Twilight Time (song)
This article is about the popular song written by Buck Ram. For the Moody Blues song, see Twilight Time (The Moody Blues song).
| "Twilight Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Platters | ||||
| B-side | "Out of My Mind" | |||
| Released | April 1958 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records 71289 | |||
| Writer(s) | Buck Ram, Morty Nevins, Al Nevins, Artie Dunn | |||
| The Platters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Twilight Time" is a popular song with lyrics by Buck Ram, and the music by The Three Suns (Morty Nevins, Al Nevins, and Artie Dunn). Ram said that he originally wrote it as a poem, without music, while in college.[1]
Original instrumental recordings of "Twilight Time" included those made respectively by the Three Suns[1] (1944) and Les Brown & His Band of Renown (1945).[2]
Les Brown's version of "Twilight Time" was recorded in November 1944 and released in early 1945 as the B-side of "Sentimental Journey," the first recording of that song. While the A-side featured Doris Day's vocals, "Twilight Time" was an instrumental. The first vocal version of the song on record was released, also in 1945, by bandleader Jimmy Dorsey with Teddy Walters on vocals.[3]
It has been recorded by numerous groups over the years. However, the best-known version of the song was recorded by The Platters[1] and became a number one hit on both the pop singles and R&B Best Sellers charts in 1958 in the United States.[4] The song also reached number three in the United Kingdom.[5] In 1963, the Platters recorded a Spanish version of the song entitled "La Hora del Crepúsculo", sung in a rhumba-style tempo.
Artistry
The lyrics contain seven unique instances of alliteration, including the title, which is repeated several times throughout the song. Other phrases that include alliteration are:
- colored curtains
- day is done
- surrender the setting sun
- beneath the blue
- in the sweet and same old way
- deep in the dark
Other versions
- Deep River Boys (Recorded in Oslo on August 29, 1958 and released on the single HMV 45-AL 6075 and on the extended play En aften på "Casino Non Stop", introdusert av Arne Hestenes (HMV 7EGN 26)
- Andy Williams reached #86 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962[6]
- The Impressions on their 1965 album, One By One
- Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs (1965)
- Carl Mann (1976)
- Dave (singer) in German 5 uhr früh(1980)
- Willie Nelson, on his album What a Wonderful World (1988). Nelson's version peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1989.[7]
- Jose Feliciano in 1975
- John Fahey, 1992 Old Girlfriends and Other Horrible Memories
- Jenny Scheinman in 2008
- Ronnie Tober in Dutch as Iedere avond, Dutch lyrics by Pierre Wijnnobel (1963)
- Rich LaBonte (FLAtRich)’s 1998 instrumental version featured dialogue from Kill Switch (The X-Files), an episode co-written by cyberpunk author William Gibson and Tom Maddox.
- Duncan Dhu, 1987 El Grito Del Tiempo, (Al Caer La Noche)
Cultural references
- Stephen King wrote a story titled Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling, a reference to the song.
- "Twilight Time" appeared in the X-Files episode "Kill Switch" (Season 5, episode 11).
- "Twilight" Time was used as part of the soundtrack for the 1995 television serials based upon the 1960s decade, Estúpido Cupido (Stupid Cupid),
broadcast by Chilean network TVN.
- "Twilight Time" is the title of episode 80 (season 4, episode 16) of the television series "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."'
- A Spanish-language version of the song by the Argentine group Los Cinco Latinos is used several times, including over the closing credits, in Whit Stillman's 1994 film Barcelona.
Twilight Time was also used in the closing scene of the movie "Blood and Donuts" and runs into the credits.
| Preceded by "Tequila" by The Champs |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (The Platters version) April 21, 1958 (one week) |
Succeeded by "Witch Doctor" by David Seville |
| Preceded by "Tequila" by The Champs |
Billboard R&B Best Sellers in Store number-one single April 28, 1958 - May 12, 1958 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Buck Ram interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ↑ Michael David Toth (c2004 (2001)). "Twilight Memories, an illustrated history--Part I". The Three Suns Universe. Retrieved 2009-02-24. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "The Originals Vol. 32".
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 463.
- ↑ The Platters, "Twilight Time" chart positions Retrieved June 7, 2013
- ↑ Andy Williams, "Twilight Time" chart positions Retrieved June 7, 2013
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
External links
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