And When I Die
| "And When I Die" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jazz rock | ||||
| Length | 4:06 (Album version) 3:26 (Single version) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Laura Nyro | |||
| Producer(s) | James William Guercio | |||
| Blood, Sweat & Tears singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"And When I Die" is a song written by American singer and songwriter Laura Nyro. It was first recorded by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in 1966. Nyro released her own version on her debut album More Than a New Discovery in February 1967.
The song is best known for the next version, recorded by the
"And When I Die" also reached No. 1 in Canada in December 1969 after 3 weeks at No. 2 also due to The Beatles.Lyrics
The song gives a positive outlook about death, stating, in the chorus, "And when I die / and when I'm gone / there'll be one child born, in this world / to carry on / to carry on."[2]
History
"And When I Die" was the first song written by then-17 year old Laura Nyro.[3] She sold the song to folk group Peter, Paul and Mary for $5,000,[4] who recorded it for their sixth studio album The Peter, Paul and Mary Album.
The song appeared on the
The BS&T arrangement is very different from previous versions. It was also released as an album version and an edited single version. The album version features two instrumental portions, one featuring an
Chart history
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Kent Music Report[5] | 4 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[6] | 1 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[7] | 1 |
New Zealand Singles Chart
|
1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 2 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[9] | 4 |
Year-end Charts
| Chart (1969) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] | 4 |
Other versions
- The song was also recorded by The Heavy. This version was used in the season four finale of True Blood.
- The song was also played by Joe 90 in the horror movie Final Destination (2000).
- Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro.[11] Childs and Krauss received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performancefor their version.
- UK punk band Amebix covered the song on their 1985 album Arise released on Alternative Tentacles records on the song The Darkest Hour
References
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ "And When I Die Lyrics". Song Meanings. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ "Behind the Song: "And When I Die" by Laura Nyro". American Singwriter. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Laura Nyro Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 13, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - November 29, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "And When I Die - Blood, Sweat & Tears". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 34.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6104." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- WSJ. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
External links
- Blood, Sweat & Tears lead singer David Clayton Thomas on YouTubesinging the song in concert in 1976
- Laura Nyro on YouTubesinging the song in Pittsburgh in 1994
- Peter, Paul & Mary on YouTubesing the song at the Sydney Opera House in 1970
- The Heavy's version on YouTube, used for the True Blood season 4 finale
- Sung a capella by members of the Student Society in Trondheim, Norway on YouTube(sung in English) in 2011
