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Brenda Lee

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The Making Of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry"

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Country/pop legend remembers the birth of her GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted song "I'm Sorry"
Brenda Lee
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

(Since its inception in 1973, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame has enshrined nearly 1,000 recordings across all genres. The Making Of … series presents firsthand accounts of the creative process behind some of the essential recordings of the 20th century. You can read more Making Of … accounts, and in-depth insight into the recordings and artists represented in the Hall, in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition book.)

 

I'm Sorry
Brenda Lee
Decca (1960)
Single
Inducted 1999

(As told to Tammy La Gorce)

["I'm Sorry"] was really the first big ballad we had done. Prior to that we had done "Sweet Nothin's" and I had a hit with that, and we had also done “Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," and that became a hit, but it really hadn't done anything [on the charts] up to that point.

"I'm Sorry" was one of the first songs to come out of Nashville using strings. It was originally an eight-bar song, and we were trying to figure out how to get it to be a 16-bar song, because that's usually what songs are; at eight bars it would have been too short. In any event, I was a big fan [of the Ink Spots] because of my producer, Owen Bradley. And they used to recite words in their songs. So I said, "Why not do a recitation [to lengthen the song]?" And so that's where the recitation in "I'm Sorry" came from.

So when "I'm Sorry" came out and became such a huge hit, that made "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" start selling. Then that became a huge, huge hit.

I didn't write "I'm Sorry." The [writers were] Ronnie Self, who wrote "Sweet Nothin's," [and Dub Albritton]. We had no formal arrangements or anything. We all met at the studio, and we had the crème de la crème — the Anita Kerr Singers, [saxophonist] Boots Randolph and [pianist] Floyd Cramer. We all sat down and decided, "I think this should go here [and] this would sound pretty there." It was all just us thinking together because back then we didn't have any arrangements.

We did it in two takes. I was going on 16 years old. I look back on that now, and it seems pretty amazing. But you know, I had been singing since I was 3 years old, so my love of singing was always there. But I never expected to have a big old record like that. I didn't really have an agenda for my talent. I just wanted to be able to sing. That I had those hits was the icing on the cake.

I knew the song was great when I first heard it. We all did. We all felt there was something very, very special about the song.

Now, oh my Lord, every show I do I include "I'm Sorry." If I didn't my audience would be upset. Because it's just like with anybody — they come to hear the songs that got them acquainted with the artist in the first place. And that song has withstood the test of time. But you know, with Owen Bradley, who was just a genius with the team, and Anita Kerr and all the rest, all you needed was the song and the singer. Everything else was there for you, ready to go.

(Tammy La Gorce is a freelance writer whose work appears regularly in The New York Times.)

GRAMMYs

Elton John

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Recordings By Neil Diamond, Eurythmics, Elton John & More Inducted Into The 2020 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

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Other inductees include recordings by the Allman Brothers Band, the Chuck Wagon Gang, Patsy Cline, Dick Dale And The Del-Tones and more
GRAMMYs
Jan 14, 2020 - 7:02 am

Today, Jan. 14, the Recording Academy has announced the latest inductions to the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. 

The 2020 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inductees range from Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)" to Joni Mitchell's Clouds. The list also features Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)," Elton John's "Tiny Dancer," Devo's Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Swan Silvertones' "Oh Mary Don't You Weep," and Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.

Other inductees include recordings by the Allman Brothers Band, the Chuck Wagon Gang, Patsy Cline, Dick Dale And The Del-Tones, Bo Diddley, Peter Frampton, the King Cole Trio, Skip James, James P. Johnson, Machito, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, Blind Alfred Reed, Joshua Rifkin, Nancy Sinatra, the Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys, the Surfaris and Mary Lou Williams. 

This year’s additions recognize a diverse range of both single and album recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. Recordings are reviewed each year by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 26 new titles, the Hall, now in its 47th year, currently totals 1,114 recordings and is on display at the GRAMMY Museum. 

Eligible recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy. For a full list of 2020 recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, click here. The 2020 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inductions are available to stream via a playlist below.

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Prince To Receive All-Star GRAMMY Tribute Concert Featuring Beck, Alicia Keys, John Legend And More

Nina Simone

Nina Simone

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Nina Simone, Tom Petty Recordings Among 2019 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inductions

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Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, and more also included in the 25 recordings in this year's Hall Of Fame class
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 24, 2019 - 7:30 am

The Recording Academy has announced the inductees for the 2019 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. The list of 25 recordings includes works by Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and more.

This year's class represents a diverse range of both singles and album recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. From Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" to Davis' 'Round About Midnight. The highly reputed list also features Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Song Book, Brenda Lee's "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree," Parton's "Coat Of Many Colors," Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted And Black," Petty's Full Moon Fever, The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and Domino's "I’m Walkin’."

Other inductees include recordings by Leonard Bernstein, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, El Jarocho, W.C. Handy, Miriam Makeba, Curtis Mayfield, Edward Meeker With The Edison Orchestra, Charlie Parker’s Ri Bop Boys, Jaco Pastorius, Jeannie C. Riley, Sonny Rollins Quartet Featuring John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Troggs, Sarah Vaughan, and Link Wray & His Ray Men.

"The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame is proud to be a pillar of musical excellence and diversity year after year, honoring some of the most iconic recordings of all time," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "We are proud to acknowledge the ever-changing landscape and evolution of musical expression for which the Academy has become known. We’re honored to add these masterpieces to our growing catalog and are delighted to celebrate the impact they’ve had on our musical, social, and cultural history."

Each year recordings are reviewed by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 25 new titles, the Hall, now in its 46th year, currently totals 1,088 recordings and is on display at GRAMMY Museum L.A. LIVE.

For more music history in the making, be sure to watch the 61st GRAMMY Awards, which will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.

Dolly Parton Primer: 10 Must-Hear Songs By The Queen Of Country

Queen circa 1975

Queen

Photo: Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images/Getty Images

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'A Night At The Opera': 7 Facts On Queen's Masterpiece | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

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The band's fourth album spawned perhaps one of the most epic rock operas of all time; get the 411 on the making of this classic LP
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Apr 27, 2018 - 3:39 pm

"I see a little silhouetto of a man/Scaramouche, scaramouche will you do the fandango?"

The lyrics are so iconic, inevitably you'll know the song they belong to in an instant — Queen's epic "Bohemian Rhapsody."  

While the rock opera has arguably outshined the rest of the album that spawned the unlikely hit, A Night At The Opera was Queen's aptly titled fourth studio LP. Released Nov. 21, 1975, it contained other would-be favorites such as "Love Of My Life" and "You're My Best Friend." By all accounts, it wasn't an easy album to get down on tape, but it also became one of Queen's most successful and influential works of art.

Marking A Night At The Opera's latest achievement, it was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame as part of the class of 2018, an honor recognizing significant recordings that have shaped our musical heritage. To celebrate, let's take a closer look at these seven facts about the making of this classic Queen album.

1. The Marx Brothers Inspired The Title

As fans of the Marx Brothers' filmography, it seemed to make perfect sense that Queen — lead singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon — would name their fourth album after one of their films. A Night At The Opera comes from the 1935 Marx Brothers comedy of the same name, which the band reportedly watched in the studio during the recording of the LP Their 1976 follow-up, A Day At The Races, also borrowed its title from the Marx Brothers.

2. The Album Cost A Fortune

There was nothing cheap about recording A Night At The Opera, both from a time and financial standpoint. Getting the massive "Bohemian Rhapsody" down took three weeks alone, and the rest of the album stretched on as Queen worked tirelessly with producer Roy Thomas Baker. Most notably, the album cost the equivalent of $500,000 today to make in 1975, which earned the distinction of being the then-most expensive rock album ever made. This could have something to do with the fact the band recorded in six studios across the U.K.

3. Manager Drama Makes The Cut

Prior to 1975, Queen struggled to make ends meet despite having success with their three previous albums. It turns out the issue was a management deal gone horribly wrong. The band fought to free themselves from the bad relationship, and when they were successful, Mercury penned a scathing revenge track recounting the experience — "Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To …)."

