Reach out of the Darkness

“Reach Out of the Darkness” is a song recorded and released by the American folk duo Friend & Lover. Peaking at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, it was the duo’s most successful single, and they are often regarded as a one-hit wonder for the selection. This is mainly because the duo’s only other Hot 100 entry (“If Love is in Your Heart”) stalled at #86 a few months later. The title never appears as such in the recording, though the nine mentions of “Reach Out in the Darkness” come close.

Production

The song was written and composed by James “Jim” Post, who together with his then-wife Catherine “Cathy” Post nee Conn comprised the duo Friend & Lover. It was recorded in Nashville for the Verve Forecast label. Ray Stevens played keyboards and arranged the strings, with Joe South and Bill Lowery producing. The Verve Records Discography has a completely different account of the song and its flip "Time On Your Side (You're Only 15 Years Old)" being recorded in New York City on 23 August 1967, with the sides reversed, and "If Love Is In Your Heart" recorded the same day. The 1969 follow-up album, also titled Reach Out of the Darkness, was recorded in Atlanta and produced by Buddy Buie.