Today is Valentine’s Day and we all could use an old fashioned love song—or, in the case of today’s classic song of the day, “An Old Fashioned Love Song.” This terrific single was recorded by Three Dog Night and released in November of 1971. Early the next year the song hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
“An Old Fashioned Love Song” was written by songwriter extraordinaire Paul Williams. You know his work; in addition to this one, he wrote or co-wrote such hits as “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” for the Carpenters; “You and Me Against the World” for Helen Reddy; “Evergreen” for Barbra Streisand; and “Out in the Country” and “Family of Man” for Three Dog Night. He also wrote one of my favorite songs ever, “Rainbow Connection,” originally sung by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. The guy knew his stuff.
Paul Williams originally intended “An Old Fashioned Love Song” for the Carpenters, who’d had remarkable success with a string of his songs. Richard Carpenter rejected it, however, so Williams took it to Three Dog Night instead. They liked it and made it a hit.
Here’s what Mr. Williams remembers about writing the song:
“I went to pick up a lady named Patti Dahlstrom to go out and have dinner. She’s a wonderful songwriter. I found out as I was leaving my office that I had a hit with another song. So as I walked into her living room, I said, ‘Well, kid did it again with another old-fashioned love song.’ And a light bulb appeared in the air right above my head. I went, ‘Wait a minute! That must mean I’ve got a great idea.’ So I sat at her piano. It’s the quickest song that I’ve ever written in my life, and people have said, ‘Yeah, we can tell.’ It just poured out of me. It’s really simple, just a couple of verses, and I go to a major (key) in the choruses.”
One might wonder why Three Dog Night had three lead singers. Well, in addition to spreading the vocal wealth amongst the lead trio, it also enabled some great vocal harmonies. In the case of “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” the best bit is at the end when Chuck Negron (this song’s lead singer), Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton go round and round with interlocking melodies “in three-part harmony.” It’s really a great track.
And here’s your daily bonus Valentine’s Day video of the day, Paul Williams, along with several Muppets of himself, singing “An Old Fashioned Love Song” on The Muppet Show in 1976. It’s one I’m sure he wrote for you and me…
