Wings of a Dove (Bob Ferguson song)

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"Wings of a Dove"
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky.jpg
Single by Ferlin Husky
B-side"Next to Jimmy"
ReleasedJuly 1960
GenreCountry
Length2:18
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Bob Ferguson
Producer(s)Ken Nelson
Ferlin Husky singles chronology
"Black Sheep"
(1959)
"Wings of a Dove"
(1960)
"Willow Tree"
(1961)

"Wings of a Dove' is a country song written by Bob Ferguson in 1958. "Wings of a Dove" was most popular when it was recorded by Ferlin Husky in 1960. The Ferlin Husky recording went to number one on the country charts for 10 nonconsecutive weeks.[1] It was Ferlin Husky's third and final number one on the country chart, spending nine months on the chart. "Wings of a Dove" was successful on the pop charts, as well, peaking at number 12 on the Hot 100.[2] In 1987, Broadcast Music Incorporated awarded Ferguson with the "million air" plays for the "Wings of a Dove".

The song alludes to several passages from the Christian Bible about doves sent by the Lord, including a verse about God sending Noah a dove during the flood in Genesis 8:6-12. Dolly Parton's and Porter Wagoner's cover versions[3] include a verse not in the original,[4] referring to another passage about a dove in Matthew 3:16 where "After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him."

Chart performance[]

Chart (1960–61) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 12

Covers[]

The song has also been covered by many artists, including Bonnie Guitar, The Jordanaires, George Jones, Hal Ketchum, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs and the Whites, The Wilders, and Jim Witter, among others. Nanci Griffith and Lucinda Williams recorded a duet version of the song for Griffith's album Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful). Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn covered the song on their 1993 album Honky Tonk Angels.

Bob Dylan quoted a lyric from it in his 2020 song "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You" ("If I had the wings of a snow-white dove / I'd preach the gospel, the gospel of love").[5]

Film[]

References[]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 166.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 296.
  3. ^ "Cover versions of Wings of a Dove by Dolly Parton". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Wings Of A Dove lyrics - FERLIN HUSKY". Oldielyrics.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  5. ^ "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  6. ^ Most Popular Titles With Soundtracks Matching "Wings of a Dove", IMDb.com, accessed May 22, 2011


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