The Time of Her Life: Jennifer Warnes’ Musical Evolution
Jennifer Warnes began her career with a shot at the big time, joining the cast of the musical Hair in Los Angeles.
In 1968, the same year she joined the production, she also released her debut album on the indie label Parrot. After another album with the same label, she signed with Reprise and released Jennifer in 1972. Though the album didn’t perform well, it hinted at what would become her speciality: interpreting other artists’ songs.
On Jennifer, she featured compositions by Barry Gibb and Jackson Browne, with only one original song, Last Song, written by Warnes herself.
When the album didn’t chart, she switched labels again, releasing Jennifer Warnes in 1976 and Shot Through The Heart in 1979 on Arista. The 1976 album marked her first top-ten hit with Right Time of the Night, and it also included the iconic Love Hurts.
Shot Through The Heart, however, didn’t perform as well, and with no hit singles, Warnes moved on again.
Before finding a new label, Jennifer had a smash hit with Joe Cocker for the Officer and a Gentleman soundtrack. The duet Up Where We Belong hit #1 worldwide, won numerous awards, and helped boost Warnes’ profile for her next career move.
Signing with Cypress, Jennifer released an album entirely of Leonard Cohen songs in 1986. The album, Famous Blue Raincoat, included tracks like First We Take Manhattan, Bird on the Wire, and Joan of Arc. Interestingly, she released First We Take Manhattan before Cohen did, and Stevie Ray Vaughan played guitar on her version.
The singles from Famous Blue Raincoat were released in 1987, the same year Dirty Dancing hit the theatres. On the film’s soundtrack, Jennifer scored her next major hit with (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, a duet with Bill Medley. The song became a worldwide smash, earning numerous accolades.
After collecting all the awards, she took her time before releasing her next album. In 1992, she covered Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys on her album The Hunter, marking her last charting single.
Jennifer Warnes Tunes | Related Pages
(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E | C#m7 | D | D |
Now I’ve had the time of my life, no I never felt like this before…
Bird on the Wire | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Bird on the Wire by Leonard Cohen using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| A | E |
Like a bird on the wire…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Bird on the Wire (Leonard Cohen) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Famous Blue Raincoat | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bm7 | G |
It’s four in the morning, the end of December…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Jennifer Warnes on the web
