Tonight I'll Say a Prayer
| "Tonight I'll Say a Prayer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eydie Gormé | ||||
| from the album Tonight I'll Say a Prayer | ||||
| B-side | "Wild One" | |||
| Released | September 1969 | |||
| Studio | RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor Records | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Don Costa | |||
| Eydie Gormé singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Tonight I'll Say a Prayer" is a 1969 song written by Tony Renis and Robert Allen. It was most notably performed by Eydie Gormé, who released it as a single in late 1969. Her version reached the US pop and adult-oriented charts, marking a significant return to them. The song served as the title track for her 1970 album Tonight I'll Say a Prayer.
Background and release
American singer Eydie Gormé enjoyed pop success throughout the 1950s, charting several songs in the top 100.[3] In the 1960s, Gormé shifted towards an easy listening sound, and also recorded with her husband Steve Lawrence.[4] The new single followed declining chart performance for Gormé, but was noted by critics as to "coming on strong for sales and chart action".[2] It was released as seven-inch single in September 1969, backed by "Wild One". The single was produced by Don Costa for Stage Two Productions.[5] The songs were arranged by Costa, and conducted by Hollywood composer Nick Perito.[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record World |  [6] |
| Billboard | Positive (Spotlight)[2] |
| Cashbox | Positive (Choice Programming)[1] |
The single received a positive critical reception upon its release. Billboard magazine in its "Special Merit Spotlight" reviews said that Gormé did a "Dynamic performance on a driving Robert Allen beauty".[2] Cashbox believed that it was "One of the more contemporary efforts from Eydie Gorme shows the artist maintaining her MOR power and adding an extra teen element to spread the sales impact."[1] Record World gave the single a four-star rating and said that "Eydie never sounded better than on this heart-breaker, which is sure to be a big juke-box item."[6]
Chart performance
"Tonight I'll Say a Prayer" achieved major commercial success in the United States, marking Gormé's comeback to multiple charts. It debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated November 29, 1969, peaking at No. 45 during a twelve-week run on the chart.[3] The single was ranked lower on the Cashbox Top 100 Singles, peaking at No. 54.[7] It was her final entry on both charts.[3] The single also climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, being her final top-10 single there.[4]
Charts
| Chart (1969-1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 45 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[4] | 8 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[7] | 54 |
References
- 1 2 3 Albert, George (October 4, 1969). "Record Reviews: Choice Programming" (PDF). Cashbox. Vol. XXXI, no. 10. p. 22. Retrieved June 5, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 3 4 "Special Merit Spotlight: Tonight I'll Say a Prayer" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 81, no. 40. October 4, 1969. p. 90. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. pp. 286–287. ISBN 0898201551. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn presents Billboard top adult songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research Inc. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Gormé, Eydie (September 1969). ""Tonight I'll Say a Prayer"/"Wild One" (7" single Information)". RCA Victor. 74-0250.
- 1 2 "Record World Singles Reviews: "Four Stars"" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 24, no. 1164. October 4, 1969. p. 6. Retrieved June 5, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 142–143. ISBN 1-56308-316-7. Retrieved June 5, 2026.