The Divine Miss M

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This article is about the 1972 album by Bette Midler. For the person known by this nickname, see Bette Midler.
The Divine Miss M
Studio album by
Bette Midler
ReleasedNovember 7, 1972
Recorded1971–1972
StudioAtlantic Recording Studios
(New York, New York)
Genre
Length41:03
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Bette Midler chronology
The Divine Miss M
(1972) 		Bette Midler
(1973)
Singles from The Divine Miss M
  1. "
    Do You Want to Dance?
    "
    Released: 1972
  2. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
    Released: May 1973
  3. "Friends"
    Released: 1973

The Divine Miss M is the debut studio album by American singer and actress

Warner Music
in 1995. A remastered deluxe edition was released in October 2016.

The album was well received by public and critics and was certified Platinum in both United States and Canada.

Background, production and release

Midler began singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York City's Ansonia Hotel, in the summer of 1970.[1] During this time, she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who co-produced the album.[2] It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following and many of the album's songs were sung by her in her live performances.

The song "Bugle Boy" became a successful rock cover of the classic swing tune originally introduced and popularized in 1941 by the

For Free," "He Was Too Good to Me," "Empty Bed Blues," "My Freedom And I," "I Shall Be Released," "A Teenager In Love," as well as "Old Cape Cod," and "Marijuana," which were later released on Bette's 3rd album, Songs For The New Depression.[4] Early promotional DJ copies of the album featured “Hello in There” switched with “Daytime Hustler” but that was altered due to there being three emotional ballads all on the same side.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Q[8]

The album has received acclaim by music critics. Mark Deming from AllMusic website retrospectively wrote that "while Midler was and is best known for her outgoing stage persona, numbers like "Am I Blue" and "Do You Want to Dance?" demonstrate how much emotional heat she can bring to a torch song, and her interpretations of "Delta Dawn" and "Hello in There" are powerful, moving stuff, portraying their characters with a palpable compassion and nuance" he also said that the album "is her best album" because it "captured the many facets of her musical personality beautifully and showed her quirks were a rich part of what made her music so powerful."[5] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A− in a contemporary review, and pointed out that the album and the tracks selected are "a production that suggests its nutty quality without distracting from her voice, a rich instrument of surprising precision, simultaneously delicate and vulgar."[6]

Commercial performance

The Divine Miss M reached the Top Ten on

Adult Contemporary chart.[10]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."
Chapel Of Love"
Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector2:55
3."Superstar"Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell5:11
4."Daytime Hustler"Jeff Kent3:34
5."Am I Blue?"Harry Akst, Grant Clarke5:25
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Friends (Session 1)"Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart2:50
7."Hello In There"John Prine4:17
8."Leader of the Pack"George Morton, Barry, Greenwich3:30
9."Delta Dawn"Larry Collins, Alex Harvey5:18
10."Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"Don Raye, Hughie Prince2:25
11."Friends (Session 2)"Klingman, Linhart2:54
2016 deluxe edition disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chapel of Love" (Single Mix)Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector2:44
2."Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (Single Version)Don Raye, Hughie Prince2:18
3."Do You Want to Dance?" (Single Mix)Bobby Freeman2:55
4."Friends" (Single Mix)Mark Klingman, Buzzy Linhart2:59
5."Old Cape Cod" (Earliest Recording & Mix)Claire Rothrock, Milton Yakus, Allan Jeffrey2:52
6."Marahuana" (Earliest Recording & Mix)Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow2:32
7."Superstar" (Alternate Recording)Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell5:08
8."Saturday Night" (Demo)Randy Meisner, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon3:09
9."Mr. Freedom & I" (Demo)Mark Klingman3:01

Personnel

Production

  • Ahmet Ertegün – producer
    , tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Barry Manilow – producer, tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Geoffrey Haslam – producer, tracks: A2 to A4, B3, B4, B6
  • Joel Dorn – producer, tracks: A1, A5, B1, B2, B5
  • Lew Hahn –
    recording engineer
  • Barry Manilow –
    musical conductor
  • Richard Amsel – cover illustration
  • Richard Mantel – cover art direction & design
  • Kenn Duncan – backliner photo
  • Remixed by Geoffrey Haslam, Lew Hahn, Bob Liftin
  • Remixed at Regent Sound Studios and Atlantic Studios
  • Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York.

Charts

Chart performance for The Divine Miss M
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[12] 10
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] 5
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 58
US Billboard 200[15] 9

Certifications and sales

Certifications for The Divine Miss M
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Inside the Actors Studio, 2004
  2. ^ Richard Corliss (March 17, 2004). "That Old Feeling: Best Bette Yet". Time. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Sforza, John: "Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story" University Press of Kentucky, 2000; 289 pages.
  4. ^ a b "The Divine Miss M". Bette on the Boards. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  5. ^
    AllMusic
  6. ^
    ISBN 089919026X
    . Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
    .
  8. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (March 1996). "Bette Midler". Q: 116.
  9. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable database-Bette Midler". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Bette Midler - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  11. ^ "Past Winners Search-Midler". Grammy.com. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  12. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  13. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4794". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  14. ISBN 4-87131-077-9
    .
  15. ^ "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  16. Cash Box
    . November 18, 1978. p. 58. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bette Midler – The Divine Miss M". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  18. ^ "American album certifications – Bette Midler – The Divine Miss M". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
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