What Jackie DeShannon says about 'Put A Little Love in Your Heart' 55 years after its release

Jackie DeShannon's recording of "Put A Little Love in Your Heart," has endured for decades since its release in 1969.

But to the esteemed singer/songwriter, the record captured the second best vocal she had recorded.

DeShannon: "I called my mom just after I recorded the vocal and said, 'I think you'd be so proud of me. I think I've done the best vocal I have ever done.' So I go into the control room and ask for it to be played back and they said 'It's not here' I was like, 'What do you mean?' They said it's not here. Your vocal was erased."

DeShannon had to go back, put her headphones on and sing the song again, knowing it wouldn't be as good as the first one.

Nashville Songwriters Association International Executive Director Bart Herbison sat down with DeShannon recently to get the Story Behind the Song, "Put A Little Love in Your Heart."

Herbison: "'Put A Little Love in Your Heart' may get played as much today, if not more than it did when you wrote it. But Randy (her brother and co-writer on the song) was instrumental in that. If I remember this right, a little guitar riff started it, right?"

JD: "Actually, he played a little piano riff that we thought sounded really good. We were working on this album with our co-writer, Jimmy Holiday and we were just coming up with different songs trying to get ideas and it just happened. Put a little love in your heart ... My mom used to say it and somehow it got in here and came out there."

The song became an anthem of the '70s resonating peace, love and unity. DeShannon said it was a message that needed to be heard, adding that all the things going on during the late '60s certainly influenced the song. And to date, it is still her favorite song she's ever written and recorded.

JD: "I wish everyone would wake up with 'Put A Little Love in Your Heart.' ... (And) just just a moment or two to be kind. A moment or two to ... be a little more open to people because we all need to pull together because this country is not just segregated with this group and that. America is everybody and we need to reaffirm that within ourselves and ... try to understand what it's like to be in someone else's shoes. Isn't that the path to us being the best again for individuals and as a nation right here?"

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While it wasn't intended to be a gospel song, DeShannon's background singing gospel songs bled into it.

JD: "When you hear Mahalia Jackson sing it ... it takes on something else. But isn't that the testament of a great song that through different arrangements and whatever, it breathes new life. And I think you can ask most songwriters that any huge song can be played on a guitar, or piano, but whatever arrangement you put behind it, it'll become a country song, it'll become a pop, whatever the label is now. But a great song resonates with people. A great song people take into their hearts. That's, you know, what once what a songwriter I would think hopes to accomplish."

"This episode was done in conjunction with NSAI and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and their songwriter interview series Poets and Prophets. The program was filmed and premiered May 23 as part of the museum’s Live at the Hall digital programs series, available to stream at: https://watch.countrymusichalloffame.org/live-at-the-hall-series."

About the series

In partnership with Nashville Songwriters Association International, the "Story Behind the Song" video interview series features Nashville-connected songwriters discussing one of their compositions. For full video interviews with all our subjects, visit www.tennessean.com/music.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The story behind Jackie DeShannon's 'Put A Little Love in Your Heart'