Leaving Las Vegas (song)

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"Leaving Las Vegas"
Sheryl crow seven inch vinyl leaving las vegas US.jpg
7-inch US single
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album Tuesday Night Music Club
B-side
  • "The Na-Na Song"
  • "Reach Around Jerk"
ReleasedJune 18, 1994
Length5:10 (album version)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bill Bottrell
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"All I Wanna Do"
(1994) 		"Leaving Las Vegas"
(1994) 		"Strong Enough"
(1994)

"Leaving Las Vegas" is a song written by David Baerwald and performed by Sheryl Crow that appears on Crow's debut album Tuesday Night Music Club. It charted within the top 60 in the United States and the top 30 in Canada. Sheryl Crow performed the song on her live album Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park.

Title[]

The song's title was based on the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel of the same name by the late John O'Brien, who was a good friend of one of the song's writers, David Baerwald. However, on a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Sheryl Crow stated that the song was "autobiographical". This infuriated Baerwald and the rest of the original Tuesday Night Music Club who helped write most of the album. Though O'Brien's suicide occurred soon after this incident, his family came forward to state there was no connection.[1]

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "It's time for the critically revered Crow to finally get a moment of radio fame. Bright spot on her "Tuesday Night Music Club" album is a kicky blend of acoustic strumming and percussion. Crow's voice is raw and incredibly expressive, which helps the song's cinematic lyrics pack the powerful punch they do."[2] Music & Media commented, "Miss Crow doesn't believe in Elvis' tribute to the capital of showbizz, and gets out of town on an adventurous funky synth bassline a lot of singer/songwriters would not dare to think of."[3]

Music video[]

The song was accompanied by Crow's first ever promotional video. It was directed by David Hogan, who also shot her video for "All I Wanna Do". The 1993 video shows Crow performing the song with her guitar in the dark, with only some parts of her face lit up. Other scenes include famous Vegas images such as dancers and Elvis Presley lookalikes walking on a highway, "leaving Las Vegas", and Peter Berg driving with Crow in the passenger seat of his convertible. The video uses an edited version of the song.

Track listing[]

UK cassette single (Cat. No. 580 644-4)

  1. "Leaving Las Vegas"
  2. "Leaving Las Vegas" – Live in Nashville

UK CD 1 (Cat. No. 580 645-2)

  1. "Leaving Las Vegas"
  2. "I Shall Believe" – Live at the Borderline
  3. "What I Can Do for You" – Live at the Borderline

UK CD 2 (Cat. No. 580 647-2)

  1. "Leaving Las Vegas" – Live in Nashville
  2. "No One Said It Would Be Easy" – Live in Nashville
  3. "The Na-Na Song" – Live in Nashville

Charts[]

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 29
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 66
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 60
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[7] 8
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[8] 31

References[]

  1. ^ "The Biography of Sheryl Crow".
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (26 March 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. N55. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  3. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 January 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2498." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  5. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  6. ^ "Sheryl Crow Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Sheryl Crow Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Sheryl Crow Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
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