"Here We Go Again" is a country music standard written by Don Lanier and Red Steagall that first became notable as a single by Ray Charles from his 1967 album Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. It was produced by Joe Adams for ABC Records/Tangerine Records. To date, this version of the song has been the biggest commercial success, spending twelve consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 15.

The most notable cover version is a duet by Charles and Norah Jones, which appeared on the 2004 album Genius Loves Company. This version has been the biggest critical success. After Genius Loves Company was released, "Here We Go Again" earned Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards in February 2005, posthumously for Charles, who died before the album's release. Another notable version by Nancy Sinatra charted for five weeks in 1969. Johnny Duncan charted the song on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks in 1972, while Roy Clark did so for seven weeks in 1982.

The song has been covered in a wide variety of musical genres. In total, five different versions have been listed on the music charts. Although its two most successful versions have been rhythm and blues recordings, many of its other notable covers were featured on country music albums. "Here We Go Again" was first covered in an instrumental jazz format, and many of the more recent covers have been sung as duets, such as one with Willie Nelson and Norah Jones with Wynton Marsalis accompanying. The song was released on their 2011 tribute album Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles. The song lent its name to Red Steagall's 2007 album as well. Cover versions have appeared on compilation albums by a number of artists, even some who did not release "Here We Go Again" as a single.

Original version In November 1959, after twelve years as a professional musician, Ray Charles signed with ABC Records, following the expiration of his Atlantic Records contract. According to Will Friedwald in A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, "His first four ABC albums were all primarily devoted to standards..." In the 1960s, he experienced crossover success with both rhythm and blues and country music. Because Charles was signed to ABC as a rhythm and blues singer, he decided to wait until his contract was up for its three-year renewal before experimenting with country music, although he wanted to do so sooner. With the assistance of ABC executive Sid Feller, he gathered a set of country songs to record, despite the wishes of ABC. The release of his 1962 country albums Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and its follow-up Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2 broadened the appeal of his music to the mainstream. At this point, Charles began to appeal more to a white audience. In 1962 he founded his own record label, Tangerine Records, which ABC-Paramount Records promoted and distributed.

"Here We Go Again" was recorded during a phase in Charles' career when he was focused on performing country music. Thus, "Here We Go Again" was a country music song released by the Tangerine label ABC-Paramount, but performed in Charles' rhythm and blues style. However, his works did not bear the Tangerine label until 1968. Feller left ABC in 1965, but he returned to arrange Charles' 1967 album, Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. Joe Adams produced and engineered the album, which included "Here We Go Again".

First released by Charles in 1967, "Here We Go Again" was written by Don Lanier and Rod Steagall and published by the Dirk Music Company. Charles recorded it at RPM International Studios, Los Angeles, and the song was listed as the sixth of ten tracks on Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. Starting in 1987, it was included in numerous greatest hits and compilation albums. When Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music was reissued in 1988, the song was added as a bonus track. It was also included on the 1988 album Ray Charles Anthology.

Composition

According to the sheet music published by Dirk Music, "Here We Go Again" is set in time with a slow shuffle tempo of sixty-nine beats per minute. The song is written in the key of B major. It is primarily a country song, but contains gospel influences. According to Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic, "'Here We Go Again' is a soulful ballad in the Southern blues tradition. Lyrically, it has a resignation and pain that makes the blues, simply, what it is. The recording has a simple and sterling gospel arrangement and, in retrospect, is one of Charles' finer attempts in the studio from the 1960s."

Reception Greenwald described the original version of "Here We Go Again" as "Another excellent example of how Ray Charles was able to fuse blues and country". In a review for the single, a writer for Billboard magazine wrote that the song could easily be a "blockbuster" for Charles.

The original version debuted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the May 20, 1967, issue and number 48 on the US Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles top 50 chart on June 10, 1967. For the weeks ending July 15, 22 and 29, the song spent three weeks at its peak position of number 15 on the Hot 100 chart. It spent July 22 and 29 at its peak position of number 5 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. By August 12, it fell out the Hot 100 chart, ending a 12-week run. It remained on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart for 13 weeks ending on September 2. "Here We Go Again" was Charles' last single to enter the top twenty of the Hot 100. For the year 1967 the song finished at number 80 on the US Billboard Year-End Hot 100 chart and 33 on the Year-End Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.

Abroad, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart top 40 at number 38 on July 8, 1967, which would be its peak. It totalled 3 non-consecutive weeks on the chart. In the Netherlands, "Here We Go Again" appeared on the singles chart at number 10 on July 15, 1967, and later peaked at number three.

