Deep Purple - Hush 1968

"Hush" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Joe South for American singer Billy Joe Royal. It was first performed by him in 1967 and reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song became better known thanks to cover versions by various bands and performers, including Johnny Hallyday (1968) and Deep Purple, who included it on their first album Shades of Deep Purple (fall 1968) and also released it as a single (with the song "One More Rainy Day" from the same album on the B-side). Deep Purple's version of "Hush" reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 (US). Twenty years later, Deep Purple, with a different line-up ("Mark II"), recorded a new version of this song (presented as the last track on the double album Nobody's Perfect, 1988).

The chorus contains the lyrics "Hush, hush, I thought I heard her calling my name," which echoes the gospel song lyrics "Hush, hush, somebody's calling me."