is in reference to the mandrake plant, but is also the name of a pre-Purple band that Blackmore was trying to form in Germany ...

", also from ''Shades of Deep Purple'', "

Kentucky Woman "Kentucky Woman" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. Background Diamond recorded "Kentucky Woman" as his last hit single for Bang Records. The song was mixed in monophonic, which is the common version heard on all Ne ...

", from the album ''

The Book of Taliesyn ''The Book of Taliesyn'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, recorded only three months after ''Shades of Deep Purple'' and released by Tetragrammaton Records in October 1968, just before their first US tour. The n ...

'' from 1968 and "Bird Has Flown", from the album ''

'' from 1969. The instrumental "Wring That Neck" from ''The Book of Taliesyn'' was also a regular part of the band's setlist into the early 1970s.

Other versions

*The song's composer

recorded "Hush" in 1968 for his second album ''Games People Play''. * British singer Kris Ife released a version in December 1967 (MGM Records single) *

Tommy Körberg Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg (; born 4 July 1948) is a Swedish singer, actor, and musician. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role as Anatoly/"The Russian" in the musical ''Chess''. He played the role on the 1984 concept album, and ...

recorded "Hush" for his 1968 album ''Nature Boy'', credited to Tom. *

Merrilee Rush Merrilee Rush ( Gunst; January 26, 1944) is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a top-10 hit which earned her a Grammy nomination for female vocalist of the year in 1968. Early life and career ...

recorded "Hush" for her 1968 album ''Angel of the Morning''. * Love Affair recorded "Hush" for their 1968 album '' The Everlasting Love Affair''. *A 1973 single release of "Hush" by

Jeannie C. Riley Jeannie C. Riley (born Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson; October 19, 1945) is an American country music and gospel music, gospel singing, singer. She is best known for her 1968 country music, country and pop music, pop hit "Harper Valley PTA", which mi ...

, from her album ''Just Jeannie'', reached #51 on the ''

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 ...

'' C&W chart. *Swiss band Gotthard included a cover on their self-titled 1992 debut album. They also performed the song live with Deep Purple's

as guest special at the

Zermatt Zermatt () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is classified as a town by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). ...

Unplugged Festival in 2008. *Jenny Rock, a Canadian artist, recorded a French adaptation version in 1970 entitled Mal (produced by Michel Pagliaro). *

recorded a version which peaked at No.2 in the UK Charts in 1997 and was used on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

for ''

I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...

'' and the marketing for '' Kingsman: The Secret Service''. * Somebody's Image recorded a version that was a minor hit in Australia in 1967. *

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from Se ...

performed a version on their TV series, with

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

on vocals. *

Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...

recorded a version on their debut album '' All or Nothing'' in 1988. *

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

recorded a version for their debut self-titled studio album in 1970. *

Funky Junction Funky Junction were an Irish rock band formed in 1972 specifically to record a single album of songs made famous by British band Deep Purple, which was released as ''Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple'' in January 1973. Among the band's ...

recorded a version of "Hush" on their only album ''Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple'' in 1973. The band featured

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

Eric Bell Eric Robin Bell (born 3 September 1947 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock and blues musician, best known as a founding member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy from 1969 to 1973. After his time in Thin ...

, and Brian Downey from

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

.Alan Byrne, "Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune", Firefly, 2004 *

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

covered "Hush" on the Eurodance album ''Party Warriors'', released in Europe in 2003.

Personnel

1968 Deep Purple version *

– guitar *

– lead vocals *

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...

– drums *

–

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

, backing vocals 1988 Deep Purple version *

– guitar *

– vocals, harmonica *

– bass *

– drums *

– organ, keyboards

References

{{authority control Billy Joe Royal songs Deep Purple songs Kula Shaker songs Songs written by Joe South 1967 singles 1968 debut singles 1980 singles 1988 singles Columbia Records singles Parlophone singles Mercury Records singles Polydor Records singles 1967 songs