"The Midnight Oil"
Single by Barbara Mandrell
from the album The Midnight Oil
B-side"In the Name of Love"
ReleasedJuly 25, 1973 (1973-07-25)
RecordedMay 25, 1973 (1973-05-25)
StudioColumbia Studio
Genre
Length2:40
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Joe Allen
Producer(s)Billy Sherrill
Barbara Mandrell singles chronology
"Give a Little, Take a Little"
(1973)		 "The Midnight Oil"
(1973)		 "This Time I Almost Made It"
(1974)

"The Midnight Oil" is a song written by Joe Allen, and recorded by American country music artist Barbara Mandrell. It was released in July 1973 as the fifth single and title track from the album The Midnight Oil. The song received positive critical reception and became one of Mandrell's first top ten hits on the North American country music charts.

Background and recording

Barbara Mandrell made the shift from background musician to recording artist upon signing to Columbia Records in 1970. Her singles reached the top 40 of country songs chart.[3] Her highest-charting country single during this period was 1973's "The Midnight Oil".[4] Composed by Joe Allen,[5] the song told the story of a woman who lies working late in an effort to have her husband not find out that she is carrying on an affair. The song was considered to be one of the first "cheating songs" to be performed by a woman.[6] The track was recorded on May 25, 1973, in a session produced by Billy Sherrill at the Columbia Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee.[5]

Critical reception

"The Midnight Oil" has received a positive reception from critics and writers. Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide called a "late-night love tryst" and a "cheating song".[2] Greg Adams of AllMusic praised the song in reviewing her 1997 compilation Super Hits, calling its production "glossy" and "firmly rooted in the 70s". He concluded by calling the track (along with the album's additional material) among "the best recordings Barbara Mandrell ever made."[7]

Release and chart performance

"The Midnight Oil" was released as a single on Columbia Records on July 25, 1973. It was backed on the B-side by the song "In the Name of Love". The track was issued by the label as a seven inch vinyl single.[5] The single spent multiple weeks on America's Billboard country songs chart, peaking at number seven by the end of the year. It was Mandrell's second single to reach the top ten of the country songs chart in the United States. It was also her highest-climbing solo single up to that point.[4] In Canada, "The Midnight Oil" was her first top ten entry on RPM Country Singles chart, peaking at number five in 1973.[8] The song was released on Mandrell's second studio LP, also titled The Midnight Oil. The album was released in November 1973.[9]

Track listing

7" vinyl single[5]

  • "The Midnight Oil" – 2:40
  • "In the Name of Love" – 2:08

Charts

Chart performance for "The Midnight Oil"
Chart (1973) Peak
position
Canada Country Songs (RPM)[8] 5
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 7

References

  1. ↑ ""Tonight My Baby's Coming Home": Barbara Mandrell: Song Information". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 Wolff, Kurt (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. London: Penguin Books. p. 438. ISBN 1-85828-534-8.
  3. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Barbara Mandrell Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mandrell, Barbara (July 25, 1973). ""The Midnight Oil"/"In the Name of Love" (7" vinyl single sleeve insert)". Columbia Records. 4-45904.
  6. ↑ Oermann, Robert K.; Bufwack, Mary A. (2003). Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music: 1800–2000. Nashville, TN: The Country Music Press & Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 0-8265-1432-4.
  7. ↑ Adams, Greg. "Super Hits: Barbara Mandrell: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Search results for "Barbara Mandrell" under Country Songs". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Mandrell, Barbara (November 26, 1973). "The Midnight Oil (LP Album Information)". Columbia Records. 32743.
  10. ↑ "Barbara Mandrell Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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