No Charge
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| "No Charge" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Melba Montgomery's 1974 album "No Charge", which featured the hit single of the same name. | ||
| Single by Melba Montgomery | ||
| from the album No Charge | ||
| A-side(s) | "No Charge" | |
| B-side(s) | "I Love Him Because He's That Way" | |
| Released | April 1974 | |
| Format | CD Single | |
| Recorded | 1974 | |
| Genre | Country, Pop | |
| Length | 03:25 | |
| Label | Elektra Records | |
| Writer(s) | Harlan Howard | |
| Chart positions | ||
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#1 U.S. Country |
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| Melba Montgomery singles chronology | ||
| "He'll Come Home" 1974 |
"No Charge" | "Your Pretty Roses Come Too Late" 1974 |
"No Charge"' is the name of a#1 Country Music song, written by Country Music songwriter Harlan Howard and made famous by Country singer Melba Montgomery in 1974.
[edit] Original Version By Melba Montgomery Version
Harlan Howard had already been a popular Country Music songwriter for a decade now, co-writing the classic Country Pop hit "I Fall to Pieces" for Patsy Cline in 1961. He also wrote other Country hits in the 60s, like "Make the World Go Away" for Eddy Arnold in 1965. He wrote "No Charge" especially for Melba Montgomery in 1974.
Melba Montgomery had already recorded a couple of duet hits with Country Music artists George Jones, Charlie Louvin, and Gene Pitney throughout the 60s. By the 70s, Montgomery was out of duet partners and was looking to make it as a solo artist. While she had made solo albums in the past, they were never successful for Montgomery. While moving from record company to record company, she finally found a suitable one in the mid 70s, Elektra Records. While struggling in the beginning, Howard gave her a song he thought would be perfect for Montgomery to sing, which was "No Charge". The song was recorded under Elektra in 1974. The song went on to become a massive hit for Montgomery in 1974, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Country Music chart. The song also achieved minor Pop success for Montgomery, going to #39 there, just breaking the Top 40.
The song is an ode to motherhood. A young boy gives his mother an itemized list of charges he says he's owed for performing various chores and comes to collect; the singer tells this part in spoken word. The mother responds (by singing) by reminding her son about all the things she's done for him, that she never asked him to pay for services rendered and that, all things considered "the cost of real love is no charge." Enlightened, the young boy realizes that his mother is right and forgives the charges (once again, narrated) before the singer sings the moral. The song was one of the few songs that talked about motherhood during this time, which was parts of the reason for why it was so popular.
[edit] Cover versions
The song has been recorded by numerous other artists since its release by Montgomery. Tammy Wynette, another fellow country singer recorded the song in the 1970s. It has also been a popular Christian song to record over the years.
[edit] The Other Version In the UK
No Charge was a popular single by JJ Barrie.
Written by Harlan Howard and produced by Bill Amesbury, No Charge was Barrie's one and only number single in the UK, spending a single week at the top in June 1976. He never had another hit and so is classed as a One hit wonder.
| Preceded by "Fernando" by ABBA |
UK number one single June 5, 1976 |
Succeeded by "Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)" by The Wurzels |
