When I Need You

"When I Need You" is a song written by Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager. Its first appearance was as the title track of Hammond's 1976 album When I Need You. Leo Sayer's version, produced by Richard Perry, was a massive hit worldwide, reaching number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in February 1977 after three of his earlier singles had stalled at number 2.^[3] It also reached number 1 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 for a single week in May 1977;^[4] and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.^[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 24 song of 1977. Sayer performed it on the second show of the third season of The Muppet Show.

The melody of the "hook" line, or chorus of "When I Need You" is identical to the part of the Leonard Cohen song "Famous Blue Raincoat", where the lyrics are as follows: "Jane came by with a lock of your hair, she said that you gave it to her that night, that you planned to go clear". The melody of these lyrics matches the lyrics of "When I Need You" as follows: "(When I) need you, I just close my eyes and I'm with you, and all that I so want to give you, is only a heart beat away".

In a 2006 interview with The Globe and Mail Cohen said:

I once had that nicking happen with Leo Sayer. Do you remember that song 'When I Need You'?" Cohen sings the chorus of Sayer's number one hit from 1977, then segues into 'And Jane came by with a lock of your hair', a lyric from 'Famous Blue Raincoat'. 'Somebody sued them on my behalf ... and they did settle', even though, he laughs, 'they hired a musicologist, who said, that particular motif was in the public domain and, in fact, could be traced back as far as Schubert.^[6]

Personnel

Leo Sayer – vocals
John Barnes - electric piano
James Newton Howard – synthesizer
Bobby Keys – saxophone^[7]
Michael Omartian – electric piano
Dean Parks – electric guitar
Jeff Porcaro – drums
Willie Weeks – bass

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1977)	Peak position
Australia (KMR)	8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[8]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[9]	16
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[10]	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[11]	2
Ireland (IRMA)^[12]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[13]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[14]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[15]	4
South Africa (Springbok Radio)^[16]	2
UK Singles (OCC)^[17]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[18]	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[19]	1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[20]	94
US Cash Box Top 100^[21]	1
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)^[22]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[23]	15
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[24]	37
Canada (RPM)^[25]	7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[26]	94
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[27]	72
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[28]	16
UK Singles (OCC)^[29]	4
US Billboard Hot 100^[30]	24
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[31]	20

Other versions

The song was covered in Malay by Black Dog Bone in 1977 as Bila Rindu. D'Lloyd, a band from Indonesia, also covered this version in 1978, the year after.
The song was covered in German by Albatros in 1977 as Wenn mir nichts hilft.^[32]

Julio Iglesias version

Julio Iglesias released the song as the third and final single from his 1990 album of covers, Starry Night.^[33] It peaked at number 59 on the UK Airplay Chart.^[34]

Rod Stewart version

Rod Stewart recorded the song for his 1996 ballad compilation album If We Fall in Love Tonight. This version was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and was released as the second single from the album, and reached number 55 in Canada.^[35]

Celine Dion version

Canadian singer Celine Dion recorded a cover version of "When I Need You" for her 1997 album, Let's Talk About Love.^[36] Entertainment Weekly editor David Browne called it "an obligatory remake (a precisely enunciated version of Leo Sayer's "When I Need You")".^[37] The New York Observer editor Jonathan Bernstein wrote that "a sliver of redemption is found in the passable version of Leo Sayer's "When I Need You"".^[38]

Alpha Blondy version

Alpha Blondy covered the song for his 1999 album Elohim.

Randy Crawford & Joe Sample version

Singer Randy Crawford and keyboardist Joe Sample included their version of "When I Need You" on their 2006 album Feeling Good. Personnel included fellow acclaimed jazz artists, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Steve Gadd.

Cliff Richard version

On 29 October 2007, Cliff Richard released "When I Need You" as a single in the UK.^[39] It reached number 38 on the UK Singles Chart.^[40] It is one of five new recordings on his album Love... The Album.

Tumse Milke

The Indian music composer R.D. Burman used the music of the song for his song, "Tumse Milke", used in the 1989 movie, Parinda.

Lani Hall version

Lani Hall recorded a Spanish version of the song, retitled "Si me amaras (If you Loved Me)," for her 1985 album Es Fácil Amar, produced by Albert Hammond.

