Eli's Comin'

"Eli's Comin'"
"Eli's Comin'"
Single by Three Dog Night
from the album Suitable for Framing
B-side	"Circle for a Landing"
Released	October 1969
Recorded	1968
Studio	American Recording Co.
Genre	Rock, soul, gospel
Length	2:49
Label	Dunhill
Songwriter	Laura Nyro
Producer	Gabriel Mekler
Three Dog Night singles chronology

"Eli's Comin'"
"Eli's Comin'"
Song by Laura Nyro
from the album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
Released	March 3, 1968
Recorded	1968
Genre	Pop, soul
Length	3:59
Label	CBS
Songwriter	Laura Nyro
Producers	Laura Nyro, Charlie Calello

"Eli's Comin'" is a song written and recorded in 1967 by American singer-songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro.^[1] The song was first released in 1968 on Nyro's album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession.^[2]

While attending Joseph Wade Junior High School in the Bronx, Nyro performed an early version of the song in music class to prove to the teacher that rock and roll "wasn't junk".^{[citation needed]}

Other versions

The song was recorded by Three Dog Night^[3] in 1969 for their album Suitable for Framing; a live version also appears on Captured Live at the Forum, released that same year. As a single, the studio version reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100^[4] and No. 4 on Canada's RPM Magazine charts. A 45rpm mono mix of the song features a piano outro.^[5]
Don Ellis released a version in 1969 on his album The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground.
The Friends of Distinction covered the song in 1969 on their album Grazin'.
Honey Ltd. released a single of "Eli's Comin'" in 1969 on LHI Records.
An instrumental version of the song was released on the album Images by Dean Christopher and his Orchestra in 1970, titled "Eli's Coming."
Maynard Ferguson's version appears on his 1970 album M.F. Horn.
Affinity released a single of the song in 1970; it was also included on later pressings of their self-titled album.
The 5th Dimension included a version on their 1971 album Live!!^[6]
Singers Three performs the song on their 1971 album Foliole #2 The Sound Of Singers 3.^[7]
The Nylons included the song on their 1991 album 4 On The Floor - Live In Concert.
Lisa Germano covered the song for the 1997 various artists tribute album Time and Love: The Music of Laura Nyro.

In popular culture

"Eli's Comin'" was featured in a first season episode of the TV series Sports Night called "Eli's Coming".^[8]^[9]
The song is referenced on Elton John and Brandi Carlile's song "The Rose of Laura Nyro" on their 2025 album Who Believes in Angels?.

References

^ Kort, Michele (2002). "Eli's Comin'". Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro. St. Martin's Press. pp. 57. ISBN 0-312-20941-X.
^ Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Retrieved February 18, 2015
^ "Eli's Coming" by Three Dog Night Retrieved February 18, 2015
^ Three Dog Night, "Eli's Coming" Chart Position Retrieved February 18, 2015
^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 29, 1969" (PDF).
^ "The 5th Dimension – Live!!". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
^ "Foliole #2 The Sound Of Singers 3". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
^ Sepinwall, Alan (August 28, 2009). "Sports Night: Revisiting "Eli's Coming" & "Ordnance Tactics"". NJ.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
^ Bowman, Donna (August 15, 2012). "Sports Night: "Eli's Coming"/"Ordnance Tactics"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 18, 2023.

[1] Kort, Michele (2002). "Eli's Comin'". Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro. St. Martin's Press. pp. 57. ISBN 0-312-20941-X.

[2] Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Retrieved February 18, 2015

[3] "Eli's Coming" by Three Dog Night Retrieved February 18, 2015

[4] Three Dog Night, "Eli's Coming" Chart Position Retrieved February 18, 2015

[5] "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 29, 1969" (PDF).

[6] "The 5th Dimension – Live!!". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved May 17, 2022.

[7] "Foliole #2 The Sound Of Singers 3". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved June 13, 2023.

[8] Sepinwall, Alan (August 28, 2009). "Sports Night: Revisiting "Eli's Coming" & "Ordnance Tactics"". NJ.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.

[9] Bowman, Donna (August 15, 2012). "Sports Night: "Eli's Coming"/"Ordnance Tactics"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 18, 2023.

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v t e Laura Nyro
Studio albums	More Than a New Discovery (1967) Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) New York Tendaberry (1969) Christmas and the Beads of Sweat (1970) Gonna Take a Miracle (1971) Smile (1976) Nested (1978) Mother's Spiritual (1984) Walk the Dog and Light the Light (1993) Angel in the Dark (2001)
Live albums	Season of Lights (1977) Laura: Live at the Bottom Line (1989) Live from Mountain Stage (2000) Live: The Loom's Desire (2002)
Compilations	The First Songs (1973) Impressions (1980) Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro (1997) Time and Love: The Essential Masters (2000) American Dreamer (2021)
Songs	"Wedding Bell Blues" "Flim Flam Man" "Stoney End" "And When I Die" "Eli's Comin'" "Stoned Soul Picnic" "Sweet Blindness" "Blowing Away" "Save the Country" "Up on the Roof"
Related	Labelle Time and Love: The Music of Laura Nyro

v t e Three Dog Night
Danny Hutton Michael Allsup Paul Kingery Pat Bautz Eddie Reasoner David Morgan Cory Wells Chuck Negron Jimmy Greenspoon Floyd Sneed Joe Schermie Skip Konte Al Ciner Gary Moon Richard Campbell
Studio albums	Three Dog Night (1968) Suitable for Framing (1969) It Ain't Easy (1970) Naturally (1970) Harmony (1971) Seven Separate Fools (1972) Cyan (1973) Hard Labor (1974) Coming Down Your Way (1975) American Pastime (1976) It's a Jungle (1983)
Live albums	Captured Live at the Forum (1969) Around the World with Three Dog Night (1973)
Compilations	Golden Bisquits (1971) Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits (1975) The Best of 3 Dog Night (1982) Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975 (1993) 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Three Dog Night (1999) The Complete Hit Singles (2004)
Singles	"Nobody" "Try a Little Tenderness" "One" "Easy to Be Hard" "Eli's Coming" "Celebrate" "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" "Out in the Country" "One Man Band" "Joy to the World" "Liar" "An Old Fashioned Love Song" "Never Been to Spain" "The Family of Man" "Black & White" "Pieces of April" "Shambala" "Let Me Serenade You" "The Show Must Go On" "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)" "Til the World Ends" "Everybody's a Masterpiece" "It's a Jungle Out There"
Other songs	"Darlin'" "Time to Get Alone"
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"Eli's Comin'"
Song by Laura Nyro
from the album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
Released	March 3, 1968 (1968-03-03)
Recorded	1968
Genre	Pop, soul
Length	3:59
Label	CBS
Songwriter	Laura Nyro
Producers	Laura Nyro, Charlie Calello