Top 10 Laura Nyro Songs

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Our Top 10 Laura Nyro Songs list takes a look at one of the most treasured singers and songwriters of the classic rock era. There was something incredibly special about a Laura Nyro recording or composition. Her music was filled with so much soul, spirit, and love, it just lifted you away. Her career began in the late 1960s as a seventeen-year-old songwriter who sold her first song to 1960s folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary. That song, entitled “And When I Die,” would become one of the biggest hits of the 1960s when Blood Sweat & Tears recorded their version of the song for their second album.

Laura Nyro would find great success as a songwriter, with many big-time hits recorded by other artists. The 1960s supergroup The 5th Dimension would score a handful of hits with their recordings of Laura Nyro songs. Other groups and artists, such as Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand, and, of course, Blood, Sweat & Tears, would turn the beauty and soulfulness of Laura Nyro’s music into chart success.

Despite the success she had with well-known artists singing her songs, Laura Nyro would release a string of solo albums featuring her own music that would stand as some of the most wonderful recordings of the classic rock era. Laura Nyro was also a brilliant song interpreter herself as her album Gonna Take A Miracle recorded with Labelle stands as one of the most soulful records of the 1960s.

# 10 – To A Child

We open up our top 10 Laura Nyro Songs list with this beautiful, heartfelt song from Laura Nyro’s final studio album before she passed away. Released in 1993 in the middle of the harsh grunge era, with bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden laying down dark music, songs like this went pretty much unnoticed unless you were a Laura Nyro fan. The song “To a Child” was released on the now hard-to-find album Walk The Dog & Light The Light. A very telling title.

# 9 – Mr Blue

Laura Nyro’s “Mr Blue” was released on the album Nested. The song opens with a very sexy spoken word introduction. However, Laura Nyro breaks out into full voice, with that soulful spirit of hers, which is just so chilling and remarkable to listen to. It’s as beautiful as pop music gets. The Nested album was released in 1978. It did not do well commercially, but that’s probably more reflective of the times. In 1978, Disco. Punk, New Wave, Hand eavy Metal were all competing for airplay and chart space. With a few exceptions, the singer-songwriter genre did not do well at the end of the seventies.

# 8 – Sweet Blindness

As we continue our top 10 Laura Nyro songs list, we faced the decision of whether to showcase her lesser-known brilliant material or her big hits. Since part of the goal of classicrock history.com is to turn younger people onto music they might not know much about, we decided to hit hard with the hits in this one.

So the first big hit on our top 10 Laura Nyro songs list is the awesome “Sweet Blindness.” The song was released on her album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. The album was released in 1968. The album contained three big hit singles, but “Sweet Blindness” was not one of them. Nonetheless, the song was a big hit for the group The 5th Dimension, peaking at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

# 7 – Save The Country

As soon as the song begins, all you want to do is just stand up, dance, throw your hands in the air, and sing along in a most joyous fashion. That’s the magic of Laura Nyro’s songs. “Save the Country” was released on the album New York Tendaberry. The song “Save The Country” was originally released as a standalone single in 1968. However, Laura Nyro recorded a different version of the song, released on her New York Tendaberry album.

# 6 – Up on the Roof

Laura Nyro’s version of the Carole King and Gerry Goffin classic “Up On The Roof” is the only song to appear on this Top 10 Laura Nyro songs list that was not composed by Laura Nyro. The song was released on her classic album Christmas and the Beads of Sweat , which was released in 1970. We added this one to define the other side of Laura Nyro: that of a song interpreter.

# 5 – Stoned Soul Picnic

The Laura Nyro-penned song “Stoned Soul Picnic” was released on her classic album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. The song “Stoned Soul Picnic” was the third and final single released from the album. The song became a big hit for the Fifth Dimension, peaking as high as number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Laura Nyro also introduced a new word into the English language with her use of “surry,” which she seems to have made up. That was the type of artist Laura Nyro was.

# 4 – Stoney End

Laura Nyro’s “Stoney End” was released on her debut album, More Than a New Discovery, in 1967. The song was also recorded by Barbra Streisand, who had a top 10 hit with it in 1971. It was only Barbra Streisand’s seasoned top 10 hit of career at the time. Linda Ronstadt also recorded a version of the song.

# 3 – Eli’s Coming

Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Coming” was released on the album of the same name… Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Most rock and roll fans remember this one from Three Dog Night’s blistering version. Three Dog Night released it on their album Suitable for Framing. They had a top 10 hit with the song. Laura Nyro released “Eli’s Coming” as the first single from her sophomore effort, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession.

# 2 – And When I Die

As we inch closer to the top spot on our Top 10 Laura Nyro Songs list, we turn to Laura Nyro’s most successful song. Her incredible composition “And When I Die” was released on her More Than a New Discovery album in 1967. Laura Nyro composed the song when she was only seventeen. It was first recorded by the folk music group Peter, Paul, and Mary before Laura Nyro released her first album.

The song became a hit when jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears recorded it for their second album. It would prove to be one of the band’s biggest hits, as their version reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

# 1 – Wedding Bell Blues

Our choice for the number one song on this top 10 Laura Nyro songs list is the heartbreaking song “Wedding Bell Blues.” The song was issued on Laura Nyro’s debut album More Than a New Discovery. Every time we hear Laura sing Bill’s name, it just reminds us of how much we love Laura Nyro. This one is easily the most treasured Laura Nyro song. Maybe that’s a bit subjective, but who cares? It’s the way we feel.