v t e Albert Hammond
Studio albums	It Never Rains in Southern California The Free Electric Band Albert Hammond
Compilation albums	It Never Rains in Southern California
Singles	"Down by the River" "It Never Rains in Southern California" "The Free Electric Band" "I'm a Train" "99 Miles from L.A." "When I'm Gone"
Songwriting	"Be Tender with Me Baby" "Don't Turn Around" "Gimme Dat Ding" "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" "I Don't Wanna Lose You" "I Need to Be in Love" "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" "Just Walk Away" "Little Arrows" "Lonely Is the Night" "Love Thing" "Make Me an Island" "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" "One Moment in Time" "Room in Your Heart" "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger" "The Air That I Breathe" "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" "Way of the World" "When I Need You" "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" "Where Were You" "You're Such a Good Looking Woman"
Languages	"Cantaré, cantarás" "Sensualité" "Y Tú También Llorarás"
Related articles	Discography Albert Hammond Jr. John Bettis Mike Hazlewood Holly Knight Carole Bayer Sager The Family Dogg Diane Warren

v t e Leo Sayer
Studio albums	Silverbird Just a Boy Another Year Endless Flight Thunder in My Heart Leo Sayer Here Living in a Fantasy World Radio Have You Ever Been in Love Cool Touch
Compilation albums	The Very Best of Leo Sayer All the Best
Soundtrack albums	All This and World War II Lake Freeze – The Raccoons Songtrack
Singles	"The Show Must Go On" "One Man Band" "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" "Moonlighting" "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" "When I Need You" "How Much Love" "Thunder in My Heart" "Easy to Love" "I Can't Stop Loving You (Though I Try)" "Raining in My Heart" "More Than I Can Say" "Heart (Stop Beating in Time)" "Orchard Road" "Till You Come Back to Me" "Unchained Melody" "Giving It All Away"
Related topics	Discography Le Chaînon manquant The Raccoons on Ice

v t e Celine Dion songs
Singles discography
1980s singles	"Ce n'était qu'un rêve" "La voix du bon Dieu" "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi" "D'amour ou d'amitié" "Mon ami m'a quittée" "Ne me plaignez pas" "Une colombe" "Mon rêve de toujours" "Un amour pour moi" "Vois comme c'est beau" "C'est pour toi" "C'est pour vivre" "Dans la main d'un magicien" "La ballade de Michel" "Fais ce que tu voudras" "On traverse un miroir" "Incognito" "Lolita (trop jeune pour aimer)" "Comme un cœur froid" "Ne partez pas sans moi" "Délivre-moi" "Jours de fièvre" "D'abord, c'est quoi l'amour" "Can't Live with You, Can't Live Without You"
1990s singles	"(If There Was) Any Other Way" "Unison" "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" "The Last to Know" "Beauty and the Beast" "Je danse dans ma tête" "If You Asked Me To" "Nothing Broken but My Heart" "Love Can Move Mountains" "Water from the Moon" "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)" "When I Fall in Love" "The Power of Love" "L'amour existe encore" "Misled" "Think Twice" "Only One Road" "Calling You" "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" "Je sais pas" "Next Plane Out" "To Love You More" "Falling into You" "Because You Loved Me" "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" "The Power of the Dream" "All by Myself" "Call the Man" "J'attendais" "Tell Him" "Be the Man" "The Reason" "My Heart Will Go On" "Immortality" "Zora sourit" "I'm Your Angel" "S'il suffisait d'aimer" "On ne change pas" "Treat Her Like a Lady" "That's the Way It Is"
2000s singles	"Live (for the One I Love)" "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" "I Want You to Need Me" "Sous le vent" "A New Day Has Come" "I'm Alive" "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" "I Drove All Night" "One Heart" "Tout l'or des hommes" "Have You Ever Been in Love" "Et je t'aime encore" "Je ne vous oublie pas" "Tous les secrets" "Tout près du bonheur" "I Believe in You (Je crois en toi)" "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" "Immensité" "Taking Chances" "Eyes on Me" "A World to Believe In" "The Prayer" "Alone" "My Love"
2010s singles	"Parler à mon père" "Le miracle" "Qui peut vivre sans amour?" "Loved Me Back to Life" "Incredible" "The Show Must Go On" "Encore un soir" "Recovering" "L'étoile" "Si c'était à refaire" "Je nous veux" "Les yeux au ciel" "Ashes" "Imperfections" "Lying Down" "Courage"
2020s singles	"Set My Heart on Fire (I'm Alive x And the Beat Goes On)" "Hymne à l'amour" "A New Day"
Promotional singles	"Have a Heart" "Des mots qui sonnent" "Quelqu'un que j'aime, quelqu'un qui m'aime" "Did You Give Enough Love" "Plus haut que moi" "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" "Le ballet" "Les derniers seront les premiers" "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" "The Prayer" "En attendant ses pas" "God Bless America" "At Last" "Stand by Your Side" "Faith" "Contre nature" "You and I" "Beautiful Boy" "Je lui dirai" "Ma Nouvelle-France" "In Some Small Way" "Voler" "Breakaway" "Water and a Flame" "Celle qui m'a tout appris" "L'hymne" "Flying on My Own" "Love Again" "I'll Be"
Other songs	"Destin" "J'irai où tu iras" "Send Me a Lover" "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" "Dans un autre monde" "O Holy Night" "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" "On s'est aimé à cause" "How Does a Moment Last Forever" "The Gift"
Category

