| "Walking in Memphis" | ||||
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| Single by Marc Cohn | ||||
| from the album Marc Cohn | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | March 1991 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marc Cohn | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Marc Cohn singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Walking in Memphis" on YouTube | ||||
"Walking in Memphis" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song.[3] It received a Song of the Year nomination at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards in 1992, the same year that the 32-year-old Cohn won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
The song's lyrics are autobiographical, chronicling a 1985 trip that Cohn, then a struggling songwriter and singer, took to Memphis to overcome a bout of writer's block. After visiting the church where former soul singer Al Green was preaching, Elvis Presley's former home of Graceland, and a small nightclub in nearby Mississippi, as well as wandering various streets of downtown Memphis, he returned to New York and began composing the song. While writing and recording sessions continued through the late 1980s, his debut album, on which the song was the lead single, was not released until 1991.
"Walking in Memphis" reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1991, becoming Cohn's only top-forty hit on the chart.[4] The song reached number three in Canada, number seven in Ireland, and number 11 in Australia. "Walking in Memphis" has since been covered several times, notably in 1995 by Cher and in 2003 by Lonestar.
- ^ "Soft Rock (Top Songs)". AllMusic. 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
Cher released a cover of the soulful pop song on her 1995 album It's a Man's World.
- ^ Phillips, Tammy (July 4, 2016). "Cohn returns to Memphis for 25th Anniversary of "Walking in Memphis"". WMCA Action News.
- ^ "Grammy-winning songwriter Marc Cohn gets reflective on new tour, plays 11/13". azcentral.