"To Love Somebody" is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Produced by Robert Stigwood, it was the second single released by the Bee Gees from their international debut album, Bee Gees 1st, in 1967.[2] The single reached No.17 in the United States and No.41 in the United Kingdom. The song's B-side was "Close Another Door".[1] The single was reissued in 1980 on RSO Records with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" as its flipside.[3] The song ranked at number 94 on NME magazine's "100 Best Tracks of the Sixties".[4] It was a minor hit in the UK and France. It reached the top 20 in the US. It reached the top 10 in Canada.
The song has been recorded by many other musicians, including Nina Simone whose version reached No. 5 in the UK in 1969, Michael Bolton whose recording reached No.11 in the US and No.16 in the UK in 1992.
Origins and lyrics
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"To Love Somebody"
"To Love Somebody" is a soul ballad recorded by the Bee Gees.
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At the request of Robert Stigwood, the band's manager, Barry and Robin Gibb wrote "To Love Somebody", a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave or The Rascals, for Otis Redding.[5] Redding came to see Barry at the Plaza in New York City one night. Robin claimed that "[Otis Redding] said he loved our material and would Barry write him a song".[6]
The Bee Gees recorded "To Love Somebody" at IBC Studios, London in March 1967 and released it as a single in mid-July 1967 in the US. Redding died in an aeroplane crash later that year, before having a chance to record the song. The song was recorded around April 1967 with "Gilbert Green" and "End of My Song" at the IBC Studios in London, England.[7]
Robin said, "Everyone told us what a great record they thought it was, Other groups all raved about it but for some reason people in Britain just did not seem to like it". Barry said "I think the reason it didn't do well here was because it's a soul number, Americans loved it, but it just wasn't right for this country".[8]
Barry Gibb explained in a June 2001 interview with Mojo magazine:
It was for Robert. I say that unabashedly. He asked me to write a song for him, personally. It was written in New York and played to Otis but, personally, it was for Robert. He meant a great deal to me. I don't think it was a homosexual affection but a tremendous admiration for this man's abilities and gifts.[9]
The simple title refrain of the chorus, "You don't know what it's like, Baby, you don't know what it's like, To love somebody...the way I love you" has the effect of being at once heartbreaking and triumphant, a self-pitying put-down to an unrequited love. "There's... a certain kind of light that never shone on me... You ain't got to be so blind, I'm a man, can't you see what I am?, I live and breathe for you, But what good does that do, If I ain't got you?".[10]
Personnel
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions
One of the most famous Gibb compositions, "To Love Somebody" is now considered a pop standard and has been covered by many artists. Some of the most notable versions include:
Michael Bolton version
| Chart (1993) |
Position |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] |
11 |
Michael Bublé version
Movie appearances
"To Love Somebody" has been used in several movies including I Love You Phillip Morris, Y Tu Mamá También, Melody, The Wrong Man, My Entire Life and 50/50.
Also this song has been used in a trailer for Joy (2015).
References
External links
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- "Israel" / "Dearest" (Netherlands)
- "Sea of Smiling Faces" / "Please Don't Turn Out the Lights"
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- "Children of the World" / "Boogie Child" (Australia}
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- Read My Lips (1989)
- Dare to Love (1995)
- Manage the Damage (1999)
- Home Again (2004)
- Suddenly Last Summer (2009)
- Homage (2015)
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- Heaven (1993)
- Het Beste Van The Communards (2005)
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- Bright Thing (2010)
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- The Video Collection 1984/1990 (1990)
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