No Charge

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 "No Charge" 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.^[1] The song also reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2]

Plot

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.

Chart performance

Chart (1974)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	39
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	47
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	24

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 Singles Chart.^[3]^[4] The single reached #1 in the UK in June 1976, where it remained for one week.^[5]

In Canada the song is often associated with Tommy Hunter who performed the song on the CBC Television show.

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

Billy Connolly recorded a parody of the song in 1976 called, "No Chance (No Charge)",^[6] which had a reference to domestic violence. It reached a Top 40 position in the UK chart.

C. C. (Chris) Sandford recorded a comedy version in 1976 entitled: No Charge (Chuck) (UK: Power Exchange Records PX 223)

Succession

Melba Montgomery version

Preceded by "Country Bumpkin" by Cal Smith	Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single May 25, 1974	Succeeded by "Pure Love" by Ronnie Milsap
Preceded by "Hello Love" by Hank Snow	RPM Country Tracks number-one single May 25, 1974	Succeeded by "Honeymoon Feelin'" by Roy Clark

J.J. Barrie version

Preceded by "Fernando" by ABBA	UK number one single June 5, 1976	Succeeded by "Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)" by The Wurzels

References

↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 236.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 435.
↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 43. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
↑ NME.com - accessed October 2009
↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 327. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
↑ Double, Oliver (1997). Stand Up! On Being A Comedian. A&C Black. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-413-70320-0. "....Billy Connolly had three chart hits, 'D.I.V.O.R.C.E.', which reach number one in 1975, 'No Chance (No Charge)' in 1976, and 'In The Brownies' in 1979."

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