Back in 1976, the Bellamy Brothers cut a country-pop crossover hit that's stood the test of time, "Let Your Love Flow."
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Neil Diamond roadie Larry E. Williams wrote the song, which both Diamond and Johnny Rivers passed on recording. Pop and folk performer Gene Cotton became the first artist to release the surefire hit when it appeared on his 1976 album For All the Young Writers. Yet just as "The Gambler," a song recorded first by Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash, failed to reach its chart potential without Kenny Rogers' magic touch, Williams' song needed Florida siblings David and Howard Bellamy.
While The Bellamy Brothers were working recording sessions with members of Diamond's band, Diamond's drummer Dennis St. John suggested that the country music duo cover "Let Your Love Flow."
The brothers followed St. John's advice, recording what became one of their signature songs in Los Angeles with producers Phil Gernhard and Tony Scotti. The Florida-born brothers had moved out West with money earned after David Bellamy composition "Spiders and Snakes" became a million-seller in 1974 for Jim Stafford.
The rest is country music history, with the Bellamy Brothers' version topping the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart and cracking the Hot Country Songs chart's Top 25. Beyond its strong performance in the United States, "Let Your Love Flow" became an international hit, charting high in Austria, Canada, Rhodesia, South Africa, Switzerland and West Germany.
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The Bellamy Brothers hit got pop culture pick-me-ups over the years, from the song's inclusion in the 1980 Tatum O'Neal film Little Darlings to a 2008 Barclaycard ad in the UK. The brothers' future successes, namely 1979's No. 1 country hit "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me," pointed new fans back to the group's near-perfect pop song.
If you're curious about what "Let Your Love Flow" might sound like without any pop gloss, look no further than Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn's 1976 album United Talent. To hear it without country window dressing, give Joan Baez's 1979 album Honest Lullaby a spin.
"Let Your Love Flow" Lyrics
There's a reason for the sunshine sky
And there's a reason why I'm feelin' so high
Must be the season when that love light shines
All around us
So let that feeling grab you deep inside
And send you reeling where your love can't hide
And then go stealing through the moonlit nights
With your lover
Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you'll know what I mean
It's the season, whoa whoa
You let your love fly like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you to all living things
And let your love shine and you'll know what I mean
That's the reason
There's a reason for the warm sweet nights
And there's a reason for the candle lights
Must be the season when those love rites shine
All around us
So let that wonder take you into space
And lay you under its loving embrace
Just feel the thunder as it warms your face
You can't hold back
Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you'll know what I mean
It's the season
Let your love fly like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you to all living things
And let your love shine and you'll know what I mean
That's the reason
Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you'll know what I mean
It's the season
Let your love fly like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you to all living things
And let your love shine and you'll know what I mean
That's the reason
Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show
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