The Greatest Oldies Music

Oldies Musics

The Magic of Music: Exploring Jackie DeShannon’s ‘What The World Needs Now’

Introduction

Jackie DeShannon’s iconic song, “What The World Needs Now,” is a timeless classic that has captured the hearts of music lovers for generations. With its soulful melody and profound lyrics, this song continues to resonate with listeners worldwide. In this article, we will delve into the history of this remarkable composition, explore interesting facts about the artist behind it, and even provide you with a video link to enjoy this musical masterpiece.Jackie DeShannon | Spotify

Did You Know?

  • Song Origins: “What The World Needs Now” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1965. It was initially intended for the Shirelles, but Jackie DeShannon’s rendition became the most famous and enduring version.
  • Jackie DeShannon: Jackie DeShannon, born Sharon Lee Myers, is an American singer-songwriter with a prolific career in the music industry. She not only made her mark as a performer but also as a songwriter, penning hits like “Bette Davis Eyes,” which became a massive success when Kim Carnes recorded it.
  • Chart-Topping Success: Upon its release in 1965, “What The World Needs Now” soared up the charts, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s universal message of love and unity struck a chord with listeners during a turbulent era.
  • Covered by Legends: Over the years, this song has been covered by various artists, including Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, and even Burt Bacharach himself. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless quality.
  • Cultural Impact: “What The World Needs Now” has been featured in numerous films, television shows, and commercials, further cementing its status as a classic that transcends generations.

Jackie De Shannon - Rotten Tomatoes

Video 

Lyrics: What The World Needs Now

What the world needs now is love sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

Lord we don’t need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last ’til the end of time

What the world needs now is love sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

Lord, we don’t need another meadow
There are corn fields and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh listen Lord, if you want to know

What the world needs now is love sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

What the world needs now is love sweet love
What the world needs now is love sweet love
What the world needs now is love sweet love

What the world needs now is love sweet love
What the world needs now is love sweet love

Related Post

GLEN CAMPBELL DISCOVERED “RHINESTONE COWBOY” WHILE HIS CAREER WAS FADING, TURNING A LONELY ROAD TRIP ANTHEM INTO THE SMASH HIT THAT REVIVED HIS LEGENDARY MAINSTREAM CAREER. By 1974, Glen Campbell’s commercial peak on television and country radio had slowed down significantly, leaving the once-ubiquitous star searching desperately for a comeback. While preparing for an Australian tour, he received a cassette tape of Larry Weiss’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” and played it repeatedly during long drives between venues, including a grueling 650-mile stretch from Sydney to Brisbane. Finding deep personal resonance in the lyrics about years of compromise and relentless hope, Campbell already knew every turn of the arrangement by the time he returned to the United States. Released by Capitol Records in 1975, the single exploded on the charts to become his very first pop No. 1, selling millions of copies and successfully kickstarting a brilliant second act that proved some stars shine brightest after the storm.

There came a point in Elvis Presley’s career when preparing for a concert was no longer simply about choosing songs and putting on a jumpsuit. Behind closed doors, there were nights when sleep refused to come, mornings when exhaustion remained, and days when his body seemed to recover more slowly than before. Then someone would tell him it was almost showtime. Outside, thousands of people were waiting. Whatever Elvis was feeling had to remain behind the curtain.

On August 16, 1977, Graceland was preparing for another departure. Elvis Presley was expected to leave Memphis that evening for the beginning of another tour. His luggage was being prepared, musicians and staff were expecting the familiar routine to begin again, and there was every reason to believe another Elvis concert was only days away. Instead, that afternoon, an ambulance rushed through the gates. Elvis had been found unresponsive in his upstairs bathroom. The place where his life ended would eventually become the subject of endless jokes and sensational headlines. But stripped of all that noise, the reality was painfully ordinary: a 42-year-old man with serious health problems had suffered a medical emergency in the privacy of his own home.

