Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
1962 song first recorded by Marvin Gaye
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"Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and first recorded by Gaye in 1962. It was the B-side to his 1969 hit "Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby". Paul Young's version of the song was a UK No. 1 single for three weeks in July 1983.[1]
| "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Marvin Gaye | |
| from the album That Stubborn Kinda Fellow | |
| Released | December 1962 |
| Recorded | September 11, 1962 |
| Genre | Soul |
| Songwriters | Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield |
Paul Young version
| "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Paul Young | ||||
| from the album No Parlez | ||||
| Released | 27 May 1983[2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:11 (Greatest Hits version)[4] 4:52 (7" version)[5] 5:18 (album version)[6] 5:59 (extended club mix)[7] | |||
| Label | CBS[5] | |||
| Songwriters | Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield | |||
| Producer | Laurie Latham[5] | |||
| Paul Young singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Paul Young version, from the album No Parlez, is stylistically notable for its use of fretless bass, played by Pino Palladino. Though a major UK hit that broke Young as a star, the song fared less well on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 70, but was later used in the 1986 film Ruthless People and its accompanying soundtrack album.
Production
According to Young, when he was making the album No Parlez, the label sent him a number of songs that he thought were too complex. He said: "I just want a simple three-chord trick with a melody." He remembered a B-side track by Marvin Gaye he heard when he was 14, found a recording, and decided to record the song. He slowed the song down, and added more melancholy to the vocal.[8]
Palladino was then recruited from Jools Holland's band, Jools Holland and His Millionaires. The song was produced by Laurie Latham, who asked for an intro for the song, and Palladino quoted the bassoon melody at the opening of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring for the opening bass line. Palladino however thought that the bass line in the recording was too loud and out of tune.[9] The keyboard player Ian Kewley added a keyboard motif to the song, and it was then decided that the song should be released as a single.[8]
Reception
In a retrospective review, AllMusic journalist Dave Thompson wrote that Young's version of the song "left mouths hanging open in awe" and described it as "a beautifully impassioned take on what was, in all fairness, never one of Marvin Gaye's greatest performances."[10]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 9 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] | 37 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] | 26 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 48 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 1 |
| Israel (Kol Yisrael)[16] | 9 |
| Italy[17] | 27 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] | 4 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] | 8 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[20] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[21] | 70 |
| West Germany (GfK)[22] | 19 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1983) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other cover versions
Cover versions were also made by (among others): Delano Stewart (1970), Cornell Campbell (1975), John Holt (1982), The Nolans (1984), The Temptations (1986, more than 10 years after their recording it), Taylor Hicks (2006), Darren Percival (2012), Boyzone (2014), Imany (2017).[25]