''Desiderata'' is a 1971 album by

Les Crane Les Crane (born Lesley Stein; December 3, 1933 – July 13, 2008) was an American radio announcer, television host, and actor. A pioneer in interactive broadcasting, he is also known for his 1971 spoken-word recording of the poem ''Desiderata'' ...

with music by

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

composer Fred Werner and concept and various lyrics by David C. Wilson. It is a

spoken-word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of recitation ...

album with sung refrains and instrumental accompaniment. The title and title track come from the widely circulated poem "

Desiderata "Desiderata"(Latin: 'things desired') is a 1927 prose poem by the American writer Max Ehrmann. The text was widely distributed in poster form in the 1960s and 1970s. History Max Ehrmann of Terre Haute, Indiana, started writing the work in 1921, ...

", which was widely perceived as ancient wisdom and not known to be a 1927 poem by Indiana lawyer

Max Ehrmann Max Ehrmann (September 26, 1872 – September 9, 1945) was an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana, widely known for his 1927 prose poem "Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired"). He often wrote on spiritual themes. Educat ...

. Crane's supporting musicians included singer Evangeline Carmichael, whose daughter Carol Carmichael sang the "child of the universe" refrain on the title track, with musicians including keyboardist

Michel Rubini Michel Rubini (born December 3, 1942) is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a grou ...

, guitarist

Louie Shelton William Louis Shelton (born April 6, 1941) is an American guitarist and music producer. Biography During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s Shelton was a session musician working in recording studios around Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood. ...

, flautist

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...

and two percussionists,

Joe Porcaro Joseph Thomas Porcaro (April 29, 1930 – July 6, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Personal life The Porcaro family is, on the paternal side, originally from San Luca, an Aspromonte village in the province of Reggio Calabria. Joe ...

and

Emil Richards Emil Richards (born Emilio Joseph Radocchia; September 2, 1932 – December 13, 2019) was an American vibraphonist and percussionist. Biography Musician Richards began playing the xylophone aged six. In High School, he performed with the ...

. The album won the

Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1959 the award was known as Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word * From 1960 to 1961 it was awarded as Best Perform ...

Music

The album includes well-known poetry such as

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon sim ...

's "Different Drummer" (retitled "Independence" on the track list) and "Wilderness" (retitled "Nature") as well as original compositions such as "Friends." The title track poem "

" had already been recorded by drummer Brian Davison's project band Every Which Way on the 1970 album ''Brian Davison's Every Which Way'' as "Go Placidly", with music by keyboardist and singer Graham Bell. "Go Placidly" was also released as a single. The music on Crane's album was performed by Broadway composer Fred Werner, whose music publisher Robert Bell of Crescendo Publishing identified the original source of the poem on the poster as Max Ehrmann. Werner's arrangement features repeated singing of the refrain "You are a child of the universe, No less than the trees and the stars: You have a right to be here." Lindsay Planer, in her review of the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, wrote: "Crane's dulcet-toned reading became an anthem for those wishing to perpetuate the message of peace and love that had seemingly been abandoned in the wake of the '60s" and called the album "an inspired timepiece with an ageless message, rather than the one-hit wonder novelty that history will undoubtedly remember it as."

Chart history (title track)

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Track listing

#"Prologue" – 0:18 #"Desiderata" (Max Ehrmann, Fred Werner) – 4:18 #"Vision" (Traditional, Werner) – 3:19 #"Friends" (Wilson, Crane, Werner) – 4:42 #"Beauty (Shining from the Inside Out)" (Wilson, Werner) – 3:03 #"Happiness (I Got No Cares)" (Wilson, Werner) – 2:19 #"Esperanza (Hope)" (Werner) – 2:33 #"Nature (Wilderness)" (Rachel Thoreau, Werner) – 2:52 #"Courage (Eyes That See)" (Wilson, Werner) – 4:26 #"Independence (A Different Drummer)" (Thoreau, Ehrmann, Werner) – 2:29 #"Love (Children Learn What They Live)" (Werner) – 3:43 #"Epilogue" – 0:33

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1971 albums Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album Spoken word albums by American artists 1970s spoken word albums