Please Send Me Someone to Love
1950 single by Percy Mayfield
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"Please Send Me Someone to Love" is a blues ballad, written and recorded by American blues and soul singer Percy Mayfield in 1950, for Art Rupe's Specialty Records. It was on the Billboard's R&B chart for 27 weeks and reached the number-one position for two weeks; it was Mayfield's most successful song.[2]
Universal, Hollywood, California
| "Please Send Me Someone to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Percy Mayfield | ||||
| from the album The Best of Percy Mayfield | ||||
| B-side | "Strange Things Happening" | |||
| Released | Sept. 1950[1] | |||
| Recorded | August 16, 1950 Universal, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | R&B, blues ballad | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Specialty Records | |||
| Songwriter | Percy Mayfield | |||
| Producer | Art Rupe | |||
| Percy Mayfield singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Song background
It has been called a "multilayered universal lament".[3] Mayfield sang it in a soft ballad style. Its appeal lay in the sensitivity of its lyrics in juxtaposing an awareness of a world in conflict with a personal expression of the need for love.[4] Sung in Mayfield's gentle, suave vocal style, the lyrics were a combination of a romantic love ballad and a social message against discrimination.[5]
Track listing
US 7"Vinyl
- "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (2:50)
- "Strange Things Happening" (2:49)
Charts
| Chart (1950) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 26 |
| US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard) | 1 |
Johnny Diesel and the Injectors version
| "Please Send Me Someone to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnny Diesel and the Injectors | ||||
| from the album The Delinquents (soundtrack) | ||||
| B-side | "Who's for Better" (Live) | |||
| Released | January 1990 | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter | Percy Mayfield | |||
| Producer | Terry Manning | |||
| Johnny Diesel and the Injectors singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1989, the Australian ARIA award-winning rock band Johnny Diesel and the Injectors recorded the song for the soundtrack of the film The Delinquents. It was released as a single and peaked at number 11 on the Australian ARIA chart[7] and was the 87th biggest-selling single in 1990.[8]
Track listing
- "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (4:17)
- "Who's for Better" (3:40)
- "Thang 1" (3:15)
- Tracks 2 and 3 recorded live at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia, August 16, 1989
Other versions
- Dinah Washington released a cover of the song in 1951.[9]
- The Moonglows had a hit with their cover version in 1957.[10]
- In 1967, Fred Neil covered the song for his album Sessions.[11]
- In 1968, Toni Williams covered the song. It was the B-side of his single "Sad, Lonely and Blue", released by Zodiac Records.[12]
- In 1969, Ruth Brown covered the song for her album Black Is Brown and Brown Is Beautiful.[13]
- Freddie King recorded his version during his years with Shelter Records.
- In 1973, Mickey Newbury covered the song on his album Live at Montezuma Hall.[14]
- Paul Butterfield's Better Days covered the song on their 1973 album Paul Butterfield's Better Days[15]
- In 1977, The Animals covered the song on their reunion album, Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted.[16]
- James Booker covered the song on his album King Of New Orleans Keyboard.
- In 2003, Leigh Harris and Larry Sieberth covered it on the album Patchwork: A Tribute to James Booker.[17]
- In 1997, B.B. King and Mick Hucknall covered the song on the album Deuces Wild.[18]
- In 1993, Sade released a cover of the song for the soundtrack of the movie Philadelphia.[19]
- In 1994, Grover Washington Jr. recorded the song for his album All My Tomorrows.[20]
- In 1998, Fiona Apple released a cover of the song for the soundtrack of the movie Pleasantville.
- In 2011, John Oates released a cover of the song for his solo album Mississippi Mile.[21]