Night and Day (Bette Midler song)

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"Night and Day"
Single by Bette Midler
from the album Some People's Lives
B-side"From a Distance"
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1991
Recorded1990
GenrePop
Length5:30
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Billie Hughes
Roxanne Seeman
Producer(s)Arif Mardin, Marc Shaiman
Bette Midler singles chronology
"From a Distance"
(1990) 		"Night and Day"
(1991) 		"The Gift of Love"
(1991)
Music video
"Night And Day" - Bette Midler on YouTube

"Night and Day" is a 1991 song by Bette Midler written by Roxanne Seeman and Billie Hughes. It is the second single from Some People's Lives produced by Arif Mardin with Marc Shaiman as associate producer. "Night and Day" was arranged by Arif Mardin, Billie Hughes, and Joe Mardin. Jack Joseph Puig was the recording and mix engineer. "Night and Day" was also released as a single in Japan.[1][2][3]

"Night and Day" is included in A Gift of Love, the 2015 compilation album by Bette Midler focusing on her ballads. It is one of ten songs on the list of LA Times journalist James Reed in his story "On Bette Midler's birthday, 10 songs that remind us why we fell in love with her", printed December 1, 2016.[4] It was also included on the Bette Midler collection "3 for One"[3] released in Australia.

Overview

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Seeman and Hughes recorded a demo of the song performed by Billie Hughes. Seeman took the song demo to New York and dropped it off with a letter for Tunc Erim, A&R at Atlantic Records. A week later, Tunc Erim invited Seeman to lunch where he told her that Ahmet Ertegun and Doug Morris liked the song and wanted to show it to Mike Rutherford of Mike + The Mechanics. After the lunch, Seeman went to see Vicky Germaise in Arif Mardin's office at the Atlantic Recording Studios. Germaise asked Seeman if she had another copy and overnighted the demo to Arif Mardin who was in Los Angeles, producing Bette Midler's upcoming album.

"It's a song about how hard it is to get along and how wonderful it is when you finally can."[5]

— Bette Midler

Chart performance

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"Night and Day" was released to adult contemporary radio and stayed on the Billboard AC chart for 15 weeks, peaking at number 15.[6][7] The release to mainstream radio came later with "Night and Day" entering the Contemporary Hit Radio charts as Most Added and Significant Action.[8][9]

As "Night and Day" was ascending the Billboard Hot 100, the Gulf War broke out, focusing attention back on the first single, "From A Distance".[10] "Night and Day" remained on the Hot 100 for 7 weeks, peaking at 62.[11][12]

Critical reception

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Walta Borawski of Gay Community News, Boston clarified "'Night and Day' is not the Cole Porter song" calling it "Roxanne Seeman and Billie Hughes' bright little tribute to the old "opposites attract" truism."[13] A reviewer from Billboard praised the song comparing it to the first single as "...an equally appealing pop ballad. Midler's evocative performance works well within the song's haunting delicate keyboard arrangement."[14] Gene Sandbloom from The Network Forty wrote, "'Night And Day' takes Bette back to a jazz vocal style, as she almost converses over the Enya-esque background. By second listen, the chorus takes on renewed strength, making this both a mood piece and Top 40 single at the same time."[15]

Music video

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A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Irish music video and commercial director Meiert Avis.[16]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Night and Day"
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 84
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 50
US Billboard Hot 100 62
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 15

Television performances

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Other versions

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  • Billie Hughes included a version of "Night and Day" on his Welcome to the Edge album which charted #1 in Japan.
  • The Japanese hit duo Wink released a Japanese version of "Night and Day".
  • Jasmine released a Mandarin version of "Night and Day".
  • Cherrie Choi released a Cantonese version of "Night and Day".

References

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  1. ^ Night and Day - Billie Hughes | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-12-08
  2. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2002-03-16). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b "Night and Day - Bette Midler | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  4. ^ Reed, James (2016-12-01). "On Bette Midler's birthday, 10 songs that remind us why we fell in love with her". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  5. ^ Midler, Bette (November 11, 1991). "Call-In Interview with Bette Midler". HitLine USA (Interview). Interviewed by Elvis Duran. New York City: Entertainment Radio Networks.
  6. ^ "Adult Contemporary Music Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  7. ^ "Bette Midler". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  8. ^ "Power Playlists Top 40 Radio Stations" (PDF). Billboard. March 23, 1991. p. 16.
  9. ^ "Contemporary Hit Radio National Airplay" (PDF). Radio & Records: 107, 110. January 11, 1991.
  10. ^ Harrington, Richard (March 20, 1991). "GULF WAR SONGS, OUT OF TUNE". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ "Bette Midler - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  12. ^ "Hot Adult Contemporary" (PDF). Billboard. April 13, 1991. p. 14.
  13. ^ Borawski, Walta (20 October 1990). "True to her roots; Bette Midler returns to the recording studio and sings of Some People's Lives". Gay Community News. 18 (14): 16. ProQuest 199324105.
  14. ^ "Billboard Newspaper January 26, 1991" (PDF). Billboard. January 2, 1991. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Sandbloom, Gene (December 21, 1990). "Top 40 Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty: 14. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "meiertavis.com". meiertavis.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  17. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 187.
  18. ^ "Bette Midler – Night and Day". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
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