It's Just a Matter of Time (Brook Benton song)
Encyclopedia
"It's Just a Matter of Time" is a popular song
written by Brook Benton
and Clyde Otis
. The original recording by Benton topped the Billboard rhythm & blues
chart in 1959 and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100
pop chart, the first in a string of hits for Benton that ran through 1970.
The song later found a second life as a country
song, with major hit recordings by three different country music performers during the 1970s and 1980s, two of which hit number one.
("Looking Back") and Clyde McPhatter
("A Lover's Question
"). During one songwriting session, Benton expressed frustration that they were not hitting on any good ideas, to which Otis replied, "It's just a matter of time, Brook". Those words inspired them to write a love song
from the point of view of a man who misses his love, but believes she will come back to him.
manager at Mercury Records
, and signed Benton to the label. Otis felt that "It's Just A Matter Of Time" would be an ideal single for Benton, and he asked Cole not to record the song so it could be Benton's first release on the label. Belford Hendricks
arranged the recording, and also received credit as a co-writer. Benton's version, in a style clearly influenced by Cole, was a quick success, rising to number three on the Billboard pop charts while topping the R&B chart for 9 weeks in the spring of 1959, the longest run atop the chart of any song that year. On April 12, during the song's chart run, Benton made his national television debut, singing the song on The Ed Sullivan Show
. While Benton had had one previous minor hit ("A Million Miles From Nowhere"), this success established him to the public, leading to a continuous string of hits through 1962, and occasional success thereafter.
The song featured in the film Boogie Nights
(1997).
; his version spent four weeks atop the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
chart in February 1970. The song was James' 10th in a string of 16 consecutive chart-topping single releases, spanning from 1967-1971.
James performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show
on January 11, 1970 (just days after the single was released) and Hee Haw
on January 21.
— recorded his version and released it as a single. His version peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in February 1986.
, Travis' version became his 10th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
chart.
Travis' bluesy rendition was initially recorded as part of the album Rock, Rhythm & Blues, a 10-song compilation featuring covers of 1950s-era pop hits by 1980s stars. The song was later included on No Holdin' Back after Travis and others liked what they had just recorded.
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...
written by Brook Benton
Brook Benton
Brook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
and Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis
Clyde Otis, born in Prentiss, Mississippi, , was an American songwriter and producer best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African American A&R executive for a major label.According to the music licensing organization Broadcast Music Inc., Otis is...
. The original recording by Benton topped the Billboard rhythm & blues
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart in 1959 and peaked at No. 3 on the 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...
pop chart, the first in a string of hits for Benton that ran through 1970.
The song later found a second life as a 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...
song, with major hit recordings by three different country music performers during the 1970s and 1980s, two of which hit number one.
Writing
Brook Benton and Clyde Otis established themselves as a songwriting team in the late 1950s, penning hits for Nat King ColeNat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
("Looking Back") and Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer, perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question"...
("A Lover's Question
A Lover's Question
"A Lover's Question" is a 1958 pop/R&B hit for Clyde McPhatter. The single was written by Brook Benton and Jimmy T. Williams and was Clyde McPhatter's most successful pop and R&B release. "A Lover's Question" made it to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for one week on the R&B chart...
"). During one songwriting session, Benton expressed frustration that they were not hitting on any good ideas, to which Otis replied, "It's just a matter of time, Brook". Those words inspired them to write a love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
from the point of view of a man who misses his love, but believes she will come back to him.
Benton's recording
Benton and Otis placed the song on a demo tape for Cole, and he agreed to record it. However, Otis became an A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
manager at Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, and signed Benton to the label. Otis felt that "It's Just A Matter Of Time" would be an ideal single for Benton, and he asked Cole not to record the song so it could be Benton's first release on the label. Belford Hendricks
Belford Hendricks
Belford C. Hendricks was an American composer, pianist, arranger, conductor and record producer. He used a variety of names, including Belford Hendricks, Belford Cabell Hendricks, Belford Clifford Hendricks, Sinky Hendricks and Bill Henry...
arranged the recording, and also received credit as a co-writer. Benton's version, in a style clearly influenced by Cole, was a quick success, rising to number three on the Billboard pop charts while topping the R&B chart for 9 weeks in the spring of 1959, the longest run atop the chart of any song that year. On April 12, during the song's chart run, Benton made his national television debut, singing the song on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. While Benton had had one previous minor hit ("A Million Miles From Nowhere"), this success established him to the public, leading to a continuous string of hits through 1962, and occasional success thereafter.
The song featured in the film Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
(1997).
Chart positions
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. R&B Singles | 1 |
Sonny James version
The first cover version that became a country hit was recorded by Sonny JamesSonny James
James Loden , known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1...
; his version spent four weeks atop the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
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...
chart in February 1970. The song was James' 10th in a string of 16 consecutive chart-topping single releases, spanning from 1967-1971.
James performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
on January 11, 1970 (just days after the single was released) and Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
on January 21.
Chart positions
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 87 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 85 |
Glen Campbell version
In 1985, Glen Campbell — at the time on the roster of Atlantic America RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
— recorded his version and released it as a single. His version peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in February 1986.
Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 7 |
Randy Travis version
Randy Travis became the third country artist to find success with the song. Released in August 1989 as the lead-off single to the album No Holdin' BackNo Holdin' Back
No Holdin' Back is the title of American country music singer Randy Travis's fifth album. It was released on September 26, 1989, by Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Three singles were released from it, all of which charted on the Hot Country Songs charts: the Number One hits "It's Just a Matter of...
, Travis' version became his 10th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles
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...
chart.
Travis' bluesy rendition was initially recorded as part of the album Rock, Rhythm & Blues, a 10-song compilation featuring covers of 1950s-era pop hits by 1980s stars. The song was later included on No Holdin' Back after Travis and others liked what they had just recorded.
Chart positions
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
See also
- Randy Travis - No Holdin' Back at Billboard.com
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.