According to Will Friedwald, this song is an example of Charles vocalizing in what would ordinarily be a generally extraneous manner for dramatic effect by using a different voice than he had ever previously exhibited. He sang "... not just using the squeak—using a whole new kind of squeak, in fact—for additional coloring on the sidelines, but making it the heart of the matter, literally squeaking out the words and notes in harmony with the Raelettes" (his background singers).

Track listing 7-inch single "Here We Go Again" – 3:14 "Somebody Ought to Write a Book About It" – 3:02 According to AllMusic, the solo version is listed at lengths between 3:14 and 3:20 on various albums.

Credits Charles is credited as vocalist and pianist with unknown accompaniment. Feller is credited for having arranged and conducted the recording. This is one of two songs on the album ("Yesterday" being the other) that in addition to being listed as ABC-Par ABC595 is credited as Dunhill DZS036 [CD]. The individual song had a label number ABC/TRC 10938. "In the Heat of the Night" also had a Dunhill credit but a different number for both Dunhill and ABC.

Nancy Sinatra version

Nancy Sinatra recorded a cover of the song for her 1969 album Nancy, which was her first album after ending her business relationship with producer Lee Hazlewood. The cover, which according to programming guides had an easy listening and country music appeal, was produced by Billy Strange. The B-side to the single, "Memories", was written by Strange along with Mac Davis. Billboard magazine staff reviewed the song favorably, stating that the cover was a "smooth sing-a-long pop style". They also commended Sinatra's singing, calling it a "fine" performance, noting that it would likely return her to the Billboard charts. Sinatra's version was later remastered and reissued in 1996.

Chart performance Although CD Universe describes the song as a country music song, it never charted on country music charts. For the week ending May 17, 1969, the song was listed among US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 106 and debuted on the US Billboard Easy Listening Top 40 chart at number 30. The following week it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 98, its apex for its two-week stay. The song then spent a total of two weeks on the Hot 100. For the week ending June 7, the song spent a second consecutive week at its peak position of number 19 on the Easy Listening chart. The song remained on the chart for five weeks until June 14, 1969. In Canada "Here We Go Again" debuted at number 38 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart (previously Young Adult Chart) on June 2, 1969. It peaked at number 21 for the week of June 16, 1969. The song spent a total of five weeks on the chart. According to AllMusic databases, 1969 was the final year in her career that Sinatra reached the Hot 100 chart (with "Here We Go Again", "God Knows I Love You" and "Drummer Man").

Track listing 7-inch vinyl single "Here We Go Again" – 3:07 "Memories" – 3:40

According to AllMusic, the original track was 3:09, but when it appeared on the 2006 compilation album Essential Nancy Sinatra, it was 3:11. The single was initially released through Reprise Records. In a non-exclusive licensing agreement, Reprise (part of Warner Music) gave RCA Records the rights to distribute the records of some of their artists including Sinatra and Dean Martin. In 1971, Sinatra and Reprise parted ways, so she signed a long-term contract with RCA Records.

Credits The following musicians performed on this track: B.J. Baker Singers (backup vocals) The Blossoms (backup vocals)

The following musicians performed on this album:

Al Casey (guitar) Jerry McGee (guitar) Red Rhodes (steel guitar) Sid Sharp (violin, strings) Jim Horn (flute) Roy Caton (trumpet) Don Randi (piano) Jerry Scheff (bass guitar) Carol Kaye (bass guitar) Hal Blaine (drums)

Norah Jones and Ray Charles duet version

In 2004, Ray Charles re-recorded "Here We Go Again" as a duet with American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, who grew up listening to his music. During Jones' Billboard interview for her 2010 collaboration album ...Featuring, which included her "Here We Go Again" duet, she said "I got a call from Ray asking if I'd be interested in singing on this duets record. I got on the next plane and I brought my mom. We went to his studio and did it live with the band. I sang it right next to Ray, watching his mouth for the phrasing. He was very sweet and put me at ease, which was great because I was petrified walking in there." She noted in one ...Featuring interview that the only part that was not done live was a piano overlay that she added afterwards to complement Charles' keyboard. In the same interview, she noted that she had been given the opportunity to select a song from Charles' songbook to perform as a duet and felt that this one provided the best opportunity to harmonize rather than alternate vocal verses. On the record, the two singers vocalize, accompanied by Billy Preston on Hammond organ, who had at one time been the regular organist in Charles' band.

Reception