"Loving Arms" is a song written by

Tom Jans Tom Jans (February 9, 1948 – March 25, 1984) was an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from San Jose, California. He is perhaps best known for his song " Loving Arms" (also known as "Lovin' Arms"), which was recorded initially by Kr ...

and first recorded as a duet by

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

and Rita Coolidge for their 1973 album '' Full Moon''. The song was notably covered by Dobie Gray that same year, then by a number of artists including

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 ...

and

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

in 1974.

History

"Loving Arms" was written by

. Jans recorded the song and released his version on his 1974 self-titled album. Dobie Gray's version of the song peaked at number 61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the week of October 6, 1973.

and Rita Coolidge's version was released as a single in late 1973, and became a minor ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in the spring of 1974. The song first appeared on their 1973 duet album '' Full Moon''. Elvis Presley's version was first released on his 1974 album '' Good Times''. In 1975, it was included as a B-side on some editions of his " My Boy" single. In 1981, it appeared on Presley's posthumous album ''Guitar Man'' and was released as the second single from it, with " You Asked Me To" on side B. In the UK, the song spent 6 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 47 for the week of April 14. In the United States, the single charted as a double A-side ("Lovin' Arms"/"You Asked Me To") on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart, peaking at number 8 on the week of June 20.

's version reached number 12 on the US AC chart and number 9 on the Canadian AC/Pop charts on February 1, 1975. In total, the song has been covered over 50 times. Other notable covers include ones by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

, the Dixie Chicks, and Demis Roussos.

Personnel

and Rita Coolidge – vocals * Sammy Creason – drums *

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section, which supported so many of Asylu ...

– bass *Jerry McGee – guitar, harmonica *

Bobbye Hall Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early career, work for ...

– percussion * Randy Scruggs – guitar * Booker T. Jones – keyboards

Personnel on Dobie Gray's version

* Dobie Gray, vocals * David Briggs, keyboards *Mike Leech, bass * Kenny Malone, drums * Troy Seals, acoustic and electric guitar * Reggie Young, acoustic and electric guitar, banjo * Weldon Myrick, pedal steel guitar * Buddy Spicher, violin *

Charlie McCoy Charlie McCoy (born Charles Ray McCoy, March 28, 1941) is an American harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist in country music. He is best known for his harmonica solos on iconic recordings such as " Candy Man" ( Roy Orbison), "He Stoppe ...

, harmonica Gray, Dobie, Dobie Gray: Drift Away, Loving Arms, Hey Dixie, BGO Records, liner notes, 2011

Musical style and lyrics

As Steven Blanton notes in his book ''The Songwriter's Toolkit: From Pen to Push Play'', " e song is written using the method of holding the title until the last line effectively."

Charts

Dobie Gray version

Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge version

Elvis Presley version

: * as "Lovin' Arms"/"You Asked Me To"

References

{{authority control 1973 songs 1973 singles 1974 singles 1981 singles Kris Kristofferson songs Rita Coolidge songs Dobie Gray songs Elvis Presley songs Petula Clark songs A&M Records singles RCA Records singles Male–female vocal duets Country ballads Rock ballads 1970s ballads Songs written by Tom Jans Song recordings produced by Felton Jarvis