"In Your Letter" is a song written by

Gary Richrath Gary Dean Richrath (October 18, 1949 – September 13, 2015) was an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989. Early life Richrath was born in Peoria, Illinois, on Octob ...

that was first released on

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

's 1980 album ''

Hi Infidelity ''Hi Infidelity'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980 by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the ''Billboard 200''. It went on to become ...

''. It was released as the fourth single from the album and just made the Top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at #20. It also reached #26 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. It also had some chart success in Canada, reaching #34.

Lyrics and music

Richrath was inspired to write the song based on a real life incident. According to band member

Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the ...

, at the end of a tour fellow band member

Neal Doughty Neal Allan Doughty (born July 29, 1946, in Evansville, Indiana) is an American keyboardist, best known as a founding member of the rock band REO Speedwagon and the only member to have played on every album. He formed the band in fall 1967, with or ...

came home to find a letter from his wife on the kitchen table informing him that she had left him for another man. The other man turned out to be the person who supplied the band with their "illegal substances." According to Cronin, Doughty's response to the letter was "I’m really gonna miss that guy." Casandra Armour of vintagerock.com says that lyrics contain "cutting accusations with cruel alliteration like 'But you hid behind your poison pen and his pride' and 'You could have left him only for an evening let him be lonely.'"" Cronin has stated that the original version of the song very simple, very almost like ‘50s doo-wop melody and chord structure. The original chord structure was

G Major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

E Minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

C Major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

D Major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, similar to the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

' "

This Boy "This Boy" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney). It was released in November 1963 as the B-side of the band's Parlophone single "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In the United State ...

" among many other songs. The music of "In Your Letter" is a throwback to songs of the 1950s and 1960s.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

describes it as a "sun-kissed '60s homage." ''

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 it as having "the spunky charm of a 1960s pop song." Philippa Hawker of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' describes it as "a grimly uptempo 60s style whinge." Leslie Michele Derrough of ''Glide Magazine'' describes it as sounding like a "1950s

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American Ju ...

." Gerald Martineez described the song as "an uptempo tune about an angry lover complaining of the way he was dumped." Armour described the music as having a "dizzying

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

feel." Hawkins also noted a stylistic similarity with the

Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

' song "Should I Do It" from their 1981 '' Black & White'' album. In a demo version released on the 30th anniversary version of ''Hi Infidelity'' the guitar part has some

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

feel.

Reception

''Billboard'' said that "In Your Letter" is "filled with melody and solid

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

s." Erlewine calls "In Your Letter" a "great album track."

KRTH KRTH (101.1 FM, "K-Earth 101") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits format. KRTH's st ...

program director Bob Hamilton felt that "In Your Letter" was "the most mass appeal cut" on ''Hi Infidelity'' and "the strongest cut on the album." ''

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

'' had originally wanted "In Your Letter" to be the follow-up single to the #1 " Keep on Loving You" until the band insisted that "

Take It On The Run "Take It on the Run" is a song by American rock band REO Speedwagon off the band's ninth studio album ''Hi Infidelity'' (1980). The song was written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath. "Take It on the Run" was the follow-up single behind the group's ...

" should be the 2nd single from ''Hi Infidelity''. Upon Richrath's death in 2015, ''Guitar Aficionado'' included "In Your Letter" as one of his top 10 finest moments with the band. Several of Richrath's obituaries acknowledged the song as one of REO Speedwagon's biggest hits. But Hawker complains that the song "is only bearable if you find the phrase 'In your letter, ooh ooh, in your letter' so filled with significance that you are happy to hear it repeated many, many times." In Your Letter was included on several of REO Speedwagon's compilation albums, including '' The Essential REO Speedwagon''. It has also been included on multi-artist compilations such as ''Spring Chant – 14 Songs for First Love'' in 1995.

Randy & the Rainbows Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York. History The group was formed in 1962 in Maspeth, Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers, Dominick and Frank, had pre ...

covered "In Your Letter" on their 1995 compilation album ''You're Only Young Twice: Ambient Sound''. This song also later appeared on

's 1992 album Only the Strong Survive

Personnel

REO Speedwagon *

– lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar *

– 6 and 12-string electric guitars * Bruce Hall – bass *

– acoustic piano *

Alan Gratzer REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

– drums Additional personnel * Tom Kelly – backing vocal *

Richard Page Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and from December 1979 to 2005. Early life Born the son of Victor Charles Page, he went to the independent Hu ...

– backing vocal * N Yolletta - backing vocal

Charts

Cover versions

In 1982 the doo-wop group Randy and the Rainbows covered the song. It was featured on their album ''C'mon Let's Go''. In 1989 the Japanese idol group

Wink A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye. A wink is an informal mode of non-verbal communication usually signaling shared hidden knowledge or intent. However, it is ambiguous by itself and highly dependent upon additional ...

released a Japanese cover on their album Twin Memories.

References

{{Authority control Songs about letters (message) REO Speedwagon songs 1980 songs 1981 singles Songs written by Gary Richrath Song recordings produced by Kevin Beamish Epic Records singles Song recordings produced by Gary Richrath Song recordings produced by Kevin Cronin