No Charge

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“No Charge”
Melba Montgomery's 1974 album "No Charge", which featured the hit single of the same name.
Single by Melba Montgomery from the album No Charge
A-side	"No Charge"
B-side	"I Love Him Because He's That Way"
Released	April 1974
Format	CD Single
Recorded	1974
Genre	Country, Pop
Length	3:25
Label	Elektra Records
Writer(s)	Harlan Howard
Melba Montgomery singles chronology
"He'll Come Home" 1974 "No Charge" "Your Pretty Roses Come Too Late" 1974

"No Charge"' is a country music song written by songwriter Harlan Howard and made famous by country singer Melba Montgomery in 1974.

[edit] About the song

Melba Montgomery had already recorded a series of duets hits with country music artists George Jones, Charlie Louvin, and Gene Pitney during the 1960s (the most successful of those being "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" with Jones). In the early 1970s, she began focusing on a solo career, but did not have notable success.

Eventually, she began recording for Elektra Records, where her struggles continued. Then, Howard forwarded a song to Montgomery he thought would be perfect for her: "No Charge." She recorded the song in early 1974, and it was released that April. By the end of May, Montgomery enjoyed her first taste of solo success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. The song also reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.

[edit] Plot

The song is an ode to motherhood. A young boy hands his mother an itemized list of charges he says he's owed for performing various chores and comes to collect; the singer performs this in spoken word. The mother responds (singing) by reminding her son about all the things she's done for him, that she never asked him to pay for services rendered and that, all things considered, "the cost of real love is no charge."

Enlightened, the young boy realizes that his mother is right and forgives the charges (once again, narrated) before the singer sings the moral. "No Charge" was one of the few songs that talked about motherhood during this time, which might be one of the reasons why it was so popular.

[edit] Cover versions

The song has been recorded by numerous other artists since its release by Montgomery. The most successful version was recorded by J.J. Barrie, who took the Bill Amesbury-produced song to No. 1 on the UK chart in June 1976.

Tammy Wynette, another fellow country singer recorded the song in the 1970s, and it has also been a popular Christian song through the years.

[edit] Succession

[edit] Melba Montgomery version

[edit] J.J. Barrie version