You Might Need Somebody
1980 song by Turley Richards
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"You Might Need Somebody" is a song written by Tom Snow and Nan O'Byrne, first recorded in 1979 by American singer and guitarist Turley Richards. In 1981, American jazz and R&B singer and songwriter Randy Crawford released her version which reached No. 11 in the United Kingdom and was a modest hit in Belgium and New Zealand. In 1997, English singer Shola Ama's version reached the top 10 in the UK and in several other countries, including Ireland, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Early versions
The first version of the song was released in 1979 by American singer and guitarist Turley Richards from his album Therfu. The single peaked at No. 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980.[1] In the same year, Anna Oxa released an Italian version titled "Metropolitana" with Italian lyrics written by Marco Luberti for her studio album Controllo totale.
Randy Crawford version
| "You Might Need Somebody" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dutch release | ||||
| Single by Randy Crawford | ||||
| from the album Secret Combination | ||||
| B-side | "You Bring the Sun Out" | |||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Tommy LiPuma | |||
| Randy Crawford singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "You Might Need Somebody" on YouTube | ||||
In 1981, American singer-songwriter Randy Crawford covered the song for her fifth album, Secret Combination (1981). It was the second single released from the album by Warner Bros. Records Her version reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart, making it her fourth-highest-charting single on that chart.[2] It also peaked at No. 39 on the Belgian (Flanders) Ultratop 50 singles chart in October 1981[3] and on the New Zealand singles chart in January 1982.[4]
The guitar solo is by Steve Lukather.[5]
Charts
| Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] | 39 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 15 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 39 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 11 |
Shola Ama version
| "You Might Need Somebody" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Shola Ama | ||||
| from the album Much Love | ||||
| Released | April 7, 1997[10] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | WEA | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | D'Influence | |||
| Shola Ama singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "You Might Need Somebody" on YouTube | ||||
In 1997, English singer Shola Ama recorded a version of the song featured on her debut album, Much Love (1997). Her version was produced by D'Influence and released in April 1997 by WEA Records. The song reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in France, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at No. 25 in October 1997. The accompanying music video, directed by Jake Nava, was put at heavy rotation on MTV.[11]
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "curious little number" and a "jazzy, Brand New Heavies-ish type of track that reeks of a classic soul production akin to a Ray Parker Jr. orchestration". He added that "while that sounds confusing, once programmers and listeners key into the lyrics, which are well written and well executed, Shola Ama's influences are of no consequence".[12] Swedish Göteborgs-Tidningen named it a "truly delightful, generous electric piano-garnished Randy Crawford-cover".[13] A reviewer from Music & Media said that "there's little doubt that that Shola Ama has a fantastic voice", adding that "radio has already warmed to this familiar cover, which is reproduced almost note for note from the Randy Crawford original".[14]
British magazine Music Week gave it four out of five, noting that the singer "breathes new life" into the 16-year-old hit, "with a classy, understated performance."[15] Music Week editor, Alan Jones, said it is "still sounding superb", stating that "the backing is looser and less urgent, as the song ploughs an R&B furrow."[16] Ralph Tee from the Record Mirror gave it three out of five, stating that it is "given a crisp clean street soul production by D-Influence". He concluded that "its definitely their mix that cuts it the best, despite it sounding so close to the original. It just sounds great."[17] Dave Fawbert from ShortList deemed the song as "absolutely massive".[18] A reviewer from the Sunday Mirror stated that Ama's "got such an amazing voice. She's the best British female R&B singer," and added, "I really liked 'You Might Need Somebody'".[19]
Live performances
Ama performed "You Might Need Somebody" in three successive Top of the Pops performances. She said in a 1997 interview, "After the first couple of shows, people wouldn't believe that I had sung live; they all thought I'd been miming. So on the third one, I missed a bit out to prove it was for real."[20]
Track listings
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Might Need Somebody" (DI Classic radio mix) | 3:51 |
| 2. | "You Might Need Somebody" (DI Classic radio mix with rap) | 3:52 |
| 3. | "You Might Need Somebody" (C&J Lovers mix) | 4:02 |
| 4. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Mousse T's Mellow Dub mix) | 5:48 |
| 5. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Ill-In-Ton's club mix) | 6:20 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Paul Waller Dirty Bass mix with rap) | 5:41 |
| 2. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Mousse T's Soul Train with rap) | 4:04 |
| 3. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Brockpocket mix) | 4:32 |
| 4. | "You Might Need Somebody" (Basement Jaxx Night dub) | 5:56 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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