Шіркеуде Жылаған (Shirkede Zhylagan)

1953 single by Darrell Glenn

"Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn and recorded by his son Darrell Glenn. The song was released in 1953 and reached number six on the Billboard chart. The song has also been recorded by many artists including the Orioles and June Valli, but the most successful version was by Elvis Presley, whose recording reached number three in the US, and number one in the UK in 1965.

According to Artie Glenn's youngest son, Larry, the song was inspired by a personal experience his father had, and the chapel in the title was the Loving Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. The inspiration for the song then came to him, by the time he was back home, he had the basic tune and the chorus, and that evening he finished the rest of the song. Glenn's son Darrell recorded a demo of the song. The song, however, was rejected by a number of publishers, and the song unreleased for some time. The song was eventually published by Valley Publishers, while a small independent label Valley Records from Knoxville released the recording as a single. This original version of the song was issued in May 1953. The song became a local hit in Fort Worth, Texas, and then it went nationwide. It quickly gained the attention of other artists who then recorded the song. Four versions (Glenn, Rex Allen, the Orioles and June Valli) reached Billboards best selling popular records chart at the same time in August, while two versions (Glenn, Allen) also reached the country and western best selling record chart, and one (the Orioles) on the rhythm and blues chart in the same month. Ella Fitzgerald and the Ray Charles Singers also recorded a Jazz version (flip side of her "When the Hands of the Clock Pray at Midnight", Decca 28762), while Rosetta Tharpe recorded a spiritual version. All versions sold over a combined million copies by August 1953 before they peaked in the charts. eventually reaching number six on Billboard pop singles chart, and number four on the Billboard country and western chart. The version by Rex Allen reached number eight, the Orioles' number 11, Ella Fitzgerald number 15, and Art Lund reached number 23. On the Cash Box chart where versions by Glenn, June Valli, the Orioles and Rex Allen were amalgamated, the song reached number one. In the UK, Lee Lawrence took his version to number 7. June Valli recorded her version with an orchestra directed by Joe Reisman in New York City on June 11, 1953. RCA Victor Records released it as a single in the U. S. (catalog umber 20–5368). and elsewhere by EMI on the His Master's Voice label (catalog number B. 10568). This was the most successful pop version on the Billboard charts in 1953, peaking at number four charting for a total of 17 weeks beginning August 1, 1953. Valli's version was the 24th best selling song of 1953, while the song itself was ranked 10th in 1953's top tune. The doo wop version recorded by the Orioles was the group's biggest success in the charts and their only million seller. The Orioles' version went to number one on the R&B chart and number eleven on the pop chart. It became one of the best known versions and was included on the soundtracks of a number of films, including American Graffiti in 1973, Just Cause in 1995, and Revolutionary Road in 2008.

Chart (1965)RankUK 12U. S. Billboard Hot 1009U. S. Cash Box 12

In April 1968, the vocal trio the Wailers, featuring Bob Marley on lead vocals and guitar, Rita Marley (replacing Bunny Wailer) and Peter Tosh on harmony vocals, backed by Rastafarian nyabinghi percussion group Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus recorded an adapted version of the song in Kingston, Jamaica. Its lyrics were adapted from the Orioles' version by Rasta leader Mortimo Planno, who also produced and pressed the single entitled "Selassie Is the Chapel", the first ever Rastafarian song recorded and released by Marley. The song is thus meaningful to Rastafarians as its lyrics were modified in order to affirm the divinity of Haile Selassie as the born again Christ. Only a few hundred copies of the single were pressed on a blank label at the time, making it a much sought after rarity for decades. It was finally reissued and documented on CD on the album Selassie Is the Chapel (JAD Records, 1997), as part of the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967 to 1972 series produced by Bruno Blum and Roger Steffens. A vinyl single was also released by JAD in 2002. The recording was reissued on that single along with the original Mortimo Planno voiced flip side, Rastafarian cult song "A Little Prayer" as well as on the 2002 four CD Marley Rebel anthology set released in France only and deleted in 2003. A "Selassie Is the Chapel" remix produced by Blum, with a contribution by The Wailers, was released on the European Rastafari label in 1998 (and the Jamaican Human Race label a few years later) as "War/Selassie Is the Chapel". They feature a virtual duet between Marley and Ethiopian emperor Selassie in medley style. This duet version single hit number one in the UK Echoes magazine in April 1998.