Lorelei (Styx song)

"Lorelei"
Single by Styx
from the album Equinox
B-side	"Midnight Ride"
Released	February 1976 (US)[1]
Recorded	1975 at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago
Genre	Rock
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Dennis DeYoung James Young
Styx singles chronology
"You Need Love" (1975) "Lorelei" (1976) "Mademoiselle" (1976)

"Lorelei" is a song from rock band Styx. It is on their 1975 album Equinox, and was released as a single in 1976.

Background

The song peaked at #27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April 1976 and was the band's second top 40 hit single.^[2] Lorelei also hit number six on the Canadian charts during the weeks of May 8 and 15, 1976.

Chicago radio superstation WLS, which gave the song much airplay, ranked "Lorelei" as the 77th most popular hit of 1976.^[3] It reached as high as number eight (for two weeks) on their surveys of April 17 and 24, 1976.^[4]

Record World described the song as "a hard rocking number with overtones of The Who and Raspberries in its fiery rhythms.^[5]

"Lorelei" was one of the songs that Styx re-recorded for their Regeneration: Volume 1 EP in 2010 with James Young on lead vocals. It was re-recorded again for the 2023 CD Now Playing, a Styx compilation sold at their concerts, with Lawrence Gowan on lead vocals.

Personnel

• Dennis DeYoung: lead vocals, keyboards
• James Young: lead guitar, backing vocals
• John Curulewski: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Chuck Panozzo: bass
• John Panozzo: drums

Composition

"Lorelei" is written in D-major with a moderately fast rock tempo.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1976) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[7] 27

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 77 U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[9] 163

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 798. ISBN 9780862415419.
2. "Lorelei" Billboard Hot 100 Chart history. Accessed May 27, 2012.
3. "The WLS Big 89 of 1976". Wlshistory.com.
4. "wls042476". Users.qwest.net. 1963-12-12. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
5. "Hits of the Week". Record World. January 31, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4124a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
7. "Styx Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5173a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
9. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

External links

• Styx - Lorelei on YouTube