v t e Cliff Richard singles
1950s	"Move It" (1958) "High Class Baby" (1958) "Livin' Lovin' Doll" (1959) "Mean Streak" (1959) "Living Doll" (1959) "Travellin' Light" / "Dynamite" (1959)
1960s	"A Voice in the Wilderness" (1960) "Fall in Love with You" (1960) "Please Don't Tease" (1960) "Nine Times Out of Ten" (1960) "I Love You" (1960) "Theme for a Dream" (1961) "Gee Whizz It's You" (1961) "A Girl Like You" (1961) "What'd I Say" (1961) "When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart" (1961) "Forty Days" (1961) "Outsider" (1962) "The Young Ones" / "We Say Yeah" (1962) "Catch Me" (1962) "I'm Looking out the Window" / "Do You Want to Dance?" (1962) "Lessons in Love" (1962) "It'll Be Me" (1962) "Wonderful to Be Young" (1962) "The Next Time" / "Bachelor Boy" (1962) "Summer Holiday" (1963) "Lucky Lips" (1963) "It's All in the Game" (1963) "Don't Talk to Him" (1963) "Maria No Mas" (1963) "I'm the Lonely One" (1964) "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1964) "Constantly (L'Edera)" (1964) "On the Beach" (1964) "The Twelfth of Never" (1964) "I Could Easily Fall (In Love with You)" (1964) "The Minute You're Gone" (1965) "Angel" (1965) "On My Word" (1965) "The Time in Between" (1965) "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" (1965) "Blue Turns to Grey" (1966) "Visions" (1966) "Time Drags By" (1966) "In the Country" (1966) "It's All Over" (1967) "I'll Come Runnin'" (1967) "The Day I Met Marie" (1967)" "All My Love" (1967) "Congratulations" (1968) "I'll Love You Forever Today" (1968) "Wonderful World" (1968) "Marianne" (1968) "Don't Forget to Catch Me" (1968) "Good Times (Better Times)" (1969) "Big Ship" (1969) "Early in the Morning" (1969) "Throw Down a Line" (1969) "With the Eyes of a Child" (1969)
1970s	"The Joy of Living" (1970) "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha" (1970) "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" (1970) "Sunny Honey Girl" (1971) "Silvery Rain" (1971) "Flying Machine" (1971) "Sing a Song of Freedom" (1971) "Jesus" (1972) "Living in Harmony" (1972) "Power to All Our Friends" (1973) "Help It Along" (1973) "Take Me High" (1973) "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" (1974) "Honky Tonk Angel" (1975) "Miss You Nights" (1976) "Devil Woman" (1976) "I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You" (1976) "Hey Mr. Dream Maker" (1976) "My Kinda Life" (1977) "When Two Worlds Drift Apart" (1977) "Green Light" (1979) "We Don't Talk Anymore" (1979)
1980s	"Carrie" (1980) "Dreamin'" (1980) "Suddenly" (1980) "A Little in Love" (1980) "Give a Little Bit More" (1981) "Wired for Sound" (1981) "Daddy's Home" (live) (1981) "The Only Way Out" (1982) "Little Town" (1982) "She Means Nothing to Me" (1983) "True Love Ways" (live) (1983) "Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More)" (1983) "Please Don't Fall in Love" (1983) "Baby You're Dynamite" / "Ocean Deep" (1984) "Donna" (1984 US) "Two to the Power of Love" (1984) "Living Doll" (1986) "All I Ask of You" (1986) "Slow Rivers" (1986) "My Pretty One" (1987) "Some People" (1987) "Remember Me" (1987) "Two Hearts" (1988) "Mistletoe and Wine" (1988) "The Best of Me" (1989) "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (1989) "Lean on You" (1989) "Whenever God Shines His Light" (1989)
1990s	"Stronger Than That" (1990) "Silhouettes" (live) (1990) "From a Distance" (live) (1990) "Saviour's Day" (1990) "More to Life" (1991) "Scarlet Ribbons" (1991) "We Should Be Together" (1991) "This New Year" (1991) "I Still Believe in You" (1992) "Peace in Our Time" (1993) "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (live) / "Miss You Nights" (1994) "Can't Keep this Feeling In" (1998) "The Millennium Prayer" (1999)
2000s	"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" (medley) (2001) "21st Century Christmas" / "Move It" (2006) "When I Need You" (2007) "Thank You for a Lifetime" (2008) "Singing the Blues" (2009)
2010s	"Rip It Up" (2013) "Since I Lost My Baby" (2014) "Roll Over Beethoven" (2016) "Blue Suede Shoes" (2017)