Wild Is the Wind (song)
"Wild is the Wind" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Artwork for US 7-inch single | ||||
Single by Johnny Mathis | ||||
B-side | "No Love (But Your Love)" | |||
Released | November 11, 1957 | |||
Recorded | 1957 | |||
Studio | Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:22 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Composer(s) | Dimitri Tiomkin | |||
Lyricist(s) | Ned Washington | |||
Johnny Mathis singles chronology | ||||
|
"Wild Is the Wind" is a song written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for the 1957 film Wild Is the Wind. Johnny Mathis recorded the song for the film and released it as a single in November 1957. Mathis' version reached No. 22 on the Billboard chart. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1958, but lost to "All the Way" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn from The Joker is Wild.[1]
The song has been recorded many times, by many performers. The best known versions are those recorded by Nina Simone (from her 1966 album of the same name) and by David Bowie (from his 1976 album Station to Station).[2]
In 1999, George Michael recorded a version for his album Songs From The Last Century.[citation needed]
Johnny Mathis version
Mathis recorded the song with a flexible sense of meter, rushing some words as if they were speech.[3] At the 30th Academy Awards in 1958 (where it was nominated for Best Song), Mathis performed the song live.
Nina Simone version
Nina Simone first recorded "Wild Is the Wind" live in 1959; this version appeared on the 1959 live album Nina Simone at Town Hall. Her most famous interpretation of the song was a studio recording released on the 1966 compilation album Wild Is the Wind. Simone extensively reworked the song, with slow, sparse instrumentation and her drawn-out vocal delivery expressing a sense of loss.[4][5]
Simone's 1966 version appeared in the trailer for the 2008 film Revolutionary Road. In November 2013, the song reached number 6 on Billboard's Digital Jazz chart.[6]
David Bowie version
"Wild Is the Wind" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by David Bowie | ||||
from the album Changestwobowie | ||||
B-side | "Golden Years" | |||
Released | 13 November 1981[7] | |||
Recorded | September–November 1975 | |||
Studio | Cherokee, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Pop[8] | |||
Length | 3:34 (Music video) 5:58 (album version) | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
|
David Bowie recorded a version of "Wild Is the Wind" for his 1976 album Station to Station. Bowie was an admirer of Simone’s style, and he was inspired to record the song after meeting her in Los Angeles in 1975. He later recalled that Simone's version "really affected [him]...[he] recorded it as an hommage to Nina."[2]
Bowie took special care with the arrangement and production of "Wild Is the Wind", committing to an emotional and romantic vocal performance modeled after Simone's which has often been cited as one of his best.[3]
Single release and promotional video
To promote the 1981 compilation album Changestwobowie, an edit of Bowie's version of "Wild Is the Wind" was released as a single, and a black and white promotional video was made, directed by David Mallet. It featured Bowie and four musicians miming to the studio recording, including Tony Visconti (double bass), Coco Schwab (guitar), Mel Gaynor (drums), and Andy Hamilton (saxophone): none of the four musicians had played on the studio recording. The black backdrop and stark lighting reproduced the style of Bowie's Isolar – 1976 Tour in support of Station to Station. The single reached number 24 in the UK and #15 in Ireland.[9][10]
Personnel
According to Chris O'Leary and Benoît Clerc:[11][7]
- David Bowie – lead vocals
- Carlos Alomar – acoustic rhythm guitar
- Earl Slick – electric lead guitar
- George Murray – bass guitar
- Dennis Davis – drums
Technical
- David Bowie – producer
- Harry Maslin – producer
Live versions
Bowie performed the song during his June 2000 Mini Tour. A live recording from the BBC Radio Theatre in London on June 27, 2000, was released on a bonus disc accompanying the first release of Bowie at the Beeb in 2000. A performance on June 23, 2000, was recorded for Channel 4's TFI Friday. Bowie's performance of the song at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival was released in 2018 on Glastonbury 2000, a live album documenting his set.
Bowie also performed the song with Mike Garson on piano for the Black Ball charity concert in New York in November 2006; the concert was Bowie's final stage performance before his death in 2016.[12]
References
- ^ "The 30th Academy Awards | 1958". Oscars.org. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Pegg 2011, p. 278.
