The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia

May 3, 2024

This month I’m focusing on One Hit Wonders of the 70s.

Today our song is:  The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

Although Bobby Russell wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song, he was reluctant to even record a demo for it because he didn't like it. Lawrence, who was married to Russell at the time, believed the song was a hit and recorded the demo. The publishers and the record label did not know how to pitch the song, as it was not a country or a pop song. The first thought was to offer the song to actress/singer Liza Minnelli, but eventually it was offered to singer Cher, but her then-husband and manager Sonny Bono reportedly refused it, as he was said to be concerned that the song might offend Cher's Southern fans. Without a singer to record the song, Lawrence, along with producer Snuff Garrett, went into a studio and recorded it professionally herself, with the instrumental backing of L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.

Enjoy!