Midnight Confessions

"Midnight Confessions" is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Ever-Green Blues. American rock band The Grass Roots later made it famous when they released it as a single in 1968. Though never released on any of the group's studio albums, it was on their first compilation album, Golden Grass, and has since been included on many of their other compilations.

"Midnight Confessions"
Single by The Grass Roots
from the album Golden Grass
B-side"Who Will You Be Tomorrow"
ReleasedJune 1968 (1968-06)[1]
Recorded1968 in Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length2:42
LabelABC/Dunhill
Songwriter(s)Lou Josie
Producer(s)Steve Barri
The Grass Roots singles chronology
"Feelings"
(1968)		 "Midnight Confessions"
(1968)		 "Bella Linda"
(1968)

The Grass Roots version became the band's biggest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the Top 5 of both the U.S. and Canadian pop singles charts.[3]

Background and recording

The lyrics describe a man who is infatuated with a married woman, knows he can never have her, and is relegated to confessing his love for her audibly, but alone. The original recording of "Midnight Confessions" was a demo by the Evergreen Blues Band, whose manager – Lou Josie – wrote the song. The demo contained a horn section and caught the attention of Record producer/engineer Steve Barri, who was looking to produce a song for the Grass Roots that was a "West Coast" version of a Motown-style production. The Grass Roots track was produced/engineered by Steve Barri with the horn section's arrangement by Jimmie Haskell. The instrumentation was recorded by the group of LA studio-musicians known as The Wrecking Crew, as were many hits by the Grass Roots.[4][5] Rob Grill and Warren Entner shared lead vocals, with Grill singing the verses and Entner, the choruses.

Personnel

Per the Wrecking Crew's Facebook page.[6]

The Grass Roots

Additional musicians

Release and reception

"Midnight Confessions" was released as a single by the ABC/Dunhill record label in late June 1968.[1] It was the Grass Roots' first to feature a horn section and was therefore a departure from the group's previous singles; the band members worried that this would preclude it from becoming a hit.[5] However, it was well received and became their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 2, 1968,[3] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, with sales of over one million units, on December 3, 1968.[8] The single also did well in Canada, peaking at #4 on the RPM 100 singles chart.[9]

Chart performance

Notable cover versions

References
  1. Ackerman, Paul, ed. (June 29, 1968). "Spotlight Singles: Top 60 Pop Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 26. p. 95. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  2. Eder, Bruce. "The Grass Roots | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-05-06. "Midnight Confessions" showed the strong influence of Motown, and the R&B flavor of the song stuck with Barri and the band.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2010). "Chapter 1: The Artists". The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (9th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-8230-8554-5.
  4. Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 169–172. ISBN 978-0-312-61974-9.
  5. Everett, Todd (1996). All Time Greatest Hits (CD liner). The Grass Roots. MCA Records. MCAMD-11467.
  6. "The Wrecking Crew". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  7. "Royalty Check - Midnight Confessions". Carol Kaye.
  8. Gold & Platinum Searchable Database Archived 2007-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Recording Industry Association of America. Type in "Grass Roots" under Artist to see search results.
  9. "The RPM 100" (PHP). RPM Weekly. 10 (8): 5. October 28, 1968. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  10. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  11. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  12. [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
  14. "Top 100 Hits of 1968/Top 100 Songs of 1968". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  15. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1968". cashboxmagazine.com. 1968-12-28. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  16. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
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