| "Mercy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Duffy | ||||
| from the album Rockferry | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 11 February 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studio | Bookerland[1] | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Steve Booker | |||
| Duffy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Duffy - Mercy" on YouTube | ||||
"Mercy" is a song performed by the Welsh soul singer Duffy, released as the second single from her debut studio album, Rockferry (2008). Co-written by Duffy and Steve Booker and produced by Booker, it was released worldwide in 2008 to critical acclaim and unprecedented chart success. As Duffy's first international release, the song is credited with firmly establishing her career and is now considered her signature song. "Mercy" received comparisons to Duffy's previous single, "Rockferry". Critical reviewers of "Mercy" noted similarities between the song to releases by Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and the Supremes, as well as contemporaries such as fellow British singer Amy Winehouse.
"Mercy" was nominated for several awards in 2008, including the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards.[2][3] Well received by the public, "Mercy" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in February 2008, remaining atop the chart for five weeks, and went on to become the third-best-selling single of 2008 in the United Kingdom, with sales of over 500,000 copies in the UK that year.[4] It achieved worldwide chart success, topping the charts in Austria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and Turkey, and peaked within the top five of the charts in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Romania, Spain and Sweden. Duffy attributed the chart success to the fact that "everyone is searching for liberty ... from themselves or from the world they’ve created around them" and "everyone would like to be set free".[5] It is Duffy's best-selling single to date.
The song has been covered several times since its original release, most notably by the cast of American musical television series Glee as well as by both The Fratellis and OneRepublic on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. The Glee version charted on the UK Singles Chart and in Ireland, and Duffy herself performed the song for the Live Lounge. The song was performed live at various music festivals as well as on Duffy's 2008–09 tour. Lynda Carter released her version of the song on her 2018 album "Red Rock & Blues."
- ^ Rockferry (CD). Duffy. A&M/Polydor. 2008. p. 11. 175 642–3.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ "Lil Wayne, Coldplay Lead Nominations for 51st Annual Grammy Awards". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ "UK Year End Chart 2008" (PDF). ChartsPlus. The Official Charts Company / British Phonographic Industry. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny; Wilson, Lois (1 December 2008). "Duffy: How I Wrote Mercy". Mojo. Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2009.