Every Face Tells a Story
Encyclopedia
"Every Face Tells a Story", written by Peter Sills, Don Black and Michael Allison, is a song recorded by Australia
n pop
and country
singer Olivia Newton-John
on her 1976 album Don't Stop Believin'
.
in 1976 and chartered 55th on Billboard Hot 100
, 21st on Hot Country Songs
and 6th on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
. She produced an MTV style promotional clip for the song, which aired on ABC in November of 1976.
Although the song made it to the top 10 in A/C this song broke Olivia's consecutive record of having every one of her singles go to the top of the A/C charts. It also broke Newton-John's streak of nine U.S. Top 40 hits in a row.
, a friend of Olivia Newton-John. Richard released an album by the name Every Face Tells a Story. This song has the same music, but the lyrics are about Jesus and religious. Cliff Richard although a pop star is deeply religious and often devotes several tracks of each album to God.
It was Don Black who rewrote the lyrics completely, thus changing the religious song to a non religious number.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
on her 1976 album Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin' (Olivia Newton-John album)
Don't Stop Believin' was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. The album was certified Gold and peaked at No. 33 - Pop and No. 7 - Country....
.
Chart performance
The song was released as a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1976 and chartered 55th on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, 21st on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and 6th on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
. She produced an MTV style promotional clip for the song, which aired on ABC in November of 1976.
Although the song made it to the top 10 in A/C this song broke Olivia's consecutive record of having every one of her singles go to the top of the A/C charts. It also broke Newton-John's streak of nine U.S. Top 40 hits in a row.
| Chart (1976–1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 55 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 58 |
Originally a religious song
The original song was written by Michael Allison and Peter Sills for Cliff RichardCliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, a friend of Olivia Newton-John. Richard released an album by the name Every Face Tells a Story. This song has the same music, but the lyrics are about Jesus and religious. Cliff Richard although a pop star is deeply religious and often devotes several tracks of each album to God.
It was Don Black who rewrote the lyrics completely, thus changing the religious song to a non religious number.
Cover versions
- SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
pop and country singer Kikki DanielssonKikki DanielssonAnn-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She is also famous for yodeling in some songs. Kikki Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until...
coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the song (non-religious version) on her 1982 album KikkiKikki (album)Kikki is an eponymous studio album by Swedish pop- and country singer Kikki Danielsson, released in 1982. The album peaked at #19 at the Swedish album chart, on 21 December 1982.In July 2009 the album was digitally released to iTunes.-Side A:-Side B:...
.