Put a Little Love in Your Heart

"Put a Little Love in Your Heart" is a song originally performed in 1968 by Jackie DeShannon, who composed it with her brother, Randy Myers, and Jimmy Holiday. In the USA, it was DeShannon's highest-charting hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Adult Contemporary charts.^[1] In late 1969, the song reached number one on South Africa's hit parade.

The song rivaled the success of her signature song, "What the World Needs Now is Love".

Charts

Annie Lennox & Al Green version

"Put a Little Love in Your Heart"
Single by Annie Lennox & Al Green
from the album Scrooged
Released	1988
Recorded	1988
Genre	Pop
Label	A&M Records
Writer(s)	Jackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday, Randy Myers
Annie Lennox singles chronology "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (1988) "Why" (1992) Al Green singles chronology "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (1987) "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (1988) "As Long as We're Together" (1989)

In 1988 Annie Lennox and Al Green recorded a version that was released as the ending theme song to the 1988 film Scrooged. The song reached #9 in the USA on the Hot 100 in January 1989 and climbed all the way to #2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, as well as becoming a top 40 hit in several countries worldwide. Outside of her Eurythmics band, it is Lennox's most successful single.

Charts

Other versions

• Ella Fitzgerald, the beloved "First Lady of Song", recorded this on her live album "Ella A Nice".
• Susan Raye covered the song her debut 1969 album, One Night Stand. The song was released as a single and peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
• Cilla Black covered the song on her 1970 album, Sweet Inspiration which was produced by George Martin.
• Albertina Walker the "Queen of Gospel" recorded a cover of the song along with The Caravans for her album by the same title in 1972.
• The Isley Brothers on their 1972 album Brother, Brother, Brother.
• Dolly Parton recorded a cover of the song for her album Slow Dancing With the Moon.
• The Dave Clark Five recorded a version in 1968. Issued as a single in the UK, it spent four weeks in the top 75, reaching number 31, three positions below that attained by Annie Lennox and Al Green in 1988.^[2]
• Mary Mary's version was featured in the film Stuart Little 2.
• Punk band Circle Jerks covered the song on their second album Wild In The Streets.
• Marcia Griffths recorded a reggae cover.
• A cover appeared in a 2003 Gap television campaign, performed by Al Green, Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Rowland, Stephan Jenkins, Vanessa Carlton, Ginuwine, Musiq, Heather Headley and Gavin DeGraw.
• A version is currently being used during the promo for the newest season of TLC's The Little Couple.
• Leonard Nimoy recorded a version.
• Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby recorded a version of this song.
• Lulu, a Scottish singer-songwriter and actress, recorded a cover of the song in 2005.
• The short-lived British funk/gospel band Kainos recorded the song on their 1978 albumChanging. After the band spilt, two of its members went on to further fame; organist Bazil Meade founded the London Community Gospel Choir in 1982, and guitarist Joel Edwards became the General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance in the UK.
• David Ruffin recorded the song during his solo career after he parted ways with the Temptations.
• John Mayer covered the song at a holiday benefit for a radio station "WPLJ".
• The Great Don Gibson recorded the song on his album, "A Perfect Mountain" Hickory LPS 155.

References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 77. 
2. ^ British Hit Singles, 12th edition, Guinness

External links

• Put A Little Love In Your Heart lyrics at Dolly Parton On-Line

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