"Any Day Now" is a popular song written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", " In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gentl ...

in 1962. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including notable versions by Chuck Jackson in 1962, Alan Price in 1965,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

in 1969, Scott Walker in 1973 and

Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...

in 1982. In the lyrics, the singer predicts the imminent demise of a romantic relationship and describes the sadness this will leave.

Chuck Jackson

Jackson, an R&B singer born in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in 1937, recorded the first version of the song to hit the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart; it reached number 23 in 1962 with the title "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" and spent six weeks in the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

. Jackson's version appeared on his album, which was also titled ''Any Day Now''. The song was Jackson's highest-charting hit on the US pop chart, and also peaked at number two for three weeks on the Hot Black Sides chart. Jackson's recording of the song was used over the closing credits of the film ''

Inherent Vice ''Inherent Vice'' is a novel by the American author Thomas Pynchon, originally published on August4, 2009. A darkly comic detective novel set in 1970s California, the plot follows sleuth Larry "Doc" Sportello whose ex-girlfriend asks him to i ...

''. Jackson's original backing track was recycled by Scepter for the song "Lover", which was recorded in the early 1960s by Scepter artist Tommy Hunt. The track, which featured an entirely new Hilliard lyric and a partially re-written melody, was not released until 1986.

Charts

Elvis Presley version

Presley recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Any Day Now" on 20 February 1969 at

American Sound Studio The American Sound Studio was a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee which operated from 1964 to 1972. Founded by Chips Moman, the studio at 827 Thomas Street came to be known as American North, and the studio at 2272 Deadrick Street ...

, Memphis, Tennessee. This version appeared on his acclaimed album of that year, ''

From Elvis in Memphis ''From Elvis in Memphis'' is the ninth studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Records on June 2, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the dire ...

''. Although not released as a single in its own right, the song appeared as the B-side to Presley's No. 3 US pop hit "

In the Ghetto "In the Ghetto" (originally titled "The Vicious Circle") is a 1969 song written by Mac Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley. It was a major hit released in 1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album, ''From Elvis in Memphis'', and was also relea ...

", which appeared on the same album. In 2022 it featured in the ''Elvis'' movie soundtrack, the song itself and as a remix mixed with

Suspicious Minds "Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on th ...

made by Australian dance music trio

PNAU Pnau, stylised as PNAU, is an Australian Electronic dance music, dance music trio originating from Sydney, Australia, Sydney. The trio, a duo before 2016, consists of the musicians Nick Littlemore (vocals, production), Peter Mayes (guitar, produ ...

with the name "Don't Fly Away".

Ronnie Milsap

Milsap, a popular

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

/ pop singer, recorded the most widely known version of the song. It was the lead single from his 1982 album ''

Inside Inside may refer to: Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 film), a Canadian prison drama film * ''Inside'' (2006 film), an American thriller film starri ...

'', and it peaked at No. 14 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 chart, spending nine weeks in the Top 40. In addition, this version went to No. 1 on both the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart (for one week) as well as the Hot Adult Contemporary Singles chart (for five weeks). It also went to No. 1 on the Canadian Country and Adult Contemporary Chart for three weeks. Milsap's producer, Tom Collins, encouraged Milsap to make the song sound different from the original by Chuck Jackson. As a result, Milsap recorded it in a different key and sang it softly.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

*The song became the theme to the American television drama of the same name that aired on the cable channel Lifetime, starring

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

and Lorraine Toussaint. The verse of the song that appears in this theme was sung by Lori Perry. *

Judy Henske Judith Anne Henske (December 20, 1936 – April 27, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, dubbed "the Queen of the Beatniks" by producer Jack Nitzsche. Initially performing in folk clubs in the early 1960s, her performances and recording ...

included a version on her 1965 album ''Little Bit Of Sunshine . . . Little Bit Of Rain''. *

Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer best known as one-half of the Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Medley produced a n ...

included this song on his 1969 album ''Soft and Soulful''. * Scott Walker released an album named '' Any Day Now'' in 1973, which featured the song as its opening track. *Country singer

Don Gibson Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...

also released a version of "Any Day Now", which reached the Top 40 of the ''Billboard'' country music chart in 1979. *Singer

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 19 ...

recorded "Any Day Now" in 1969, and this version reached 35 on the ''Billboard''

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and 86 on the Hot 100. *Singer

Nick Kamen Ivor Neville "Nick" Kamen (15 April 1962 – 4 May 2021) was a British singer, songwriter and model of mixed Burmese, Irish, Dutch and French descent. He was best known for the singles "Each Time You Break My Heart" from 1986 and "I Promised My ...

recorded "Any Day Now" in 1987. The song is featured on his album ''Nick Kamen'' and is the B-side of his single Win Your Love. *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

recorded two versions of "Any Day Now". Once as part of a medley in 1969 on ''Half And Half'' and a full version in 2007 on the album ''Romancing The 60's ''. *

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

recorded "Any Day Now" for his 2001 self-titled album. The Vandross version was nominated for a 2003

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in the category of Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

included a version of "Any Day Now" on his 1969 album ''It's a Mother''. *Carla Thomas included a version of "Any Day Now" on her 1967 album ''The Queen Alone''. *In

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

a cover of the song - with the title "Bambolina" - was released in the 1960s by various groups and singers, among them the beat group I Corvi (1967) and Mal - a.k.a. Mal dei Primitives (1968). *

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

pop duo Peter & Gordon included a version of "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" on their 1965 album '' True Love Ways''. *

Paul Carrack Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while '' ...

recorded a version for his 2001 album ''Groovin and released it as a single, which did not chart. *

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...

recorded a version for his sixth studio album, '' Soul on West 53rd'' (2009). *

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including ...

recorded a version on his 1980 album ''Long John Baldry''. *

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American tenor singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temp ...

recorded a version for his self-titled 1973 album.

References

Bibliography

*Roland, Tom, ''The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits'' Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (). * Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 6th Edition (Billboard Publications) *Whitburn, Joel, ''Top Country Songs: 1944-2005'', 2006. *Whitburn, Joel, ''Top Pop Songs: 1955-2006'', 2007.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Any Day Now (Chuck Jackson Song) 1962 singles 1979 singles 1982 singles Chuck Jackson songs James Brown songs Elvis Presley songs Percy Sledge songs Scott Walker (singer) songs Ronnie Milsap songs Luther Vandross songs Frankie Valli songs Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Songs with lyrics by Bob Hilliard Song recordings produced by Tom Collins (record producer) 1962 songs RCA Records Nashville singles ABC Records singles Wand Records singles