You Missed

Country

The first time Merle Haggard laid eyes on Johnny Cash perform, he wasn’t standing backstage or even dreaming of a singing career. He was simply an inmate locked inside San Quentin. Merle was barely into his twenties yet already carrying more trouble than most men twice his age. An arrest, a prison stint, a failed escape attempt, and a permanent cell followed until Johnny Cash walked through the gates to put on a show for the convicts. Sitting right among the inmates, Merle watched a man dressed in black stand under the lights and sing directly to prisoners as if their humanity still mattered. Years later, Haggard often credited that exact afternoon with pushing him toward turning his life around and taking music seriously. He eventually walked out of San Quentin forever, but those prison years never truly left him. They bled directly into tracks like “Branded Man,” “Sing Me Back Home,” and his signature anthem “Mama Tried,” which captured a mother doing everything humanly possible while her son kept picking the wrong road. Decades later, Merle mentioned the San Quentin concert to Cash, who joked right back that he didn’t remember seeing him on the bill. Merle looked at him and said, “I was in the audience.” That simple truth marked the dividing line between Merle Haggard and almost every other artist who sang about prison walls. He didn’t have to use his imagination to know what they felt like.

Country

TAMMY WYNETTE AND PRODUCER BILLY SHERRILL FINISHED WRITING AND RECORDING “STAND BY YOUR MAN” IN JUST FIFTEEN MINUTES, CREATING ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC ANTHEMS IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY. With less than an hour remaining in a CBS recording session on August 28, 1968, producer Billy Sherrill took Tammy Wynette upstairs to his office to finish a few unfinished lines. Hustling through the lyrics in less than twenty minutes, the pair rushed back down to the studio floor to track the song that would define Wynette’s legendary career. Enhanced by lush strings and a soaring vocal climax, “Stand by Your Man” exploded to No. 1 country, crossed over onto the pop charts, and sold over two million copies despite sparking a fierce national debate over its lyrics. Entering the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, the track remains a masterclass in how a brief spark of inspiration can leave an everlasting mark on Nashville.

Oldies Musics

GLEN CAMPBELL DISCOVERED “RHINESTONE COWBOY” WHILE HIS CAREER WAS FADING, TURNING A LONELY ROAD TRIP ANTHEM INTO THE SMASH HIT THAT REVIVED HIS LEGENDARY MAINSTREAM CAREER. By 1974, Glen Campbell’s commercial peak on television and country radio had slowed down significantly, leaving the once-ubiquitous star searching desperately for a comeback. While preparing for an Australian tour, he received a cassette tape of Larry Weiss’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” and played it repeatedly during long drives between venues, including a grueling 650-mile stretch from Sydney to Brisbane. Finding deep personal resonance in the lyrics about years of compromise and relentless hope, Campbell already knew every turn of the arrangement by the time he returned to the United States. Released by Capitol Records in 1975, the single exploded on the charts to become his very first pop No. 1, selling millions of copies and successfully kickstarting a brilliant second act that proved some stars shine brightest after the storm.

Country

Billy Joe Shaver first caught Waylon Jennings’ eye at Willie Nelson’s Dripping Springs Reunion back in 1972 while passing a guitar around backstage and picking “Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me.” Waylon immediately stopped in his tracks, learned the chords on the spot, and promised to record the material. Instead of a quick cut, Shaver found himself stuck in Nashville for six months trying to collect on that promise while dealing with empty pockets and a songwriter dodging his calls. A sympathetic DJ eventually smuggled him right into one of Waylon’s studio dates. Still trying to brush him off, Waylon handed over a hundred-dollar bill with strict instructions to clear out. Shaver was broke enough to desperately need the cash, yet his pride won out. He fired the money right back with a harsh insult, prompting a furious Waylon to storm out into the hallway surrounded by a crowd. Shaver stood his ground and told him straight: listen to the songs, or catch a beating right there in front of God and everybody. Waylon finally sat down and listened. One track led to another until Jennings scrapped his own plans and built an entire record around Shaver’s writing. Released in 1973, Honky Tonk Heroes packed nine of Billy Joe’s compositions and turned into a crown jewel of the outlaw movement. The recording room stayed just as volatile, with Shaver loudly arguing over arrangement choices and accusing Waylon of altering his vision. Yet that exact friction gave the record its teeth. Waylon had just fought RCA for total creative freedom, and Billy Joe Shaver proved stubborn enough to demand that exact same respect for the words on the page.