I Wrote a Simple Song

{{Infobox album

| name = I Wrote A Simple Song

| type = Studio album

| artist = Billy Preston

| cover = I_Wrote_A_Simple_Song.jpg

| alt =

| released = 8 November 1971 (US)
14 January 1972 (UK)

| recorded = February, August–September 1971

| venue =

| studio = A&M (Hollywood)

| genre = Soul, rock

| length = 40:03

| label = A&M

| producer = Billy Preston

| prev_title = Encouraging Words

| prev_year = 1970

| next_title = Music Is My Life

| next_year = 1972

}}

I Wrote a Simple Song is the sixth studio album by American soul musician Billy Preston. Released in November 1971, it was his first album for A&M Records and marked the start of a run of commercial success in the United States that lasted through to the late 1970s. The album includes the hit single "Outa-Space", which won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1972. Preston included a live version of the instrumental "The Bus", as part of a medley with the Beatles' "Day Tripper", on his 1974 album Live European Tour.

Recording

I Wrote a Simple Song was Preston's first self-produced album.{{Cite magazine |last=Valentine |first=Penny |date=January 22, 1972 |title=Billy Preston: I Wrote A Simple Song |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/billy-preston-ii-wrote-a-simple-songi-am-amlh-63507 |magazine=Sounds |access-date=June 27, 2018 |via=Rock's Backpages |url-access=subscription }} Preston's friend George Harrison played lead guitar on most of the songs, and supplied dobro accompaniment on the title track. The album continued Preston's inclusion of gospel-themed songs which had started with the 1967 album Club Meeting.

Reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 =AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r67739/review|pure_url=yes}}

}}

The instrumental "Outa-Space" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1973.* 15th Grammy Awards

Track listing

All songs by Billy Preston and Joe Greene, except where noted.

Side one

"Should Have Known Better" – 2:28
"I Wrote a Simple Song" – 3:28
"John Henry" (Preston, Robert Sam) – 3:15
"Without a Song" (William Rose, Edward Eliscu, Vincent Youmans) – 4:57
"The Bus" – 3:32

Side two

"Outa-Space" – 4:08
"The Looner Tune" (Preston, Greene, Jesse Kirkland) – 2:47
"You Done Got Older" (Preston, Bruce Fisher) – 3:08
"Swing Down Chariot" (traditional; arranged by Preston and Greene) – 4:13
"God Is Great" – 3:32
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (traditional) – 4:27

Personnel

Billy Preston - vocals, piano, Hammond organ, keyboards
David T. Walker - electric guitar
George Harrison - guitar, Dobro
Manuel Kellough - drums
King Errisson - congas, percussion
Rocky Peoples - tenor saxophone
Carlos Garnette - trumpet
Quincy Jones - string and horn arrangements
Clydie King, Douglas Gibbs, Duane Rogers, Eugene Bryant, Jesse Kirkland, Merry Clayton, Myrna Matthews, Patrice Holloway, Sherrell Atwood, Venetta Fields - backing vocals

;Technical

Roland Young - art direction
Jim McCrary - photography
Tommy Vicari - engineer

Charts

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Album ! colspan="2"\| Chart positions{{cite web\|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-preston-mn0000590285/awards\|title=Billy Preston: Awards\|publisher=AllMusic\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820023549/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-preston-mn0000590285/awards\|archivedate=August 20, 2012\|accessdate=July 19, 2018}}
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="40"\| US ! width="40"\| US R&B
rowspan="1"\| 1972 \| align="left"\| I Wrote a Simple Song \| 32 \| 9

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album

! colspan="2"| Chart positions{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-preston-mn0000590285/awards|title=Billy Preston: Awards|publisher=AllMusic|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820023549/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-preston-mn0000590285/awards|archivedate=August 20, 2012|accessdate=July 19, 2018}}

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="40"| US

! width="40"| US
R&B

rowspan="1"| 1972

| align="left"| I Wrote a Simple Song

| 32

| 9

=Singles=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Single ! colspan="3"\| Chart positions
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="40"\| US ! width="40"\| US R&B ! width="40"\| US Dance
rowspan="3"\|1972 \| align="left"\| "I Wrote a Simple Song" \| 77 \| — \| —
align="left"\| "Outa-Space" \| 2 \| 1 \| —
align="left"\| "The Bus" \| — \| 43 \| —

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="3"| Chart positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="40"| US

! width="40"| US
R&B

! width="40"| US
Dance

rowspan="3"|1972

| align="left"| "I Wrote a Simple Song"

| 77

| —