A Love Song (Loggins and Messina song)

"A Love Song"
"A Love Song"
	German cover art
Single by Anne Murray
from the album Love Song
B-side	"You Can't Go Back"
Released	December 1973
Recorded	October 1973
Genre	Country, pop
Length	2:50
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	D. L. George; Kenny Loggins;
Producer(s)	Brian Ahern
Anne Murray singles chronology

"A Love Song" is a song written by Kenny Loggins and Dona Lyn George, first released by the folk-rock duo Loggins and Messina in 1973 on their album Full Sail. Country artist Anne Murray (who'd taken her recording of another Loggins & Messina recording, "Danny's Song", to the top-ten in late 1972) covered the song later that year for her album of the same name.

Released in December 1973, Murray's version became a major crossover hit early in 1974. In her native Canada, it topped all three singles charts: the overall Top Singles chart, the Country Tracks chart and the Adult Contemporary chart. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart and just missed the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 12. The song fared even better there in the adult contemporary market — it became Murray's third chart-topper on Billboard's American Hot Adult Contemporary Singles chart.^[1] (In Canada, it was her seventh No. 1 on both the country and adult contemporary charts.) This was Murray's second Loggins & Messina cover, having charted with her version of their "Danny's Song" the previous year.

At the 17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975, Anne Murray won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for this song. The song also appears on Murray's 2007 album Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, performed as a duet with the K. d. Lang.

Later versions include Dar Williams, Jonathan Rayson and Kenny Loggins.

Personnel on Loggins & Messina version

Kenny Loggins – lead vocals, classical acoustic guitar
Jim Messina – harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo
Jon Clarke – bass flute, alto flute
Al Garth – recorder
Larry Sims – bass, backing vocals
Merel Bregante – drums, backing vocals
Michael Omartian – piano
Milt Holland – shakers, triangle, congas, pandeiro

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1973–1974)	Peak position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[2]	1
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[3]	1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[4]	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[5]	1
US Hot Country Singles (Billboard)^[6]	5
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	12
US Cash Box Top 100^[8]	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1974)	Rank
Canada RPM Top Singles ^[9]	28
US Billboard Hot 100 ^[10]	80
US Cash Box ^[11]	87

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 176.
^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5007." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 23, 1974.
^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 4989." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 2, 1974.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4993a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 16, 1974.
^ "Anne Murray Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
^ "Hot Country Singles". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 16, 1974. p. 30. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 9, 1974". Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
^ "The Top 200 Singles of '74". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 28 December 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
^ Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1974 Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2018.

This 1970s pop song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 176.

[sc_Canadaadultcontemporary_-2] "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5007." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 23, 1974.

[sc_Canadacountry_-3] "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 4989." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 2, 1974.

[sc_Canadatopsingles_-4] "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4993a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 16, 1974.

[sc_Billboardadultcontemporary_Anne_Murray-5] "Anne Murray Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.

[6] "Hot Country Singles". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 16, 1974. p. 30. ISSN 0006-2510.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Anne_Murray-7] "Anne Murray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[8] "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 9, 1974". Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.

[itemdisplay-9] "The Top 200 Singles of '74". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 28 December 1974. Retrieved 4 April 2020.

[10] Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1974 Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.

[11] "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2018.

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v t e Loggins and Messina
Kenny Loggins Jim Messina
Studio albums	Sittin' In (1971) Loggins and Messina (1972) Full Sail (1973) Mother Lode (1974) So Fine (1975) Native Sons (1976)
Live albums	On Stage (1974) Finale (1977) Live: Sittin' In Again at the Santa Barbara Bowl (2005)
Compilation albums	The Best of Friends (1976) The Best of Loggins & Messina (1980) The Best: Sittin' in Again (2005)
Singles	"Your Mama Don't Dance" (1972) "Thinking of You" (1973)
Other songs	"Danny's Song" "House at Pooh Corner" "Listen to a Country Song" "A Love Song"

v t e Anne Murray
Studio albums	What About Me This Way Is My Way Honey, Wheat and Laughter Straight, Clean and Simple Talk It Over in the Morning Anne Murray / Glen Campbell Annie Danny's Song Love Song Highly Prized Possession Together Keeping in Touch There's a Hippo in My Tub Let's Keep It That Way New Kind of Feeling I'll Always Love You Somebody's Waiting Where Do You Go When You Dream The Hottest Night of the Year A Little Good News Heart over Mind Something to Talk About Harmony As I Am You Will Yes I Do Croonin' Anne Murray What a Wonderful World Country Croonin' I'll Be Seeing You Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends
Christmas albums	Christmas Wishes What a Wonderful Christmas Anne Murray's Christmas Album
Compilations	Snowbird Country A Country Collection Anne Murray's Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Volume II 15 of the Best The Best... So Far All of Me
No. 1 singles	"Snowbird" "Sing High, Sing Low" "A Stranger in My Place" "It Takes Time" "Talk It Over in the Morning" "I Say a Little Prayer/By the Time I Get to Phoenix" "Cotton Jenny" "Danny's Song" "What About Me" "A Love Song" "He Thinks I Still Care" "Son of a Rotten Gambler" "You Won't See Me" "You Needed Me" "I Just Fall in Love Again" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Broken Hearted Me" "Daydream Believer" "Lucky Me" "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" "Could I Have This Dance" "Blessed Are the Believers" "We Don't Have to Hold Out" "It's All I Can Do" "Another Sleepless Night" "Hey! Baby" "Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye" "A Little Good News" "Just Another Woman in Love" "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (with Dave Loggins) "Time Don't Run Out on Me" "Now and Forever (You and Me)"
Other songs	"Thirsty Boots" "Put Your Hand in the Hand" "Night Owl" "Robbie's Song for Jesus" "Everything's Been Changed" "Send a Little Love My Way" "Just One Look" "Day Tripper" "Uproar" "Sunday Sunrise" "The Call" "Golden Oldie" "Things" "Walk Right Back" "Hold Me Tight" "That's Not the Way (It's S'posed to Be)" "I Don't Think I'm Ready for You" "Who's Leaving Who" "Are You Still in Love with Me" "Anyone Can Do the Heartbreak" "Perfect Strangers" "If I Ever Fall in Love Again" (with Kenny Rogers) "Feed This Fire" "Bluebird" "I Can See Arkansas" "Make Love to Me" "The Wayward Wind" "Born to Be with You" "Over You" "That's What My Love Is For" "That's the Way It Goes" "What a Wonderful World"
Related articles	Discography "Tears Are Not Enough"
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