The Weight - Reception

Reception

"The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s counterculture. However, the song was not a significant mainstream hit for The Band in the U.S., peaking at only #63, though it fared better on some radio stations (e.g., #3 on KHJ). The Band's record fared much better in Canada and the UK – in those countries, the single was a top 40 hit, peaking at #35 in Canada and #21 in the UK in 1968. Three cover versions of "The Weight" charted higher on the US pop charts in 1968/69 than The Band's original recording:

  • 1968: Jackie DeShannon, whose version debuted on the Hot 100 one week before The Band's, took the song to #55 US, #35 Canada.
  • On August 17, 1969, The Band played "The Weight" as the 10th song in their set at Woodstock. Consequently the song is prototypical of the "Woodstock Generation", even though it was more than a year old by that time.
  • 1969: Aretha Franklin's version (from This Girl's in Love with You) was the highest charting recording in both Canada, where it peaked #12 and the US where it peaked at #19 and #3 on the soul chart.
  • 1969: The final joint single in North America released by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, hit #46 US, #36 Canada.

None of these cover versions charted in the UK, where The Band's version remains the only version to chart. The label credit on The Band's version mentions the names of the band's five members but not The Band per se. The lyrics on The Band's and DeShannon's versions never mention the title.

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