A Love Song

Album: Love Song (1973)
Charted: 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Kenny Loggins and Donna Lyn George, Kenny Loggins wrote this song specifically for Murray. After her successful cover of Loggins' "Danny's Song" a year earlier, the two had yet to meet. At the time, Murray was hosting a show in Los Angeles and Loggins was working on the song, which eventually ended up on Loggins & Messina's Full Sail album. Ironically enough Murray's album included Loggins & Messina's "Watching the River Run" so she must have been a fan of Loggins at the time. She later did a duet with Dave Loggins, who is Kenny's cousin.
  • The song is about a guy comparing himself to "a wren in a willow wood" who simply wants to sing for his lover.
  • Murray sang this with kd lang on her 2007 duets album. The same year, Loggins rerecorded it for his How About Now album. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD, for above 3
  • This was a #1 hit in Murray's native Canada, and it also topped the charts on the US Adult Contemporary charts.
  • The album earned Murray the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1975, besting Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and Tammy Wynette's "Woman To Woman."

Comments: 3

  • Belinda from Metropolis Il.Love this so dearly
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 5th 1974, Anne Murray performed "A Long Song" on the NBC-TV program 'The Midnight Special'...
    Seven months earlier on December 9th, 1972 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #94; and on March 3rd, 1974 it peaked at #12 (for 1 week) and spent 17 weeks on the Top 100...
    And on February 3rd, 1974 it reached #1 (for 1 week) on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    In Canada it peaked at #1 (for 1 week) on the RPM Top Singles chart...
    Was track one of side one on her eighth studio album, 'Love Song', and it peaked at #24 on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart...
    Three other tracks from the album also made the Top 100 chart; "Send A Little Love My Way" (#72), "You Won't See Me" (#8), and "Just One Look" (86)...
    Ms. Murray celebrated her 69th birthday one month ago on June 20th, 2014.
  • Sara from Silver Spring, MdAnne Murray's version seemed to have come first. Kenny claims to have written it for a waitress friend.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.