Minute by Minute (The Doobie Brothers song)

"Minute by Minute" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Lester Abrams originally released by the Doobie Brothers on their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single was released in April 1979, debuted at number 67 on 5 May 1979, and reached number 14 on 23–30 June 1979 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, but lost out to The Doobie Brothers' own "What a Fool Believes". It has since been covered by other artists, including The Temptations, Larry Carlton, Stanley Clarke, Peabo Bryson, Kim Pensyl, Helen Reddy, Bobby Lyle, and Rick Janus.[2][3][4]

"Minute by Minute"
Single by The Doobie Brothers
from the album Minute by Minute
B-side	"Sweet Feelin'"
Released	April 25, 1979
Recorded	1978
Studio	Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Genre	Pop rock, soft rock, R&B
Length	3:26
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Michael McDonald, Lester Abrams
Producer(s)	Ted Templeman
The Doobie Brothers singles chronology
"What a Fool Believes" (1979) "Minute by Minute" (1979) "Dependin' on You" (1979)
Music video
"Minute by Minute" on YouTube

Lyrics and music

AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes "Minute by Minute" as one of the songs that reflects The Doobie Brothers' transformation to "a light, soul-oriented outfit."[5] Keyboards are more prominent in the song than in some of The Doobie Brothers' earlier hits.[6][7] Greenwald praises the "simple and literate" lyrics and notes possible influence from Booker T. & the M.G.'s in the music.[5] In their book Inside the Hits, authors Wayne Wadhams (The Fifth Estate), David Nathan, and Susan Lindsay describe the tempo as a "medium shuffle".[8] AXS contributor Bill Craig describes the song as a soulful, mid-tempo, piano-driven song that he compares to Motown songs.[4] Most of "Minute by Minute" is in the key of C major, but the bridge is in E minor and the last refrains are in G major.[8] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide praises McDonald's "suave vocal mastery" on the song.[9] Billboard Magazine described the vocal performance as "soulful."[10] Billboard described the song as an "amalgam of rock and jazz styles with swaying rhythms and catchy melodies."[10] Spin's Rich Stim describes the sound of the song as "phlegmatic".[11]

"Minute by Minute" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year but lost to the Doobie Brothers' prior single, "What a Fool Believes".[12] Co-writer Michael McDonald was surprised by the song's success after a friend had told him that the song "just doesn't have it."[13] Craig rated it as the Doobie Brothers' 6th greatest song.[4]

Chart performance

In the US, "Minute by Minute" was the follow-up single to their number 1 hit "What a Fool Believes". "Minute by Minute" did not repeat its predecessor's success, but reached the Top 20, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It also reached number 74 on Billboard's R&B singles chart[1] as well as number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[14]

The song also had some chart success outside the US, reaching number 34 in New Zealand and 47 in the UK.[15][16]

Chart history

The Doobie Brothers

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles	17
New Zealand[17]	34
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18]	47
US Billboard Hot 100[19]	14
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	13
US Billboard R&B	74
US Cash Box Top 100[20]	13

Peabo Bryson

Chart (1980)	Peak position
US Billboard R&B	12

Personnel

• Michael McDonald – keyboards, synthesizers, lead vocals[21]
• Tiran Porter – bass guitar, vocals[21]
• Keith Knudsen – drums, vocals[21]

Additional Personnel

• Bill Payne – synthesizer (with Michael McDonald)
• Bobby LaKind – congas

Other appearances

"Minute by Minute" has appeared on a number of Doobie Brothers' compilation albums since its initial release. It was included on Best of the Doobies, Vol. 2 in 1981, Greatest Hits in 2001 and The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers in 2007.[5] It has also appeared on a number of live albums, including Farewell Tour in 1983, The Best of the Doobie Brothers Live in 1999 and Live at the Greek Theatre 1982 in 2011.[5] On July 30, 1979, The Doobie Brothers performed "Minute by Minute" on the Dinah! show.[22]

Cover versions

• Helen Reddy covered the song on her 1979 album Reddy.[3][23] Billboard picked Reddy's version as one of the best cuts on the album, calling it "a super single possibility."[3]
• Peabo Bryson covered "Minute by Minute" on his 1980 LP Paradise and it reached No. 12 on the U.S. R&B chart. He also included it on his 2001 album Anthology.[24]
• Phish covered "Minute by Minute" at a few concerts in 1990.[25][26]
• The Temptations covered "Minute by Minute" on their 2007 album Back to Front.[27]
• Meek Mill used this track on his single "Amen" featuring Drake and Jeremih.
• It has also been covered by jazz musicians Larry Carlton, Stanley Clarke, Kim Pensyl and Bobby Lyle.[2] JazzTimes described Stanley Clarke's cover as "straight pop joy".[28]

Larry Carlton also published his cover version in the LP album Discovery in 1986.

References

1. "Minute by Minute singles: Charts and Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
2. "Minute by Minute covers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
3. "Helen Reddy–Reddy". Billboard. June 2, 1979. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
4. Craig, Bill. "Top 10 best The Doobie Brothers songs". AXS. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
5. Greenwald, M. "Minute by Minute". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
6. Rideout, E. (2010). Keyboard Presents: Classic Rock. Hal Leaonard. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-87930-952-7.
7. Grien, P. (July 14, 1979). "Talent in Action: Doobie Brothers, Roger Voudouris". p. 27. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
8. Wadhams, W.; Nathan, D. & Lindsay, S.G. (2001). Inside the Hits. Berklee Press. pp. 23, 399–400. ISBN 978-0-634-01430-7.
9. Sisario, B.; et al. (2004). Brackett, N.; Hoard, C.D. (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp. 253–254. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
10. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. May 12, 1979. p. 79. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
11. Stim, R. (September 1989). "The Doobie Brothers: Cycles". Spin. p. 90. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
12. "Grammy Awards 1980". Awards and Shows. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
13. Morse, T. (1998). Classic rock stories: the stories behind the greatest songs of all time. MacMillan. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-312-18067-6.
14. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 75.
15. "The Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
16. "Doobie Brothers". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
17. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1979-05-15. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
18. "Official Charts". 14 July 1979. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
19. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
20. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending June 23, 1979". Archived from the original on 2011-02-05. Retrieved 2018-04-03.Cash Box magazine.
21. "Keith Knudsen of The Doobie Brothers: Prepared, Perfect". October 8, 2010.
22. Bego, M. (2005). Jackson Browne: His Life and Music. Citadel Press. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-0-8065-2642-3.
23. Donovan, C. "Reddy". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
24. Planer, L. "Anthology". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
25. Mockingbird Foundation (2004). The Phish companion: a guide to the band and their music (2nd ed.). Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-87930-799-8.
26. Thompson, D. (1997). Go Phish. MacMillan. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-312-16854-4.
27. Henderson, A. "Back to Front". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
28. Grey, H. (October 1994). "Currents". JazzTimes. p. 50. Retrieved 2012-02-15.

External links

• Minute by Minute lyrics from official web site