Summary
"Jesus" is a song by Austrian rock musician Helmut Grabher, under the alias Jeremy Faith, released as a single in June 1971 from his album Lord. It was a hit in several European countries and was later covered by Cliff Richard, who had a minor hit with it.
| "Jesus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jeremy Faith and the St Mathews Church Choir And Orchestra | ||||
| from the album Lord | ||||
| B-side | "Jesus (Instrumental)" | |||
| Released | June 1971 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Michel Hamburger | |||
| Jeremy Faith and the St Mathews Church Choir And Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Charts edit
| Chart (1971–72) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[1] | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[2] | 2 |
| France (IFOP)[3] | 3 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[4] | 18 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[5] | 5 |
| Spain (El Musical)[6] | 29 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[7] | 5 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[8] | Gold | 500,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Cliff Richard version edit
| "Jesus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the single released in Germany | ||||
| Single by Cliff Richard | ||||
| B-side | "Mister Cloud" | |||
| Released | 18 February 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 14 December 1971[9] | |||
| Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Ingman | |||
| Cliff Richard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Release edit
Richard released his version in February 1972 with the B-side "Mister Cloud" which was written by songwriting duo Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett. It was produced by Nick Ingman, credited on the record as 'An NP [Norrie Paramor] production by Nick Ingman'. Ingman also arranged the song and it features his orchestra.[9]
Richard has said "I didn't record a gospel song for a long time after I became a Christian. And Jesus was the first one I did. I was convinced that it would be wrong for me just to record a single – religious sort of gospel content single – just because I was a Christian. And I wanted very much to be sure that it was a good song. And I waited a long time for that particular song, Jesus. But when it came, I instantly knew I had to record that one. We spent a bit time on it too, of course, and did a, you know, did some phasing on it and gave it some effect. And I must say, I was really quite pleased with the recording".[9]
However, after it failed to be particularly successful, Richard said that "somehow it seems very difficult for people to accept me with a gospel single. Everybody else can make them but somehow whenever I do, the motive or intention is held suspect. A number of BBC producers would not play Jesus because of the title although they are perfectly prepared to plug a Hari Krishna [sic] or Maharishi inspired song".[10]
Track listing edit
7": Columbia / DB 8864
- "Jesus" – 4:15
- "Mister Cloud" – 3:45
Charts edit
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] | 58 |
| Hong Kong (Radio Hong Kong)[12] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 35 |
References edit
- ^ "Jeremy Faith and the St Mathews Church Choir and Orchestra – Jesus" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Jeremy Faith and the St Mathews Church Choir and Orchestra – Jesus" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par F". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Jeremy Faith".
- ^ "Jeremy Faith and the St Mathews Church Choir and Orchestra – Jesus". Top40.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ "Listas de superventas: 1971". 17 October 2021.
- ^ "Jesus av Jeremy Faith". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ "Decca to strengthen French catalog". Billboard. 8 July 1972. p. 39-IA7. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ a b c "Cliff Richard Song Database – Song Details (Jesus)". www.cliffrichardsongs.com.
- ^ Stanley, John (2020). Cliff Richard: Essential Music. Character-19. p. 161.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4204." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 3 June 1972. p. 50. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.