As Long as He Needs Me
Encyclopedia
As Long as He Needs Me is a torch song
sung by the character of Nancy
in the musical film
Oliver!
, introduced in the 1960
musical. It is a love ballad about her criminal boyfriend Bill Sikes
. The song expresses Nancy's love for him, despite his mistreatment of her.
A reprise of this song towards the end of the show expresses Nancy's affection for young Oliver Twist, implying that she now feels that the child also needs her. This reprise was omitted from the film version.
The song has also been sung as "As Long as She Needs Me," when sung by a male singer, and became a popular
song by virtue of its renditions by several popular singers, including Lionel Bart
and Shirley Bassey
who reached number two for 5 weeks on the United Kingdom
charts with the song. Bassey's recording became one of the highest sellers of 1960 staying on the UK charts for 30 weeks, and is still heard regularly playing in the background on the TV show "EastEnders
". The song was performed by Nadia Turner
and Melinda Doolittle
on American Idol
.
The song has also been performed by contestants Nadia Turner
(2005) and Melinda Doolittle
(2007) on American Idol
. It was released as a studio recorded track by Doolittle, and sold as a downloadable song on the American Idol website.
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
sung by the character of Nancy
Nancy 'Sikes'
Nancy is the sympathetic lover of Bill Sikes in the novel Oliver Twist, in its film versions, and in the stage and film version of the musical Oliver!. She is affectionately known by Fagin's boys and some others as "Nance"...
in the musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, introduced in the 1960
1960 in music
-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
musical. It is a love ballad about her criminal boyfriend Bill Sikes
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career...
. The song expresses Nancy's love for him, despite his mistreatment of her.
A reprise of this song towards the end of the show expresses Nancy's affection for young Oliver Twist, implying that she now feels that the child also needs her. This reprise was omitted from the film version.
The song has also been sung as "As Long as She Needs Me," when sung by a male singer, and became a popular
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song by virtue of its renditions by several popular singers, including Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
and Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
who reached number two for 5 weeks on the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts with the song. Bassey's recording became one of the highest sellers of 1960 staying on the UK charts for 30 weeks, and is still heard regularly playing in the background on the TV show "EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
". The song was performed by Nadia Turner
Nadia Turner
Nadia Turner Nadia Turner Nadia Turner (born January 11, 1977 is an American singer, songwriter, actress and radio/television personality, best known as the 8th place finalist on the fourth season of American Idol.-Before Idol:...
and Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Marie Doolittle is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol...
on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.
Recorded versions
- Lionel BartLionel BartLionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
- Josephine BarstowJosephine BarstowDame Josephine Clare Barstow DBE is an English soprano.-Education and early career:Josephine Barstow was born in Sheffield and educated at the University of Birmingham. She made her professional debut with the touring company Opera for All in 1964...
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) - Shirley BasseyShirley BasseyDame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
(19601960 in music-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
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- on his 1963 RCA Victor Red Seal album Broadway, I Love You - Alma CoganAlma CoganAlma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
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(19881988 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
) - Sammy Davis Jr. (As Long as She Needs MeAs Long as She Needs Me (album)As Long as She Needs Me is a 1963 album by Sammy Davis, Jr., arranged by Marty Paich and Morty Stevens.-Track listing:# "As Long as She Needs Me" – 3:07...
) (19631963 in music-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
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(Film Soundtrack) (19681968 in music-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
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The song has also been performed by contestants Nadia Turner
Nadia Turner
Nadia Turner Nadia Turner Nadia Turner (born January 11, 1977 is an American singer, songwriter, actress and radio/television personality, best known as the 8th place finalist on the fourth season of American Idol.-Before Idol:...
(2005) and Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Marie Doolittle is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol...
(2007) on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. It was released as a studio recorded track by Doolittle, and sold as a downloadable song on the American Idol website.