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It’s Gonna Take a Miracle (Song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by The Royalettes | |
| B-side | “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” |
| Released | July 1965 |
| Genre | R&B |
| Label | MGM Records |
| Songwriters | Teddy Randazzo Bobby Weinstein Lou Stallman |
| The Royalettes singles chronology | |
| “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle“ (1965)”I Want to Meet Him” (1965) | |
“It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” is a song written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, and Lou Stallman. It was first an R&B hit in 1965 for The Royalettes, which reached the Top 30 on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on Cash Box.
The most successful version of “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” was the 1982 cover by R&B and gospel singer Deniece Williams. Her version went to number 1 on the R&B chart for two weeks and reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was originally written and intended for Little Anthony and The Imperials, but they never recorded it due to a royalty dispute with the song’s writers/label owners Teddy Randazzo and Don Costa at the group’s record label, DCP (Don Costa Productions) Records. Imperials member (and Double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee) Sammy Strain recalls:
“We had a lot of hit records (with DCP) but we hadn’t received any royalties,” said Strain. “We protested and said we’re not going into the studio anymore until we get an accounting. We didn’t record for about eight or nine months. In the interim, Teddy Randazzo produced a girl group out of Baltimore called the Royalettes. He gave them a song called ‘It’s Gonna Take a Miracle’ which was written for Little Anthony & the Imperials. When it first came out, everybody thought it was us. He also produced Derek Martin who had a hit called ‘You Better Go.’ But we missed a million seller with ‘Gonna Take a Miracle’ when we went on strike with the record company.”
Charts
Deniece Williams Version
| “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Deniece Williams | |
| from the album Niecy | |
| B-side | “A Part of Love” |
| Released | March 1982 |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genre | R&B |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Label | ARC/Columbia |
| Songwriters | Teddy Randazzo Bobby Weinstein Lou Stallman |
| Producers | Deniece Williams, Thom Bell |
| Deniece Williams singles chronology | |
| “Silly” (1981)”It’s Gonna Take a Miracle“ (1982)”Love Won’t Let Me Wait“ (1984) | |
Weekly charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 41 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ) | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 6 |
| US Billboard R&B | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 16 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1982) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 71 |
Niecy (Album)
| Niecy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Deniece Williams | |
| Released | March 19, 1982 |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genre | R&B, soul |
| Label | ARC/Columbia |
| Producer | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams |
| Deniece Williams chronology | |
| My Melody (1981)Niecy (1982)I’m So Proud (1983) | |
| Singles from Niecy | |
| “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle“ Released: March 1982″Waiting by the Hotline“ Released: June 1982″Waiting” Released: October 1982 | |
Niecy is an album by American singer Deniece Williams, released in 1982 on ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached No. 5 on the Top Soul Albums chart and No. 20 on the Billboard 200.
Critical reception
Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | B+ |
With a B+, Robert Christgau found “Williams’s exquisite clarity and thrilling range have always slotted her among the perfect angels for me, but there’s a lot more to her work with Thom Bell, who finally challenges Burt Bacharach on his own turf, applying strings and woodwinds and amplifiers with a deft economy that textures rather than sweetens. And Williams’s lyrics, while never startling, become increasingly personal as her professional confidence grows–she’s wrinkling her brow more and her nose less.” People described the album as “upbeat, soulful and polished.”
Justin Kantor of AllMusic wrote that “Williams enlisted Philly soulmeister Thom Bell as her co-producer (and primary co-writer) a second time on this mellow 1982 release. Building upon the lush balladry of 1981’s My Melody, this set inevitably bears a few similarities to its predecessor, but manages a more diverse soundscape.” J.D. Considine of Musician wrote: “Williams like the Spinners‘ Philippe Wynne has the uncanny ability to pull the most out of a tune while maintaining a distinctive vocal personality. Philly Soul lives.” Crispin Cioe of High Fidelity found “as a writer, Williams deals in the unabashedly romantic; as a singer she lends her lines an emotionalism that rings true. In Bell’s sympathetically rich arranging/production context small sentiments take on grand proportions, and therein lies the album’s charm.”
Singles
A cover of the Royalettes‘ “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” was released as a single. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, No. 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Track listing
Original release
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Waiting by the Hotline“ | Deniece Williams, Thom Bell | 3:40 |
| 2. | “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle“ | Teddy Randazzo, Bob Weinstein, Lou Stallman | 4:10 |
|---|
| 3. | “Love Notes” | Deniece Williams, Skip Scarborough | 4:22 |
|---|
| 4. | “I Believe in Miracles” | Deniece Williams, Bill Neale | 2:52 |
|---|
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | “How Does It Feel” | Deniece Williams, Thom Bell | 5:50 |
| 6. | “Waiting” | Deniece Williams, Thom Bell | 4:3 |
|---|
| 7. | “Now Is the Time for Love” | Deniece Williams, Thom Bell | 4:09 |
|---|
| 8. | “A Part of Love” | Deniece Williams, Kevin Bassinson | 3:39 |
|---|
Personnel
Musicians
- Deniece Williams – vocals
- Thom Bell – keyboards, backing vocals, arrangements and conductor
- George Merrill – synthesizer, backing vocals
- Bobby Eli – guitar
- Bill Neale – guitar, strings (4)
- Bob Babbitt – bass guitar, Piccolo bass
- Charles Collins – drums
- Ed Shea – percussion
- Larry Washington – percussion
- Don Renaldo – strings, horns
- Joseph B. Jefferson – backing vocals
Production
- Producers – Thom Bell and Deniece Williams
- Production Coordinatior – Bill Neale
- Engineer – Joe Tarsia
- Second Engineers – Dirk Devlen and Michael Tarsia
- Mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
- Design – Nancy Donald
- Photography – Allan Luftig
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 20 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 5 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 32 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” | US Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
| US Billboard R&B Singles | 1 | ||
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles | 6 | ||
| “Waiting by the Hotline” | US Billboard Hot 100 | 103 | |
| US Billboard R&B Singles | 29 | ||
| “Waiting” | 72 |
Other cover versions
- In 1970, Alton Ellis for his album Sunday Coming.
- In 1971, Laura Nyro included it on her covers album with LaBelle, Gonna Take a Miracle. Laura Nyro’s recording featured in the film “A Home at the End of the World” (2004).
- Also in 1971, the Philadelphia-based female quartet Honey & The Bees attained R&B chart success with their cover of the hit song, recorded as part of a medley with portions of two Little Anthony hits, Hurts So Bad and Going Out Of My Head.
- In 1994, The Manhattan Transfer recorded it with Bette Midler on lead vocals. This was released in 1995 on Manhattan Transfer’s Tonin’.
- Jade and Sarsaparilla
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