Nick of Time (song)
{{For|other songs of the same name|Nick of Time (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Nick of Time
| cover = Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Bonnie Raitt
| album = Nick of Time
| B-side = The Road's My Middle Name
| released = {{start date|1990|5|19}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| length = 3:52
| label = Capitol
| writer = Bonnie Raitt
| producer = Don Was
| prev_title = Have a Heart
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = Love Letter
| next_year = 1990
}}
"Nick of Time" is a song by American blues musician Bonnie Raitt. Taken as the third single from her 10th solo album of the same name (1989), the song was released in May 1990. The song debuted at number 94 and reached its peak of 92 a week later on the Hot 100 chart. It also earned a top 10 placement on the Adult Contemporary Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/bonnie-raitt-nick-of-time-album/ |title='Nick Of Time': Bonnie Raitt Beats The Clock To Win Grammy Glory |publisher=Udiscoovermusic |last=Sexton |first=Paul |date=7 April 2020 |access-date=April 7, 2020}}
Composition
Raitt wrote most of the song during a week-long cabin retreat in Mendocino, California, and she recorded a homemade demo on her own.{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/bonnie-raitt/nick-of-time |title=Songfacts of 'Nick of Time' |publisher=Songfacts.com |access-date=May 25, 2019}}
The song was inspired by a culmination of observations about aging. The first verse ("A friend of mine, she cries at night...") was taken from a conversation Raitt had with a heartbroken friend who was nearing middle age and desperately wanting a baby, and the song also featured her singing about her own parents (“I see my folks, they’re getting old…”).{{cite web |last=Weiner |first=Natalie |date=March 21, 2019 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8503466/bonnie-raitt-nick-of-time-oral-history-30th-anniversary |title=30 Years of 'Nick of Time': How Bonnie Raitt's 'Underdog Record' Swept the Grammys & Saved Her Career |publisher=Billboard |access-date=December 6, 2024}}
Raitt recalled: "In his vulnerable state I could see he was getting older and could really feel what it was like for a body to age. This whole idea of time and it being more precious as you age, I realized this would be what I'd write about."
Personnel
- Bonnie Raitt – lead vocals, electric piano
- Michael Landau – guitar
- Hutch Hutchinson – bass
- Ricky Fataar – drums, percussion
- Paulinho da Costa – congas
- Sir Harry Bowens – backing vocals
- Arnold McCuller – backing vocals
Chart performance
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1990) !Position |
| scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/T9yhdvs |title=ARIA chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=December 2, 2023}}
|16 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Germany|73|artist=Bonnie Raitt|song=Nick of Time|songid=7976|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|67|artist=Bonnie Raitt|song=Nick of Time|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|UK|82|date=19900422|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|92|artist=Bonnie Raitt|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|10|artist=Bonnie Raitt|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2024}} |
Nominations and awards
Raitt won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards for her recording of this song.{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1990/grammys.htm |title=32nd Annual Grammy Awards – 1992 |publisher=Rock On The Net |date=1990-02-21 |accessdate=2012-06-14}} Bonnie Raitt received three more wins at the ceremony, including Album of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/32nd-annual-grammy-awards-1989 |title=1989 GRAMMY WINNERS |publisher=The Recording Academy |date=21 February 1990 |access-date=April 9, 2020}} In 2015 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#n {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Other versions
Bon Iver covered the song in June 2011. A version of the cover is available on YouTube.{{Cite web |last=Lapatine |first=Scott |date=June 27, 2011 |title=Watch Bon Iver Play "I Can't Make You Love Me"/"Nick Of Time" In Studio |url=https://www.stereogum.com/742592/watch-bon-iver-play-i-cant-make-you-love-menick-of-time-in-studio/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523152629/https://www.stereogum.com/742592/watch-bon-iver-play-i-cant-make-you-love-menick-of-time-in-studio/news/ |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=Stereogum}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3VjaCy5gck |title=Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me / Nick of Time |date=2011-06-22 |last=SavannahSP |access-date=2024-05-23 |via=YouTube}}
The song was also covered by Lake Street Dive on Fun Machine: The Sequel.{{cite web|website=BroadwayWorld|title=VIDEO: Lake Street Dive Release 'Nick of Time' Performance Video|first=Michael |last=Major|date=July 27, 2022|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/VIDEO-Lake-Street-Dive-Release-Nick-of-Time-Performance-Video-20220727}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|ztkpEJOJGDI|Bonnie Raitt - "Nick of Time" (Official Music Video)}}
{{Bonnie Raitt}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Capitol Records singles
Category:Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Category:Song recordings produced by Don Was
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