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Johnny One Time (album)

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Johnny One Time
Studio album by
Brenda Lee
ReleasedMay 19, 1969 (1969-05-19)
RecordedOctober 1968–March 1969
StudioColumbia 30th Street Studio, and Pythian Temple
Genre
LabelDecca
ProducerMike Berniker
Brenda Lee chronology
For the First Time
(1968) 		Johnny One Time
(1969) 		Memphis Portrait
(1970)
Singles from Johnny One Time
  1. "Johnny One Time"
    Released: December 1968

Johnny One Time is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on May 19, 1969, by Decca Records and was her twentieth studio album. A total of 11 tracks comprised the album, many of which were covers. The title track was a charting single in the US and Canada in 1969. The album was met with positive reviews from critics after its release.

Background, recording and content

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Brenda Lee had been a recording artist since age 11 and had her greatest commercial success during the early 1960s. A majority of her singles from this era made the top ten including "I'm Sorry", "Fool No. 1" and "All Alone Am I". As the decade progressed, Lee's chart run declined but she continued recording for her label Decca Records.[2] One of her singles from the later decade was "Johnny One Time", which had first been a single for Willie Nelson. It made chart positions in multiple formats, including the country genre. The song inspired Lee's 1969 album of the same name.[1]

Johnny One Time represented a change in recording practices for Lee. After recording almost exclusively for producer Owen Bradley in Nashville, this album was recorded in New York for producer Mike Berniker.[3] The recording sessions were held between October 1968 and March 1969, mostly at the Columbia 30th Street Studio, with two tracks done at the Pythian Temple. The album consisted of 11 tracks. Similar to many of Lee's albums from the era, the collection featured mostly covers of pop recordings. This included "If You Go Away", "The Letter" and several more.[1]

Release, reception and chart performance

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

Johnny One Time was released by Decca Records on May 19, 1969. It was Lee's twentieth studio album in her career. The album was distributed as a vinyl LP, featuring five tracks on side one and six tracks on side two.[3] The album was met with positive reviews from critics following its release. Cashbox magazine found that Lee performed the album's songs with "equal style and ease". They concluded by predicting that it would "good play on middle-of-the-road stations".[4] Greg Adams of AllMusic gave Johnny One Time three out of five stars. Adams found the album to have a pop style and concluded, "Brenda Lee is a sadly underrated vocalist who could have gone in any direction she chose; on Johnny One Time she dabbles in various styles, but the prevailing mood is one of adult pop."[1]

Johnny One Time made the US Billboard 200 record chart in 1969, reaching the number 98 position. It was Lee's final album to reach the top 100 on the record chart.[5] The album's only single was the title track, which was issued by Decca Records in December 1968.[6] The single reached number 41 on the US Hot 100,[7] number three on the US adult contemporary chart[8] and number 50 on the US country songs chart.[9] It also reached number 38 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles Chart.[10]

Track listing

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Side one[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Johnny One Time"
3:14
2."Traces"
2:46
3."If You Go Away"
4:44
4."Bring Me Sunshine"
2:21
5."Help Yourself (Gli Occhi Miei)"
3:40
Side two[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Be Me (Je T'Appartiens)"
2:06
2."For Once in My Life"
2:01
3."This Girl's in Love with You"
3:39
4."Matelot"Noël Coward3:22
5."The Letter"Wayne Carson2:01
6."Walk Away (Warum Nur, Warum)"
4:07

Personnel

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All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Johnny One Time.[3]

  • Mark Berniker – Producer
  • Hal Buksbaum – Cover photo
  • Marty Manning – Conducting

Chart performance

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Chart (1969) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 98

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Brazil May 19, 1969 Vinyl LP Decca Records [12]
North America [3]
Venezuela Orbe [13]
United Kingdom 1970 MCA Records [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Adams, Greg. "Johnny One Time: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Brenda (May 19, 1969). "Johnny One Time (Liner Notes)". Decca Records. DL-7511 (Stereo).
  4. ^ "Cashbox Album Reviews: Pop Picks" (PDF). Cashbox. May 10, 1969. p. 54. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research, Inc. p. 591. ISBN 978-0898201666.
  6. ^ Lee, Decca (December 1968). ""Johnny One Time"/"Out of My Mind" (7" vinyl single)". Decca Records. 32428.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs 1961-2006. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  10. ^ "Search results for "Brenda Lee" under Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  11. ^ "Brenda Lee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Lee, Brenda (May 19, 1969). "Johnny One Time [Brazil]". Decca Records. 012-113 (Stereo).
  13. ^ Lee, Brenda (May 19, 1969). "Johnny One Time [Venezuela]". Orbe. 4255.
  14. ^ Lee, Brenda (1970). "Johnny One Time [United Kingdom]". MCA Records. MUPS-396; MAPS-1001.
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