- ^ a b James E. Perone (2007). The Words and Music of David Bowie. Greenwood. pp. 54–55. ISBN 9780275992453.
- ^ Tillet, Salamishah (July 6, 2015). "Review: 'Nina Revisited... A Tribute To Nina Simone'". Npr.org. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "How Nina Simone transformed Wild is the Wind into an enduring ballad". Financial Times. March 5, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Nina Simone". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Clerc 2021, p. 245.
- ^ Vaziri, Aldin (January 1, 1998). "David Bowie". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 68–69.
- ^ "David Bowie". The Irish Charts. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Pegg 2011, p. 734.
- ^ O'Leary 2015, chap. 10.
- ^ Pegg 2011, p. 279.
Bibliography
- Clerc, Benoît (2021). David Bowie All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York City: Black Dog & Leventhal. ISBN 978-0-7624-7471-4.
- O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76. Winchester: Zero Books. ISBN 978-1-78099-244-0.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2011). The Complete David Bowie (6th ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 9780857682901.
- v
- t
- e
- Johnny Mathis
- Wonderful, Wonderful
- Warm
- Good Night, Dear Lord
- Swing Softly
- Merry Christmas
- Open Fire, Two Guitars
- Heavenly
- Faithfully
- Johnny's Mood
- The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway
- I'll Buy You a Star
- Live It Up!
- Rapture
- Johnny
- Sounds of Christmas
- Romantically
- Tender Is the Night
- The Wonderful World of Make Believe
- This Is Love
- Olé
- Broadway
- Love Is Everything
- The Sweetheart Tree
- The Shadow of Your Smile
- So Nice
- Johnny Mathis Sings
- Up, Up and Away
- Love Is Blue
- Those Were the Days
- Love Theme from "Romeo And Juliet" (A Time for Us)
- Give Me Your Love for Christmas
- Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
- Close to You
- Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert
- Love Story
- You've Got a Friend
- The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
- Song Sung Blue
- Me and Mrs. Jones
- Killing Me Softly with Her Song
- I'm Coming Home
- The Heart of a Woman
- When Will I See You Again
- Feelings
- I Only Have Eyes for You
- Mathis Is...
- Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
- You Light Up My Life
- That's What Friends Are For
- The Best Days of My Life
- Mathis Magic
- Different Kinda Different
- I Love My Lady
- Friends in Love
- A Special Part of Me
- Right from the Heart
- Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
- The Hollywood Musicals
- Once in a While
- In the Still of the Night
- In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington
- How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
- All About Love
- Because You Loved Me: The Songs of Diane Warren
- Mathis on Broadway
- The Christmas Album
- Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album
- A Night to Remember
- Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville
- Sending You a Little Christmas
- Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook
- Johnny's Greatest Hits
- More Johnny's Greatest Hits
- Portrait of Johnny
- Johnny's Newest Hits
- I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
- The Great Years
- People
- The Impossible Dream
- Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits
- Johnny Mathis Sings the Great Songs
- The Johnny Mathis Collection
- The Mathis Collection
- Tears and Laughter
- The Best of Johnny Mathis 1975–1980
- The First 25 Years – The Silver Anniversary Album
- Celebration – The Anniversary Album
- 16 Most Requested Songs
- Better Together: The Duet Album
- The Christmas Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection
- The Hits of Johnny Mathis
- The Ultimate Hits Collection
- The Essential Johnny Mathis
- The Very Best of Johnny Mathis
- Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration
- Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
- The Ultimate Collection
- The Classic Christmas Album
- Johnny Mathis in Person: Recorded Live at Las Vegas
- Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole
- Live
- The Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection
- The Complete Global Albums Collection
- The Singles
- The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010
- The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection
- "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
- "It's Not for Me to Say"
- "Chances Are"
- "The Twelfth of Never"
- "Wild Is the Wind"
- "A Certain Smile"
- "Sleigh Ride"
- "Misty"
- "Gina
- "What Will Mary Say"
- "Beyond the Blue Horizon"
- "Remember When (We Made These Memories)"
- "Love Me Tonight"
- "Odds and Ends"
- "I'm Coming Home"
- "Life Is a Song Worth Singing"
- "When a Child Is Born"
- "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"
- "You're All I Need to Get By"
- Live by Request: Johnny Mathis
- Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful!