Desiderata
Studio album by
Les Crane
Released 1971
Genre Spoken word
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Fred Werner
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic StarStarStarStar[1]

Desiderata is a 1971 album by Les Crane with music by Broadway composer Fred Werner and concept and various lyrics by David C. Wilson. It is a spoken-word album with sung refrains and instrumental accompaniment. The title and title track come from the widely circulated poem "Desiderata", which was widely perceived as ancient wisdom and not known to be a 1927 poem by Indiana lawyer Max Ehrmann.

Crane's supporting musicians included singer Evangeline Carmichael, whose daughter Carol Carmichael sang the "child of the universe" refrain on the title track, with musicians including keyboardist Michel Rubini, guitarist Louie Shelton, flautist Jim Horn and two percussionists, Joe Porcaro and Emil Richards. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.[2]

Music

The album includes well-known poetry such as Henry David Thoreau's "Different Drummer" (retitled "Independence" on the track list) and "Wilderness" (retitled "Nature") as well as original compositions such as "Friends."

The title track poem "Desiderata" had already been recorded by drummer Brian Davison's project band Every Which Way on the 1970 album Brian Davison's Every Which Way as "Go Placidly", with music by keyboardist and singer Graham Bell. "Go Placidly" was also released as a single.[3][4] The music on Crane's album was performed by Broadway composer Fred Werner, whose music publisher Robert Bell of Crescendo Publishing identified the original source of the poem on the poster as Max Ehrmann.[5] Werner's arrangement features repeated singing of the refrain "You are a child of the universe, No less than the trees and the stars: You have a right to be here."[2][6][7]

Lindsay Planer, in her review of the album for AllMusic, wrote: "Crane's dulcet-toned reading became an anthem for those wishing to perpetuate the message of peace and love that had seemingly been abandoned in the wake of the '60s" and called the album "an inspired timepiece with an ageless message, rather than the one-hit wonder novelty that history will undoubtedly remember it as."[1]

Chart history (title track)

Track listing

  1. "Prologue" – 0:18
  2. "Desiderata" (Max Ehrmann, Fred Werner) – 4:18
  3. "Vision" (Traditional, Werner) – 3:19
  4. "Friends" (Wilson, Crane, Werner) – 4:42
  5. "Beauty (Shining from the Inside Out)" (Wilson, Werner) – 3:03
  6. "Happiness (I Got No Cares)" (Wilson, Werner) – 2:19
  7. "Esperanza (Hope)" (Werner) – 2:33
  8. "Nature (Wilderness)" (Rachel Thoreau, Werner) – 2:52
  9. "Courage (Eyes That See)" (Wilson, Werner) – 4:26
  10. "Independence (A Different Drummer)" (Thoreau, Ehrmann, Werner) – 2:29
  11. "Love (Children Learn What They Live)" (Werner) – 3:43
  12. "Epilogue" – 0:33

References

  1. ^ a b Planer, Lindsay. Les Crane: Desiderata > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Masters, Marshall (2004). Indigo E. T. Connection: The Future of Indigo Children. Your Own World. p. 73. ISBN 9780975517727.
  3. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie & Jenkins. p. 291. ISBN 9780214204807.
  4. ^ Jancik, Wayne (1990). The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders. Billboard Books. p. 278. ISBN 9780823075300.
  5. ^ "Writer Clears "Desiderata"". Billboard. Vol. 84, no. 16. April 15, 1972. p. 4.
  6. ^ Hampson, Tom; Whalen, Loretta (1991). Tales of the Heart: Affective Approaches to Global Education. Friendship Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780377002234.
  7. ^ Higgins, C. S.; Moss, Peter D. (1982). Sounds Real: Radio in Every Day Life. University of Queensland Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780702219108.
  8. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. November 6, 1971. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Desiderata". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  10. ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 6 March 1972". Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  11. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  13. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 11, 1971". Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  15. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.