| "When a Man Loves a Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPercy Sledge | ||||
| from the album When a Man Loves a Woman | ||||
| B-side | "Love Me Like You Mean It" | |||
| Released | March 1966 | |||
| Recorded | February 17, 1966 | |||
| Studio | Norala (Sheffield, Alabama) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters | Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright | |||
| Producers | Marlin Greene,Quin Ivy | |||
| Percy Sledge singles chronology | ||||
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"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by AmericanR&B,soul andgospel singerPercy Sledge[1] in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio inSheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the USBillboard Hot 100 andCash Box Top 100, as well as on theBillboardR&B singles chart.[3]Country singerJohn Wesley Ryles had a minor hit with his version of the song in 1976. Singer and actressBette Midler recorded the song and had a top-40 hit with her version in 1980. In 1991,Michael Bolton recorded the song and his version peaked at number one on both theBillboard Hot 100 chart and theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart.
According toDan Penn, the song was initially recorded by Percy Sledge atRick Hall'sFAME Studios atMuscle Shoals, before being re-recorded at the nearby Norala Studios owned byQuin Ivy.[4][5] According to Quin Ivy, Percy Sledge was introduced to him by his friend Leroy Wright in Ivy's Tune Town record store. Wright convinced him to audition for Sledge and his band the Esquires.[6] Thesidemen for the recording includedSpooner Oldham,Farfisa organ; Marlin Greene, guitar; Albert "Junior" Lowe, electric bass andRoger Hawkins, drums. Also on the session were Jack Peck, trumpet, Billy Cofield and Don “Rim” Pollard, tenor sax, and Jerry Eddleman,Donna Jean Godchaux, Jeanie Greene,Sandy Posey, and Hershel Wiggington, backing vocals.[4] Andrew Wright and Calvin Lewis did not play on the record. Rick Hall arranged a distribution deal withAtlantic Records, butJerry Wexler asked that the song be re-recorded because thehorns wereout of tune. According to musicianDavid Hood, "They went back in the studio and changed the horns, got different horn players to play on it. But then the tapes got mixed up and Atlantic put out their original version. So that's the hit."[5][better source needed]
Released byAtlantic Records in April 1966, Sledge's recording reached number one on both theBillboard Hot 100 andR&B singles charts,[3] becoming the first number 1 hit recorded in Muscle Shoals. It is also one of seven number 1 hits to debut on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 100. The single was also a top ten hit in theUK reaching number four on its initial release and ultimately peaking at number two in 1987 on theUK Singles Chart after it was featured in aLevi's Jeans commercial. The Percy Sledge version is listed 53rd inRolling Stone's500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Also in 1987, it was reissued in the US to promote the soundtrack album for Oliver Stone's filmPlatoon.
In 1999, the 1966 recording byPercy Sledge was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[7]
Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright were members of the Esquires, a band inSheffield, Alabama, fronted by singer Percy Sledge. According to Wright, "We were set to play a Friday night dance, and we were practicing ... I was messing around on the organ when this riff came up out of nowhere. There was no one in the club but us. I told Calvin to go home and write some words." The next night, they rehearsed the emerging song with Sledge, changed it around, and soon afterward auditioned the song for local businessman and radio DJQuin Ivy. He liked the song but suggested that some of the words be changed to give a more positive message. Wright said, "We kept some of the phrases, worked on it for several weeks, and spent quite a bit of time in the studio."[8]
Although the writing of the song is credited to Lewis and Wright, Sledge later said that he should have received a co-writing credit. In one story, Sledge said that one night he was upset over a broken relationship and asked Lewis and Wright to play a slow blues over which he improvised lyrics describing his emotions; Quin Ivy was at the show and asked the band to refine the lyrics so that it could be recorded. Sledge said that he allowed Lewis and Wright to take the writing credits because they gave him the opportunity "to sing his heart out".[5][better source needed]
In another interview, Sledge said:
When I wrote the song at first, it was called "Why Did You Leave Me Baby". And I changed it from that to "When a Man Loves a Woman". I just reversed it. Quin told me that if I was to write some lyrics around that melody and the expression I'd put into "Why Did You Leave Me Baby", he believed it would've been a hit record. He was one of the top disc jockeys at that time. Sure enough, he asked me if I had any lyrics for that. He said, "That's it! Write a story around that title! What a song that would be with that feeling you had!" It was a song that was meant to be. It wasn't just what I had done; it was the musicians, the producer, the background singers, the right time.[9]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "When a Man Loves a Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byMichael Bolton | ||||
| from the albumTime, Love & Tenderness | ||||
| B-side | "Save Me" | |||
| Released | October 1991 | |||
| Genre | R&B[32] | |||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Michael Bolton singles chronology | ||||
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"When a Man Loves a Woman" was covered by singerMichael Bolton for his seventh studio album,Time, Love & Tenderness (1991). His version of the song reached number one on the USBillboard Hot 100,Cash Box Top 100 andBillboardAdult Contemporary charts, becoming Bolton's second US number-one hit. Bolton also received aGrammy Award for this song. This version has the distinction of being the last number-one song to chart on the oldBillboard Hot 100 charting system that relied on sales and airplay reports before switching over toNielsen SoundScan. With the Percy Sledge original having reached number one previously, Bolton's version made it theseventh song to top the Hot 100 as recorded by multiple artists.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 1991 |
| Columbia | |
| Australia | October 28, 1991 |
| [59] | |
| United Kingdom |
| [60] | ||
| Japan | November 1, 1991 | Mini-CD | Sony | [61] |
Three versions have made the U.S.BillboardHot Country Songs charts. One byJohn Wesley Ryles reached number 72 in 1976;Jack Grayson and Blackjack peaked at number 18 in 1981; and a rendition byNarvel Felts peaked at number 60 in 1987, representing his final chart entry.[62]
In 1979, American actress and singerBette Midler covered the song for the soundtrack ofThe Rose, which tells a fictionalized version ofJanis Joplin's life story. Midler's version was released as a single the following year and peaked at number 35 on theBillboard Hot 100.[63]
Canadian singerLuba covered the song for her 1987 albumOver 60 Minutes with Luba. Luba's version peaked at number 6 on theRPM top singles chart and number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[64][65]
Australian rock singerJimmy Barnes released a version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" as the lead single from his 1988 live albumBarnestorming. Barnes' version peaked at number 3 on theARIA Charts and number 11 on theOfficial New Zealand Music Chart's top singles list.[66]
English singerJoe Cocker covered the song for the 1989 live albumSoul Session Live, by "James Brown & Friends". Though not released as a single, Cocker's rendition was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1990.[67]
"When A Man Loves A Woman" was something else: A hard and raspy and passionate Southern soul song...
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