"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson which was a #1 hit in 1967 for the Box Tops. "The Letter" returned to the U.S. Top Ten in June 1970 via a single release of Leon Russell's blues-rock reinvention of the song as performed by Joe Cocker and featured on the Mad Dogs and Englishmen live album recorded that March at the Fillmore East. Cocker's revival was also a chart item in Australia (#27), Canada (#7), France (#48), the Netherlands (#27) and the UK (#39).