The Letter

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"The Letter"
Single by The Box Tops
from the album The Letter/Neon Rainbow
Released	August 12, 1967 (U.S.)
Recorded	Memphis, June 1967
Genre	Pop rock
Length	1:58
Writer(s)	Wayne Carson Thompson
Producer	Dan Penn

"The Letter"
Single by Joe Cocker
from the album Mad Dogs and Englishmen
B-side	"Space Captain"
Released	April, 1970
Format	7" 45 RPM
Genre	Rock
Length	4:46 (live album version) 4:11 (studio single version)
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Wayne Carson Thompson
Producer	Denny Cordell, Leon Russell

"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by The Box Tops and their singer, Alex Chilton, released in 1967 on the album of the same name. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK singles chart. The song was popular during the Vietnam War and was also included in the computer game Battlefield Vietnam. Rolling Stone ranked it #363 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Cover versions

• Many artists have re-recorded The Letter, including Al Green, The Mindbenders, Crimson TimeBomb, Bobby Darin, Jack Jones, Kimberly Briggs, Dionne Warwick, Amii Stewart, Del Shannon, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Shadows, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, Declan Galbraith, Seasick Steve, Matt Schofield, Don Fardon, Ellie Greenwich, Lou Rawls,Fear Itself, Dynamo 5 and Manolo Tena, Joe Cocker, and The Beach Boys in their 1967 studio rehearsals.
• Cocker's version, a more funk/soul oriented rendition, was released as a single in April 1970 and also did very well on the U.S. Pop Singles chart, peaking at number seven. The single version, done live in the studio, can be found on the 2005 deluxe edition of Cocker's 1970 album, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," while his live in concert take of the song (credited to 'Joe Cocker with Leon Russell and the Shelter People') can be found on both the original and the deluxe edition of the album. He later performed it on Saturday Night Live.
• The Arbors version was also a chart success, peaking at number twenty in 1969.
• Eva Cassidy also covered "The Letter" on her album Time After Time.
• It is covered somewhat regularly by American rock and jam band Gov't Mule.
• Heavy metal band Metal Scent has performed a live cover version of the song.
• Chris Daughtry of American Idol covered "The Letter" for his audition with the judges.
• A cover version of "The Letter" by Dynamo 5 was used as the lead song for the film Sonnenallee.
• Bachman–Turner Overdrive recorded this as a demo while still using their early band name, Brave Belt. It can be heard on the album The Anthology. Randy Bachman also recorded it in 2007 with The Bachman–Cummings Band for Jukebox.
• Melanie covered the song on her 1976 album Photograph.
• Japanese psychedelic band The Mops covered the song on their album Psychedelic Sounds In Japan.
• Declan Galbraith sang "The Letter" on all concerts during his China tour in May 2008.
• Neal Morse recorded "The Letter" as a bonus track for the deluxe edition of his Lifeline album
• The Swedish pop group A*Teens recorded this song for their 2003 album New Arrival.
• Dr. Dave (David Kolin) in 1986 recorded a parody of the song entitled "Vanna, Pick Me a Letter," which tells the story of a man obsessed with the U.S. game show Wheel of Fortune.
• Stuðmenn, an Icelandic rock band, have the song sung in the Danish language! in a ball scene on their album Sumar á Sýrlandi (Summer in Siria).
• The Letter was also sang by The Classics IV

References

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