Emotions (Brenda Lee album)

Emotions is the fourth studio album by American pop and country artist Brenda Lee. The album was released April 3, 1961 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was one of two studio albums released by Lee in 1961 and its title track spawned from the album became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.

Background and content

Emotions was recorded in seven sessions between August 16, 1960 and January 19, 1961 all at the Bradley Film and Recording Studio located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.^[1] Like Lee's previous released This Is...Brenda, the album's production mixed the sounds of Rockabilly with the Nashville Sound production, according to Richie Unterberger of Allmusic. Seven of the album's twelve tracks were cover versions. The album's eighth track "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" was a remake of the single by The Shirelles and the songs "Georgia on My Mind" and "Swanee River Rock" were previously recorded by Ray Charles. While Unterberger found that the songs seemed to be on the "filler side", he still felt that Lee "brought commitment to each and every one of her vocals." Also included on the album was two songs co-written by American country artist Mel Tillis: "Emotions" and "Crazy Talk". The album received four out of five stars from reviewer Richie Unterberger, who stated, "While it was the kind of record that could appeal to both kids and adults, it wasn't watered down, as the production on its own was pretty delightful to listen to, matched by the excellence of Lee's incredibly (for a teenager) mature vocals."^[2] Emotions was issued originally as an LP record upon its initial release, with six songs on each side of the record.^[3] The album has been reissued and released on a compact disc in the United Kingdom.^[4]

Release

The album's lead single was the title track, which was released as the album's only single in February 1961. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[5] while also reaching #45 on the UK Singles Chart.^[6] The single became Lee's fifth Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's B-side track entitled "I'm Learning About Love" also gained significant radio airplay and peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the same time of the single's release in 1961.^[5] The album was officially released on April 3, 1961 on Decca Records and peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming Lee's first album not to peak in the Billboard 200 Top 10.^[7]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Emotions" – (Ramsey Kearney, Mel Tillis)
2. "Just Another Lie" – (Ernest R. Suarez)
3. "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" – (Marguerite Mannon, Geoff Parsons, Edit Piaf)
4. "Crazy Talk" – (Tillis, Wayne P. Walker)
5. "When I Fall in Love" – (Edward Heyman, Victor Young)
6. "Around the World" – (Harold Adamson, Young)

Side two

1. "Swanee River Rock" – (Ray Charles)
2. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" – (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
3. "I'm Learning About Love" – (Louis Innis, Grady Martin)
4. "Georgia on My Mind" – (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell)
5. "Cry" – (Churchill Kohlman)
6. "I'm in the Mood for Love" – (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh)

Personnel

• Brenton Banks – strings
• Harold Bradley – guitar
• Howard Carpenter – strings
• Floyd Cramer – piano
• Dottie Dillard – background vocals
• Ray Edenton – guitar
• Buddy Emmons – steel guitar
• Buddy Harman – drums
• Lillian Hunt – strings
• Anita Kerr – background vocals
• Brenda Lee – lead vocals
• Grady Martin – guitar
• Bob Moore – bass
• Louis Nunley – background vocals
• Boots Randolph – saxophone
• Vernel Richardson – strings
• Bill Wright – background vocals

Sales chart positions

Album

Singles

References