My Boy

"My Boy" is a popular song from the early 1970s. The music was composed by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude François, and the lyrics were translated from the original version "Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant" (Because I Love You My Child) into English by Phil Coulter and Bill Martin.

Song meaning

A sentimental ballad, the song is sung in a first-person narrative from the point of view of a father to his young son under the presumption that the child is asleep and can’t hear what his father is trying to tell him. The father tells his son the truth of the strained relationship between the child's parents, and that all the father has left is the love of his son. Rather than risk losing that through a painful divorce, the father makes the decision to stay in a loveless marriage for the sake of his child.

Richard Harris version

Actor Richard Harris performed the song "My Boy" at a music contest sponsored by Radio Luxembourg in 1971. Despite not winning the contest, Harris recorded the song and released it as a single later that year. Appearing on Harris' album of the same name, the song reached #41 on the Billboard pop chart and peaked at #13 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.

Elvis Presley version

"My Boy"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Good Times
B-side
Released
  • 20 March 1974 (1974-03-20) (Good Times album)
  • 3 January 1975 (1975-01-03) (single)
RecordedDecember 13, 1973
StudioStax Studios, Memphis
GenreSoft rock
Length3:19
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Phil Coulter and Bill Martin (words, English); Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude François (music)
Producer(s)Felton Jarvis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"It's Midnight" / "Promised Land"
(1974)
"My Boy" / "Thinking About You"
(1974)
"T-R-O-U-B-L-E"
(1975)

Elvis Presley recorded a cover version of "My Boy" in late 1973 that was included on his 1974 album Good Times. Presley's version of the song reached #20 on the Billboard pop chart and #17 on Cash Box. In the UK, where Presley's career had had something of a resurgence in the previous few years, it made the top 10 peaking at number 5 in the first week of January 1975. It was a bigger adult contemporary hit, spending one week atop the U.S. and Canadian charts in April 1975. "My Boy also peaked at #14 on the Billboard country chart.

Charts

Richard Harris version

Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)
28
US Billboard Hot 100 41

Elvis Presley version

Chart (1974–75) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 10
Belgium 5
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 1
Canada RPM Top Singles 27
Ireland (IRMA) 4
Netherlands 9
New Zealand (RIANZ) 12
UK Singles (OCC) 5
US Billboard Hot 100 20
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 1
US Billboard Country 14
US Cash Box Top 100 17

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "My Boy" by Elvis Presley
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 65

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-02-01 23:40 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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