Hush (Billy Joe Royal song)

"Hush" is a song written by American composer and musician Joe South, for recording artist Billy Joe Royal. The song was later covered by Somebody's Image (an Australian band fronted by Russell Morris) in 1967. It reached #15. It was also covered by Deep Purple in 1968 and by Kula Shaker in 1996. Each artist had a Top 5 hit with their version.

"Hush"
Cover of the 1967 Norway single
Single by Billy Joe Royal
B-side"Watching from the Bandstand"
ReleasedSeptember 1967
Recorded1967
GenreSwamp rock[1]
Length2:30
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Joe South
Producer(s)Joe South
Billy Joe Royal singles chronology
"These Are Not My People"
(1967)		 "Hush"
(1967)		 "Storybook Children"
(1968)

Billy Joe Royal version

The Billy Joe Royal version peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 28 October – 11 November 1967,[2] and No. 45 in Canada.[3] South himself recorded the song in 1968, and included it on his second album, Games People Play.[4] Session musician Barry Bailey, who later became the lead guitarist for the Atlanta Rhythm Section, plays guitar on the track. The promo clip for Billy Joe Royal's release of the song was filmed at the boardwalk amusement park and outskirts of an unidentified Southern beach town.

Deep Purple version
"Hush"
Cover of the 1968 UK single
Single by Deep Purple
from the album Shades of Deep Purple
B-side"One More Rainy Day"
Released
  • June 1968 (UK)
  • July 1968 (US)
RecordedApril 21, 1968
StudioPye, London
GenrePsychedelic rock
Length4:24
Label
Songwriter(s)Joe South
Producer(s)Derek Lawrence
Deep Purple singles chronology
"Hush"
(1968)		 "Kentucky Woman"
(1968)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
"Hush"
Cover of the 1988 German single
Single by Deep Purple
from the album Nobody's Perfect
B-side
  • "Dead or Alive" (live)
  • "Bad Attitude" (live)
ReleasedJune 1988
Recorded1988
StudioPye, London
GenreRock
style: blues rock,[5] hard rock[6]
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)Joe South
Deep Purple singles chronology
"Call of the Wild"
(1987)		 "Hush"
(1988)		 "King of Dreams"
(1990)

The song was subsequently recorded by British hard rock band Deep Purple for their 1968 debut album Shades of Deep Purple. The track became the group's first hit single peaking at number 4 on the Hot 100 on 21–28 September 1968,[7] number 16 in Italy in late 1968, and number 2 in Canada while going largely unnoticed in the United Kingdom. A live, US-televised version of "Hush" appeared as a bonus track on the 2000 CD-reissue of the Shades of Deep Purple album.

In 1968, Hugh Hefner introduced Deep Purple, who performed live on the Playboy After Dark TV series. After Hefner heard a ghost story from Jon Lord and had a guitar lesson from Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple performed "Hush" which is available in the Playboy After Dark -2nd Collection 2007 DVD release.

In celebration of the band's 20th anniversary, Deep Purple re-recorded the song in 1988 for their album Nobody's Perfect. The track was released as a single and reached number 62 on the UK singles chart and number 44 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock chart.

Other versions

Personnel

1968 Deep Purple version

1988 Deep Purple version

References
  1. "What Is Swamp Rock?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  2. "Billy Joe Royal – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  3. "Official list" (PDF). www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  4. "Joe South - Games People Play". Discogs.
  5. "Deep Purple - Hush". Discogs.
  6. "Deep Purple - Hush". Discogs.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 169.
  8. Alan Byrne, "Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune", Firefly, 2004
  9. "Captain Jack - Party Warriors - The Partyhit Collection". Discogs.
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