Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook

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Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
Studio album by
Bette Midler
ReleasedOctober 25, 2005
Length37:41
LabelColumbia
ProducerBarry Manilow
Bette Midler chronology
Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook
(2003) 		Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
(2005) 		Cool Yule
(2006)
Singles from Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
  1. "Fever"

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook is a studio album by American singer Bette Midler. Produced by Barry Manilow, it serves as a follow-up to their Grammy Award-nominated Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003). Released in 2005, the Peggy Lee tribute was Midler's first album produced in the DualDisc format, although the DVD features were limited to a few short video clips; the initial release was affected by Extended Copy Protection technology.[1]

Promotion[edit]

The album spawned the single "Fever," a cover version of the 1956 Little Willie John record which was covered by Peggy Lee and whose 1958 rendition became the most widely known version of "Fever" and the singer's signature song. A remix of the song, produced by L.E.X, reached number 4 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 2006.[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

AllMusic editor John Bush rated the album three and a half stars out of five and called it "a talented, affectionate record that may not add much to the cause but is a solid tribute [...] Midler's studied boredom in the verses is good enough, but when she reaches the uninhibited chorus, she reveals a marvel of catlike glee. The arrangements, most of them by Manilow, are very good, although they reveal a close knowledge of the originals that contributes to the reverence on display."[3] John Anson, writing for The Lancashire Telegraph found that "it's all too easy to forget that as well as a comedian and actress, Miss M is a great blues and big band singer. This collection of songs originally sung by Peggy Lee gives her a chance to remind us of her vocal talents."[4]

Chart performance[edit]

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook debuted and peaked at number ten on the US Billboard 200, selling 55,000 copies in its first week of release.[5][6] This marked Midler's highest-charting album on the chart since Some People's Lives went to number six in 1991.[7] By October 2006, it had sold 263,000 in the United States.[7]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks produced by Barry Manilow, co-produced by David Benson.

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fever"
3:38
2."Alright, Okay, You Win"
4:28
3."I Love Being Here with You" (duet with Barry Manilow)
2:46
4."Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe"
4:54
5."Is That All There Is?"
4:26
6."I'm a Woman"
  • Leiber
  • Stoller
2:28
7."He's a Tramp"
2:39
8."The Folks Who Live on the Hill"
3:07
9."Big Spender"
2:18
10."Mr. Wonderful"
4:33
Barnes & Noble bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."He Needs Me"Arthur Hamilton4:09

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook
Chart (2005) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 41
US Billboard 200[5] 10

References[edit]

  1. ^ "SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT - cp.sonybmg.com/XCP". cp.sonybmg.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Bette Midler Charty History". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b AllMusic Review
  4. ^ Anson, John (March 10, 2006). "Album review: Bette Midler - The Peggy Lee Songbook (Sony)". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  6. ^ Mar, Alex (November 2, 2005). "Destiny's Child Top Chart". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Ask Billboard". Billboard.com. October 27, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bette Midler | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
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