"'Death On Two Legs' was the most vicious lyric I ever wrote," Mercury said, according to QueenOnline.com. "It was so vindictive that Brian felt bad singing it. No one would ever believe how much hate and venom went into the singing of that song, let alone the lyrics themselves."

4. Recording "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Queen's magnum opus, and arguably their most recognizable song of all time, is the rock opera "Bohemian Rhapsody." Clocking in at more than six minutes, it defied all conventions. And while we know some of the song's references — Scaramouche is a character from the Italian clown tradition, Galileo refers to the famous astronomer and Bismillah is the first word in The Qu'ran — we may never know the song's true meaning since Mercury never revealed it. To get "Bohemian Rhapsody" on tape, particularly the choral parts, Mercury, May and Taylor reportedly sang 180 overdubs. By the end of the process, the tape had been used so many times it was see-through.

5. Making Music Video History

With its growing popularity, Queen realized they would need a music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody," largely because they didn't want to appear on the British TV show "Top Of The Pops." So the band set aside £3,500, brought on director Bruce Gowers and threw together a music video in just four hours in a space they were using to rehearse for a tour. The result was a rather simple video visually dominated by the band's singing heads. But like the song itself, the end result became so popular it's credited with helping usher in the MTV music video craze of the '80s.

6. Wayne's World? Excellent …

Remember that scene in Wayne's World where Mike Meyers and crew lip sync "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the car? That moment has become a classic music moment in film, but it also gave way to a resurgence of interest in the popular A Night At The Opera track. When the Wayne's World soundtrack hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1992, "Bohemian Rhapsody" also landed at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing the Queen hit to a new generation of fans.

7. GRAMMY Awards Recognition

Besides A Night At The Opera's induction into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame this year, the album earned Queen other GRAMMY recognition. Most notably, "Bohemian Rhapsody" earned the rockers their first two GRAMMY nominations at the 19th GRAMMY Awards, including nods for Best Arrangement For Voices (Duo, Group Or Chorus) and Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus. "Bohemian Rhapsody" earned induction into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on its own in 2004 and Queen was also honored with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

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Chic circa 1981

Chic circa 1981

Photo: Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

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Library Of Congress Adds Recordings By Chic, Tony Bennett, Fleetwood Mac

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From '80s pop and rap to classical, disco, Motown, and American songbook classics, the rhythms behind the National Recording Registry's additions for 2017 are gonna get you
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Mar 21, 2018 - 9:10 am

Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. What do these recording have in common? Not only have each of them won GRAMMY Awards, they now share the honor of having been added to the Library of Congress' venerable National Recording Registry.

Today, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the addition of these and 22 other recordings to the registry catalog for the 2017 calendar year.

Additional GRAMMY winners with recordings newly added include Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine's 1987 upbeat jam, "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"; Yo-Yo Ma's exquisite 1996 classical LP, Yo-Yo Ma Premieres: Concertos For Violoncello And Orchestra, Kenny Loggins' huge 1984 film soundtrack smash, "Footloose"; and Chic and Nile Rodgers' timeless 1978 disco workout, "Le Freak."

Run-DMC's groundbreaking 1986 album, Raising Hell, was added. The LP spawned the rock-rap crossover hit "Walk This Way," which was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2014.

Speaking of the Hall, other newly added National Recording Registry recordings that have been previously inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame include the soundtrack to The Sound Of Music (inducted 1998), Mississippi Sheiks' "Sittin' On Top Of The World" (2008), Bill Haley And The Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" (1982), the Ink Spots' "If I Didn't Care" (1987), Harry Belafonte's Calypso (2015), and the Temptations' "My Girl" (1998).

Similar to the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame's mission, the National Recording Registry is designed to champion and preserve recordings of historical significance.

Nominations are gathered via online submissions from the public and from the NRPB, which is comprised of leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. See the National Recording Registry's full list — if you have a recording you deem worthy of adding to the registry, make your submission.

"This annual celebration of recorded sound reminds us of our varied and remarkable American experience," said Hayden. "The unique trinity of historic, cultural and aesthetic significance reflected in the National Recording Registry each year is an opportunity for reflection on landmark moments, diverse cultures and shared memories — all reflected in our recorded soundscape."

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