Twilight Is Gone

"Twilight Is Gone"
Single by The Desert Rose Band
from the album True Love
B-side "Shades of Blue"
Released 1991
Format 7", CD
Genre Country, country rock
Length 3:15 (edited version)
3:40 (album version)
Label MCA/Curb
Writer(s) Chris Hillman, Steve Hill
Producer(s) Tony Brown
The Desert Rose Band singles chronology
"You Can Go Home"
(1991)		 "Twilight Is Gone"
(1991)		 "What About Love"
(1993)

"Twilight Is Gone" is a single by American country rock band The Desert Rose Band.[1] The song was released as the second and final single in 1991 from the band's fourth studio album True Love.[2]

Background

Continuing the band's commercial decline on both the American and Canadian Country Singles Charts, the single was commercially unsuccessful, just like the True Love album, which failed to chart altogether. The commercial slide began for the band at the beginning of 1991, with "Twilight is Gone" becoming the band's lowest charting single of the time in both America and Canada.[3][4]

"Twilight is Gone" peaked at #67 on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs.[3] In Canada, the single peaked at #82 on the RPM Country Singles Chart in mid-February 1992.[5][6] The single lasted a total of six weeks[7] after debuting at a lowly #94 in late January 1992.[8]

The song was written by the band's frontman Chris Hillman and frequent collaborator Steve Hill.[9] It was produced by American country music record producer and pianist Tony Brown, who produced the entire True Love album.[10]

For the True Love album, Curb Records released a press release, which spoke of the song and the lyrics, stating "In "Twilight is Gone," the changes in a relationship that occur after the initial fire has died down are expressed in a quiet ballad."[11]

Release

The single was released in America and Canada only, via Curb Records (under MCA), on 7" vinyl and promotional CD.[1] For the single's release, "Twilight is Gone"'s original three minute and forty second long album version was edited and cut by twenty five seconds, where the new version was dubbed "Edited Version" on both releases of the single.[12][13]

The 7" vinyl featured the True Love album track "Shades of Blue" as the B-Side, which was written by Hillman and Hill.[9] For the promotional CD single release, "Twilight is Gone" was the only track, which came in a standard CD single case with an insert.

Although the 7" vinyl release featured no artwork, it was issued in a standard MCA Records coloured sleeve, whilst the promotional CD single had an insert that featured some basic artwork, using a patterned brown coloured background and text.[14] This artwork design was also used for the CD version of the previous 1991 single "You Can Go Home".[15]

The single was distributed by UNL Distribution Corp.[13]

Promotion

Unlike the previous single "You Can Go Home", "Twilight is Gone" had no music video and no TV performances of the song were broadcast. Despite this a live performance of the song was professionally recorded at the popular country & western nightclub Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas.[16]

Since appearing on YouTube in December 2008, the live performance has gained approximately 9,800 views.[16]

The song was performed before the single’s release in early March 1991 along with the single "Will This Be the Day" on the Arsenio Hall Show.

Track listing

7" Single
  1. "Twilight is Gone" - 3:15
  2. "Shades of Blue" - 3:25
CD Single (American promo)
  1. "Twilight is Gone" - 3:15

Critical reception

In the October 25, 1991, issue of Record-Journal, a review of the True Love album spoke of the song, stating "The best songs provide quiet pleasures that grow with repeated listenings, like the acoustic guitar interplay between Herb Pedersen and John Jogenson on Hillman's ballad "Twilight is Gone"."[17]

In the July 21, 1993, issue of the Los Angeles Times, a review of the Life Goes On album mentioned the song being performed live, stating "The strongest of the band's catalogue tunes, perhaps because it has been heard the least, was "Twilight Is Gone," the saving grace of the otherwise moribund "True Love" album. Supported by Pedersen's aching Dobro tones and Bryson's melodic bass lines, Hillman, Pedersen and Bryson's harmonies were nothing short of thrilling."[18]

Chart performance

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[19] 82
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[20] 67

Personnel

Additional personnel

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 "Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone / Shades Of Blue at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  2. ↑ "Desert Rose Band - True Love (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  3. 1 2 Desert Rose Band. "Desert Rose Band - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  4. ↑ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  5. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  6. ↑ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  7. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  8. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  9. 1 2 "Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone / Shades Of Blue (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  10. ↑ "True Love - Desert Rose Band : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  11. ↑ http://www.drb-fans.com/images/reviews/DRB%201991%2009-01.pdf
  12. ↑ "Images for Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone / Shades Of Blue". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  13. 1 2 "Images for Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  14. ↑ "Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  15. ↑ "Desert Rose Band - You Can Go Home (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  16. 1 2 YouTube (2008-12-28). "The Desert Rose Band - Twilight Is Gone". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  17. ↑ Glazer, Howard (25 October 1991). "Desert Rose Band: True Love". Record-Journal (Meriden Conn.).
  18. ↑ "Los Angeles Times: Archives - O.C. POP MUSIC REVIEW Desert Rose Won't Fade The band proved it could weather a drought with a performance full of vitality". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. 1993-07-21. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  19. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2052." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 15, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Desert Rose Band – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Desert Rose Band.
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