"Live" recordings that made the charts

[Bumbershoot]

This morning, while driving to work, I heard “Fingertips (Pt. 2)” by “Little” Stevie Wonder on the radio, which was recorded in front of an audience. Wikipedia says it was the first “live” recording to reach #1.

It got me wondering- what other “live” songs have made the charts? The only one I can think of right now is “We Are The World”.

Dopers?

ETA- What am I thinking? “We Are The World” wasn’t recorded live!

[beowulff]

“I want you to want me” reached #7: Cheap Trick at Budokan - Wikipedia

“Summertime blues” reached #27:Live at Leeds - Wikipedia

[ZenBeam]

Sadly, the first one that came to mind for me was My Ding-a-Ling by Chuck Berry:

the version which topped the charts was recorded live during the Lanchester Arts Festival at the Locarno ballroom in Coventry, England, on 3 February 1972

[An_Arky]

Peter Frampton’s Baby, I Love Your Way, Do You Feel Like We Do, and *Show Me The Way *(from Frampton Comes Alive) reached #s 12, 10 and 6, respectively, in the US singles chart.

[mshar253]

“Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Show Me the Way,” both from Frampton Comes Alive!

Also, “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick.

Weren’t songs from “Let It Be”–like “One After 909”–recorded from the rooftop session The Beatles had?

ETA: I was beaten to the Peter Framton one, obviously.

[Justin_Bailey]

Several songs from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged show made the charts: “About a Girl”, “The Man Who Sold the World” and “All Apologies”

Similarly, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album produced new hit versions (or not, depending on your taste) of “Tears in Heaven” and “Layla”.

[Gangster_Octopus]

What do you mean by “made the charts”? Live recordings get on the charts all the time.

[Art_Rock]

Kinks - Lola

[Sigmagirl]

*Stay *-- Jackson Browne

[LonesomePolecat]

“Conquistador,” Procol Harum

[Bumbershoot]

@Gangster_Octopus

What do you mean by “made the charts”? Live recordings get on the charts all the time.

Yeah, you’re right- I guess I didn’t realize how many live songs have been hits!

OK, how about restricting it to Top 10 hits?

[kaylasdad99]

Billy Joel’s She’s Got a Way. Leastways, when I hear it on the radio, I always hear applause at the end.

In light of the new restriction that it has to have been top 10, I offer the caveat that it peaked at #23 in the U.S.

[RealityChuck]

Johnny Cash – “A Boy Named Sue” – #2

[Sigmagirl]

Then there are “live” in-studio recordings with an audience, like Gary “U.S.” Bonds’ A Quarter to Three.

[Hampshire]

Elton John - “Benny & the Jets”

[Bumbershoot]

@Art_Rock

Kinks - Lola

Was Lola recorded live?

[cochrane]

@Hampshire

Elton John - “Benny & the Jets”

Nope. Not a live recording. “Bennie and the Jets” was recorded in the studio. The whistles and applause came from some of Elton’s live concerts, but their placement in the song is studio effects.

Bennie and the Jets

After recording the song in the studio, John and the band worried that it was too plain and unoriginal. According to guitarist Davey Johnstone, “‘Bennie and the Jets’ was one of the oddest songs we ever recorded. We just sat back and said, ‘This is really odd’.” Gus Dudgeon, who produced Goodbye Yellow Brick Road as well as most of John’s albums up to that point, added the “live from Playhouse Theatre” sound to the track. Dudgeon added applause and audience sounds from John’s previous concerts, plus whistles.

[Ichbin_Dubist]

The live version of McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” made it to #10 in the US in 1977 (wiki cite).

[Exapno_Mapcase]

Johnny Rivers had a string of live hits (from Wiki with chart positions added):

In 1964, Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year contract to open his new club, Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Whisky a Go Go opened three days before The Beatles released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and the British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the top of the charts. But Rivers was so popular, producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go. The live album reached #12 on the charts and the single “Memphis” (a Chuck Berry cover) reached #2. Rivers made the successful transition from nightclub entertainer to chart-busting pop singer and had created the Go Go sound, part of a scene which included Go-Go dancers.

Into 1965, Rivers continued to record mostly live, Go Go style records including “Maybellene” #12 (another Berry cover), which he followed “Mountain of Love” #9, “Midnight Special” #20, “Seventh Son” #7 (written by Willie Dixon) and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” #26(written by Pete Seeger), all of which were hits.

[Labdad]

I was going to say “Memphis” by Johnny Rivers went to #2 in 1964, but according to allmusic:

Although the hit version was touted as a “live” track, it was recorded in the studio with the help and atmosphere of a group of high school girls from area Uni and Hollywood High.