"It's Gonna Take a Miracle" is a song written by

Teddy Randazzo Alessandro Carmelo "Teddy" Randazzo (May 13, 1935 – November 21, 2003) was an American pop songwriter, singer, arranger and producer, who composed hit songs such as " Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", " Pretty Blue Eyes", ...

Bobby Weinstein Robert Weinstein (July 16, 1939 – March 16, 2022) was an American songwriter, singer, and music industry executive, whose hit songs, mostly co-written with Teddy Randazzo, include "Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and " I ...

, and Lou Stallman. It was first an R&B hit in 1965 for

The Royalettes The Royalettes (also credited as Sheila Ross and her Royalettes) were a four-girl group from Baltimore, Maryland who exemplified the "sweet soul" style of the mid-60s. They were originally signed with Philadelphia-based Chancellor Records and lat ...

, which reached the Top 30 on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 37 on ''Cash Box''. The most successful version of "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" was the 1982 cover by R&B and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer

Deniece Williams Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1951) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs " Free", " Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two ''Bil ...

. Her version went to number one on the R&B chart for two weeks and reached number ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was originally written and intended for

Little Anthony and The Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

, but they never recorded it due to a royalty dispute with the song's writers/label owners Teddy Randazzo and Don Costa at the group's record label, DCP (Don Costa Productions) Records.
Imperials member (and Double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee)

Sammy Strain Samuel Strain Jr. (born December 9, 1939) is an American R&B vocalist, known for his time as a member of Little Anthony and the Imperials (1958–1972; 1992–2005) and The O'Jays (1975–1992). He holds the unusual distinction of being twice in ...

recalls:

"We had a lot of hit records (with DCP) but we hadn’t received any royalties,” said Strain. “We protested and said we’re not going into the studio anymore until we get an accounting. We didn’t record for about eight or nine months. In the interim, Teddy Randazzo produced a girl group out of Baltimore called the Royalettes. He gave them a song called 'It’s Gonna Take a Miracle' which was written for Little Anthony & the Imperials. When it first came out, everybody thought it was us. He also produced Derek Martin who had a hit called 'You Better Go.' But we missed a million seller with 'Gonna Take a Miracle' when we went on strike with the record company."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

* In 1970, Alton Ellis recorded the song for his album '' Sunday Coming''. * In 1971,

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

recorded the song for her covers album with LaBelle, ''

Gonna Take a Miracle ''Gonna Take a Miracle'' is the fifth album by New York City-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, with assistance by vocal trio Labelle. It was released on Columbia Records in November 1971, one year after its predecessor '' Christmas ...

''. Nyro's recording featured in the film " A Home at the End of the World" (2004). * In 1994, The Manhattan Transfer recorded a version with Bette Midler on lead vocals. This was released in 1995 on Manhattan Transfer's ''

Tonin' ''Tonin is the sixteenth studio album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1995 on Atlantic Records. The expression "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s. The songs on this album are favorites of the band ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1965 singles 1982 singles Bette Midler songs Labelle songs Deniece Williams songs Songs written by Teddy Randazzo Songs written by Bobby Weinstein Songs written by Lou Stallman 1965 songs MGM Records singles Columbia Records singles 1960s ballads Pop ballads