1971 single by Ocean
"Put Your Hand in the Hand " is a
gospel
pop song composed by
Gene MacLellan and first recorded by Canadian singer
Anne Murray from her third studio album
Honey, Wheat and Laughter .
It became a hit single for the Canadian band
Ocean , released as their debut single and title track to their debut album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 , kept from No. 1 by "
Joy to the World " by
Three Dog Night .
[2] It remained in the top 10 for seven weeks,
[3] and was ranked as the
No. 33 song for 1971 according to Billboard . The song also reached No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
[4] The band received fan mail for the song from religious figures such as
Billy Graham and the
Bishop of Toronto .
[5]
After MacLellan's suicide in 1995, his friend and fellow Atlantic Canadian musician
Ron Hynes wrote the song "Godspeed" as a tribute, the lyrics for which reference the title of this song.
[6]
The song was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
[7] A remix from the same year adds an instrumental, which occurs between the second chorus and the second verse, as well as a repeat of the chorus and a final instrumentalist chorus, that ends without the fade.
[8]
Track listing
7" single
A1 "Put Your Hand in the Hand" – 2:52
A2 "Tear Down the Fences" – 2:53
Chart history
Weekly charts
Ocean
Year-end charts
Chart (1971)
Rank
Australia
[22]
62
Canada
[23]
66
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
[24]
33
U.S. Easy Listening (Billboard )
[25]
38
U.S. Cash Box
[26]
20
Alan Garrity
Chart (1971)
Rank
South Africa
[28]
5
Cover versions
The song was covered in the 1970s by a number of other performers, including
Elvis Presley (who also covered MacLellan's "
Snowbird "),
Randy Stonehill ,
Larry Norman ,
Tennessee Ernie Ford ,
Frankie Laine ,
Donny Hathaway ,
Joan Baez ,
Shirley Caesar , Dutch group Himalaya, the
Les Humphries Singers , a German-language version ("Ich fand eine Hand") [I Found a Hand] by
Cindy & Bert , a French-language version ("Prends ma main") by Canadian singer
Renée Martel , and recorded by
Bing Crosby for his 1972 album
Bing 'n' Basie . It was also covered, and often sung in concert, by
Anita Bryant .
Evangelist
Garner Ted Armstrong rendered his take on the song in a January 1976 episode of
Hee Haw . Country acts
Sandy Posey ,
Lynn Anderson ,
Loretta Lynn , and The Oak Ridge Boys also recorded the song.
Christopher Norton and Richard Lacy made minor wording changes in a release under Whole World Publishing's 1999 copyright.
[29]
South African singer
Ray Dylan recorded it on his 2009 album Goeie Ou Country - Op Aanvraag .
[30]
Later uses
As a sample in 1989 song "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" by
Beastie Boys on their
Paul's Boutique album.
In a 1991 episode of the sitcom
Family Matters titled "Choir Trouble", the cast was singing the song in their church as part of their Gospel Fest.
In the 2013 film
Prisoners .
In a 2017 episode of US television series
Last Man Standing titled “Take Me to Church”
References
^
"Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand" .
^
"The Hot 100 Chart" .
Billboard .
^
"All US Top 40 Singles For 1971" .
Billboard .
^
Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research. p. 178.
^
"Casey Kasem's American Top 40 – The 70's - April 17, 1971" . Internet Archive . 1971.
^
"Godspeed (Ron Hynes) tabs, videos" . Wtv-zone.com . Retrieved 2016-10-05 .
^
"Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame: Put Your Hand in the Hand" . Retrieved 7 April 2019 .
^
"Put Your Hand In The Hand (2009 CD Reissue)" . Discogs . 2009.
^
Kent, David (1993).
Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 .
St Ives , N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.
ISBN
0-646-11917-6 .
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" (in Dutch).
Ultratop 50 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" (in French).
Ultratop 50 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" (in German).
GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^
"HITS OF THE WORLD" .
Billboard . Vol. 83, no. 46.
Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 13 November 1971. p. 64.
ISSN
0006-2510 . Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via
Google Books .
^ "
Nederlandse Top 40 – Ocean" (in Dutch).
Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" (in Dutch).
Single Top 100 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^
Flavour of New Zealand, 19 July 1971
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" .
VG-lista . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^ "
Ocean – Put Your Hand in the Hand" .
Swiss Singles Chart . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 -
ISBN
0-89820-089-X
^
Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research. p. 178.
^
Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 8, 1971
^
Kent, David (1993).
Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 .
St Ives , N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.
ISBN
0-646-11917-6 .
^
"Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada" . collectionscanada.gc.ca .
^
Musicoutfitters.com
^
Billboard , December 25, 1971.
^
Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971
^
"SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 21 June 2020 .
^
"Top 20 Hit Singles of 1971" . Retrieved 21 June 2020 .
^
"CCLI SongSelect song #3006924 Put Your Hand in the Hand" . Retrieved 2023-08-13 .
^
"Ray Dylan, Goeie Ou Country - Op Aanvraag, CDS, Musica a World awaits - 6005298026996" . Archived from
the original on 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2014-03-28 .
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