To Love Somebody (song)
Encyclopedia
"To Love Somebody" is the second single released by the Bee Gees
from their third LP, Bee Gees 1st.
The band's manager Robert Stigwood
wanted Barry Gibb
to write a soul song for Otis Redding
. Barry, along with Robin
wrote "To Love Somebody," a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave
or The Rascals
. Redding died in an aeroplane crash before having a chance to record the song, and the Bee Gees recorded "To Love Somebody" at IBC Studios, London in March 1967 and released as a single in mid-July 1967 in the US.
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
from their third LP, Bee Gees 1st.
The band's manager Robert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood is an impresario and entertainment entrepreneur who relocated to England in 1954...
wanted Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
to write a soul song for Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
. Barry, along with Robin
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
wrote "To Love Somebody," a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
or The Rascals
The Rascals
The Rascals were an American blue-eyed soul group initially active during the years 1965–72. The band released numerous top ten singles in North America during the mid- and late-1960s, including the U.S. #1 hits "Good Lovin'" , "Groovin'" , and "People Got to Be Free"...
. Redding died in an aeroplane crash before having a chance to record the song, and the Bee Gees recorded "To Love Somebody" at IBC Studios, London in March 1967 and released as a single in mid-July 1967 in the US.
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 6 |
| Belgium | 8 |
| Canada | 9 |
| France | 63 |
| Netherlands | 13 |
| United Kingdom | 41 |
| United States | 17 |
Michael Bolton version
| End of year chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 83 |
Cover versions
One of the most famous Gibb compositions, "To Love Somebody" was covered by hundreds of artists, most notably:- Clay AikenClay AikenClayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
- The AnimalsThe AnimalsThe Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
(1968) - P. P. ArnoldP. P. ArnoldP. P. Arnold is an American-born soul singer who enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and beyond.-Early life:...
(1968) - B3
- Jimmy BarnesJimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
- Blue RodeoBlue RodeoBlue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...
- Michael BoltonMichael BoltonMichael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
- James CarrJames Carr (musician)James Carr , was an American Rhythm & Blues and soul singer.Born to a Baptist preacher's family in Coahoma, Mississippi, Carr began singing in church and was performing in gospel groups and making tables on an assembly line in Memphis, Tennessee, when he began recording in the mid-'60s for Goldwax...
- Eagle-Eye CherryEagle-Eye CherryEagle-Eye Lanoo Cherry is a Swedish musician of African-American descent.-Life and career:Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of African American jazz artist Don Cherry and Swedish painter/textile artist Monika "Moki" Cherry . He is half-brother of singer Neneh Cherry, his mother's...
(on Y tu mamá tambiénY tu mamá tambiénY tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael García...
soundtrack) - Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
- Billy CorganBilly CorganWilliam Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
feat. Robert SmithRobert Smith (musician)Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
(found on the 2005 album TheFutureEmbraceTheFutureEmbraceTheFutureEmbrace is the only solo album by Billy Corgan, frontman of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in June 2005, the album's sound was markedly different than most of Corgan's earlier work, eschewing his characteristic "drums, bass, big-guitars sound" in favor of an...
) - Billy "Crash" Craddock (from 1989's Back on TrackBack on Track (Billy Craddock album)Back On Track is an album by country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock. It was released in 1989 on Atlantic Records.-Track listing:#Big River to Cross#Love Night#To Love Somebody#Life's Too Short #Some Such Foolishness#You Got the Job...
) - Roberta FlackRoberta FlackRoberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
(on the 1971 album Quiet FireQuiet FireQuiet Fire is Roberta Flack's third album, released in 1971. The album features Roberta's cover of the 1960 Shirelles classic...
) - The Flying Burrito BrothersThe Flying Burrito BrothersThe Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
- Gallon DrunkGallon DrunkGallon Drunk are an English band formed in London in 1988. Their swamp rock sound contains a variety of influences, from punk to jazz and the novels of Derek Raymond , and is noted for its dark subject matter.-Biography:...
- Michael JohnsMichael Johns (singer)Michael Johns is an Australian singer-songwriter who finished in eighth place on the seventh season of a United States television series, American Idol, in 2008.-Early life:...
(on the 2009 album Hold Back My HeartHold Back My HeartHold Back My Heart is the third studio album by American Idol contestant Michael Johns. It sold 5,000 copies in its first week and a total of 20,000 copies.-Track listing:#"Heart on My Sleeve" -3:41...
) - Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
- Janis JoplinJanis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
(on the 1969 album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! is a 1969 studio album by Janis Joplin. It was the first solo studio album Joplin recorded after leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company. The LP was released on September 11, 1969 and reached gold record status within two months of its release. It was...
) - Ronan KeatingRonan KeatingRonan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
feat. Brian McFaddenBrian McFaddenBrian Nicholas McFadden , is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Irish boyband Westlife... - Sandy LamSandy LamSandy Lam, also known as Lam Yik Lin, is a Cantopop singer who sings in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese.-Career:...
(on the 1997 album Wonderful World) - LuluLulu (singer)Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
(November 1967) - Miguel MateosMiguel MateosMiguel Mateos is a rock singer/songwriter from Villa Pueyrredón, Argentina. Outside of Argentina, he is considered one of the most important exponents of Rock en Español, specially in the 1980s when he along with Charly Garcia, Soda Stereo, Enanitos Verdes, Virus, Sumo, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Rata...
, plays in live shows - The Mighty Sparrow
- Little MiltonLittle MiltonJames Milton Campbell, Jr. , better known as Little Milton, was an American electric blues, rhythm and blues, and soul singer and guitarist, best known for his hit records "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."-Biography:Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi...
(on the 1998 MalacoMalacoMalaco is a brand of confectionery products owned by Leaf, their products are sold in Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland as well as Sweden....
album For Real) - MuleP. W. LongPreston Wright Long III is an American musician, journalist and documentary filmmaker.He is best-known lead singer and guitar player for the groups Wig, Mule and P.W. Long's Reelfoot; most of his recorded work has been released and/or distributed by Touch and Go Records...
- Gram ParsonsGram ParsonsGram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
- Gary Puckett & The Union GapGary Puckett & The Union GapGary Puckett & The Union Gap was an American pop rock group operating in the late 1960s...
on their 1968 album, Woman, WomanWoman, Woman (album)Woman, Woman is the first studio album by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap released in 1968.The title track hit #4 on The Billboard Hot 100. The album landed on The Billboard 200 chart, reaching #22.- Track listing :... - Damien RiceDamien RiceDamien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
& Ray LaMontagneRay LaMontagneRaymond "Ray" Charles Jack LaMontagne is a Grammy-award winning American singer-songwriter. LaMontagne has released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after... - Silver Ginger 5Silver Ginger 5Silver Ginger 5 was originally formed in 1999 as a solo project for Ginger, lead singer/songwriter of The Wildhearts.The band was not formed until after the recording of the album Black Leather Mojo, and despite the name only ever had 4 members...
- Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
(1969 single [UK #5] and album To Love Somebody) - Simply RedSimply RedSimply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
- SlobberboneSlobberboneSlobberbone is an American alt-country band from Denton, Texas that formed in 1994. Slobberbone toured across the United States many times. The best-known line-up consisted of Brent Best , Jess Barr , Brian Lane , and drummer Tony Harper, although their lineup changed over the years...
- Jimmy SomervilleJimmy SomervilleJames William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
(UK #8) - Jordin SparksJordin SparksJordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
- Dusty SpringfieldDusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
- Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
with Booker T. and the M.G.'s - Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
(on the 1988 album Hide Your HeartHide Your HeartHide Your Heart , is the seventh album by Bonnie Tyler released in 1988. It was produced by Desmond Child....
) - Hank Williams, Jr.Hank Williams, Jr.Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
(on the 1979 album Family TraditionFamily Tradition (album)Family Tradition is an album released by country music artist Hank Williams, Jr.. It was released in April 1979 by Curb Records. It peaked at #3 on the Country Albums chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA...
)
Movie Soundtracks
"To Love Somebody" has been featured in several movies including:- I Love You Phillip MorrisI Love You Phillip MorrisI Love You Phillip Morris is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film based on the 1980s and '90s real-life story of con artist, impostor, and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell, as played by Jim Carrey. While incarcerated, Russell falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris...
- Y Tu Mamá TambiénY tu mamá tambiénY tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael García...
- MelodyMelody (1971 film)Melody is a 1971 British film directed by Waris Hussein about "puppy love". It was released as S.W.A.L.K. in the United Kingdom . The film starred Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde...
- The Wrong ManThe Wrong Man (1993 film)The Wrong Man is a 1993 American thriller film directed by Jim McBride. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Rosanna Arquette - Missy Mills* Kevin Anderson - Alex Walker* John Lithgow - Phillip Mills...
- My Entire Life
- 50/50