"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and was recorded in 1967 by The Box Tops and charted #1 for four weeks in September of the same year.The Box Tops sold more than a million copies and received a gold disc.Pretty good for a band that had never cut a record before.No need to say anything more if you know the song.If you've never heard it,I suggest you check it out.Youtube has it.
Did you know?
At only one minute,58 seconds,it's one of the shortest songs to ever top the charts.
Singer Alex Chilton was only 16 when the song was recorded.Hard to believe when you hear his voice.
As if that's not enough,Leon Russell's blues/rock reinvention of the song reached top ten status with Joe Cocker on vocals in 1970.Twice as long, but an awesome rendition.This is well worth a listen.
You want more?
It ranks #363 by Rolling Stone on the magazine's list of the top 500 songs of all time,and reported to have been recorded in over 200 different versions.Those that have covered it are too many to mention here.Check out wikipedia.This song could have gone nowhere.