''Love Song for Jeffrey'' is the fifth studio album by
Australian-American pop singer
Helen Reddy, released on March 25, 1974, by
Capitol Records.
The album focused on her family, giving special attention to those who had died within the past year. A tribute on the back cover reads: ''"In memory of my mother, Stella Lamond Reddy, July 1973, my father, Max Reddy, September 1973, and my beloved aunt, Helen Reddy Sr., January 1974."''
The album debuted on the ''
Billboard''
Top LPs & Tape chart in the issue dated April 20, 1974, and reached number 11 during its 35 weeks there. Six weeks later, on June 6, the
Recording Industry Association of America awarded the album with Gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States,
[RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for titles by Helen Reddy](_blank)
and in Canada it peaked at number six on
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
magazine's album chart in September of that year. On January 27, 2004, it was released for the first time on compact disc as one of two albums on one CD, the other album being her other 1974 release, ''
Free and Easy''.
__TOC__
Singles
The first track that was selected for release from this album, "
Keep On Singing
"Keep on Singing" is a 1973 song composed by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, and was originally recorded by Austin Roberts from the album ''Austin Roberts''. It was released as a single on Chelsea Records and reached No. 50 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...
", was issued on February 25, 1974,
[(2006) ''The Woman I Am: The Definitive Collection'' by Helen Reddy D booklet Los Angeles: Capitol Records 09463-57613-2-0.] debuted on ''
Billboards
Hot 100 shortly thereafter, in the issue of the magazine dated March 9, and peaked at number 15 during its 13 weeks there.
[.] Its first appearance on the magazine's
Easy Listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
chart came in the March 16 issue, and the song managed two of its 13 weeks on that list at number one.
[.] On the RPM singles chart it reached number 10.
"
You and Me Against the World
''You and Me Against the World'' is the fifth studio album from Norwegian electronic rock music band Apoptygma Berzerk. The album was released in 2005, and gave way to a very different sound in the band, whereas previous records had a more tradit ...
" was released as a single on May 27 of that year
[ and got as high as number nine during its 20 weeks on the ]pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
that began in the June 15 issue.[ That same issue also included its first appearance on the Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for 18 weeks, one of which was spent at number one.][ It also reached number nine on the Canadian singles chart. In the liner notes for the 2006 compilation ''The Woman I Am: The Definitive Collection'' Reddy writes of this song that it is her "second-most-requested song after ']I Am Woman
"I Am Woman" is a song written by Australian musicians Helen Reddy and Ray Burton. Performed by Reddy, the first recording of "I Am Woman" appeared on her debut album ''I Don't Know How to Love Him'', released in May 1971, and was heard durin ...
'. I still receive mail from people who have lost a parent or child telling me that this was 'their song'. These letters always touch me."[
]
Track listing
Side 1
# "That Old American Dream" (Albert Hammond
Albert Louis Hammond OBE (born 18 May 1944) is a British-Gibraltarian singer, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific songwriter, he also collaborated with other songwriters such as Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Diane Warren, Holly Knight ...
, Mike Hazlewood
Michael Edward Hazlewood (24 December 1941 – 6 May 2001)[Mike Hazelwood – Credits ...](_blank)
) – 2:27
# " You're My Home" ( Billy Joel) – 2:59
# "Songs" ( Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) – 3:55
# " I Got a Name" ( Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel
Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both wit ...
) – 3:32
# "Keep On Singing
"Keep on Singing" is a 1973 song composed by Danny Janssen and Bobby Hart, and was originally recorded by Austin Roberts from the album ''Austin Roberts''. It was released as a single on Chelsea Records and reached No. 50 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...
" ( Bobby Hart, Danny Janssen) – 3:03
Side 2
# "You and Me Against the World
''You and Me Against the World'' is the fifth studio album from Norwegian electronic rock music band Apoptygma Berzerk. The album was released in 2005, and gave way to a very different sound in the band, whereas previous records had a more tradit ...
" (Kenny Ascher
Kenneth Lee Ascher (born October 26, 1944 in Washington, D.C.) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production ...
, Paul Williams) – 3:08
# "Ah, My Sister" ( Peter Allen, Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1947) is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter.
Early life and career
Bayer Sager was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She grad ...
) – 3:03
# "Pretty, Pretty" (Peter Allen, Hal Hackady
Harold Clayton MacHackady (February 10, 1922 – October 12, 2015), best known as Hal Hackady, and sometimes credited as Hal Hackaday, was an American lyricist, librettist and screenwriter.
Life
He was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 192 ...
) – 3:26
# "Love Song for Jeffrey" (Peter Allen, Helen Reddy) – 2:40
# " Stella by Starlight" (Ned Washington
Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Life and career
Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...
, Victor Young
Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor.
Biography
Young is commonly said to ...
) – 3:50
;Alternate version of "Songs"
In 2009 EMI Music Special Markets released ''Rarities from the Capitol Vaults'', a 12-track CD of mostly what were previously unreleased Reddy recordings, which included an alternate version of "Songs".[(2009) ''Rarities from the Capitol Vaults'' by Helen Reddy D booklet Hollywood: EMI Music Special Markets 509996-98493-2-9]
Charts
Personnel
*Helen Reddy – vocals
*Tom Catalano – producer
* Artie Butler – arranger and conductor (except as noted)
* Michael Omartian – arranger and conductor (" Keep On Singing", "You're My Home")
*Armin Steiner – engineer
*Jeff Wald – management
*Virgil Mirano – cover and liner photography
*Roy Kohara – art direction
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1974 albums
Capitol Records albums
Helen Reddy albums
Albums produced by Tom Catalano