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And When I Die

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"And When I Die"
Single by Blood, Sweat & Tears
from the album Blood, Sweat & Tears
B-side"Sometimes in Winter"
Released30 September 1969
Recorded1968
GenreJazz rock
Length4:06 (Album version)
3:26 (Single version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Laura Nyro
Producer(s)James William Guercio
Blood, Sweat & Tears singles chronology
"Spinning Wheel"
(1969) 		"And When I Die"
(1969) 		"Smiling Phases"
(1969)

"And When I Die" is a song written by American singer and songwriter Laura Nyro. It was first recorded by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in 1966. Nyro released her own version on her debut album More Than a New Discovery in February 1967.

The song is best known for the next version, recorded by the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears in late 1969. This recording reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a Gold record. In the US, it was kept from #1 by the double A-side "Come Together"/"Something" by The Beatles.[1] "And When I Die" also reached No. 1 in Canada in December 1969 after 3 weeks at No. 2 also due to The Beatles.

Lyrics

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The song gives a positive outlook about death, stating, in the chorus, "And when I die / and when I'm gone / there'll be one child born, in this world / to carry on / to carry on."[2]

History

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"And When I Die" was the first song written by then-17 year old Laura Nyro.[3] She sold the song to folk group Peter, Paul and Mary for $5,000,[4] who recorded it for their sixth studio album The Peter, Paul and Mary Album.

The song appeared on the self-titled second album by Blood, Sweat & Tears. It was the third single from the album, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100; the album's previous two singles had also stalled at #2 on the same chart. The three singles each charted thirteen weeks on the Hot 100.

The BS&T arrangement is very different from previous versions. It was also released as an album version and an edited single version. The album version features two instrumental portions, one featuring an RMI Electra Piano, and the other featuring horns and temple blocks, like a western cowboy song. Also, the pauses between the choruses and the other two verses are longer than on the edited version.

Chart history

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Chart (1969) Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report[5] 4
Canada RPM Top Singles[6] 1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[7] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 2
US Billboard Easy Listening[9] 4

Year-end Charts

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Chart (1969) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 4

Other versions

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References

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  1. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  2. ^ "And When I Die Lyrics". Song Meanings. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  3. ^ "Behind the Song: "And When I Die" by Laura Nyro". American Singwriter. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  4. ^ "Laura Nyro Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  5. ^ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 13, 1969" (PDF).
  7. ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - November 29, 1969" (PDF).
  8. ^ "And When I Die - Blood, Sweat & Tears". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 34.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6104." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  11. ^ Danton, Eric R. (July 15, 2014). "Alison Krauss Joins Billy Childs on Laura Nyro's 'And When I Die' (Exclusive)". WSJ. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
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