When a Man Loves a Woman (song)

"When a Man Loves a Woman"
Single by Percy Sledge
from the album When a Man Loves a Woman
B-side	Love Me Like You Mean It
Released	March 1966
Format	7" vinyl "45"
Recorded	February 17, 1966, Norala Studios, Sheffield, Alabama
Genre	R&B, soul,[1] blues, traditional pop
Length	2:51
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright
Producer(s)	Marlin Greene, Quin Ivy
Percy Sledge singles chronology
"Warm And Tender Love" (1966) "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1966) "Baby, Help Me" (1967)

"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by Percy Sledge^[1] in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts.^[2] Singer and actress Bette Midler covered 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 the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart.

Percy Sledge version

Background

The song was initially recorded by Percy Sledge at Rick Hall's FAME Studios at Muscle Shoals, before being re-recorded at the nearby Norala Studios owned by Quin Ivy.^[3] The sidemen for the recording included Spooner Oldham, Farfisa organ; Marlin Greene, guitar; Albert "Junior" Lowe, double bass and Roger Hawkins, drums. Andrew Wright and Calvin Lewis did not play on the record. Rick Hall arranged a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, but Jerry Wexler asked that the song be re-recorded because the horns were out of tune. According to musician David 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."^[3]

Reception

Released by Atlantic Records in April 1966, Sledge's recording reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts,^[4] becoming the first number 1 hit recorded in Muscle Shoals. It is also one of seven number 1 hits to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100. The single was also a top ten hit in the UK reaching number four on its initial release and ultimately peaking at number two in 1987 on the UK Singles Chart after it was featured in a Levi's Jeans commercial. The Percy Sledge version is listed 53rd in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Writing dispute

The precise authorship of the song has been disputed. Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright were members of the Esquires, a band in Sheffield, 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 afterwards auditioned the song for local businessman and radio DJ Quin Ivy. He liked the song, but suggested that some of the words be changed to give a more positive message. Wright said that "we kept some of the phrases, worked on it for several weeks, and spent quite a bit of time in the studio.”^[5]

Although the writing of the song is credited to Lewis and Wright, Sledge later claimed 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 claimed that he allowed Lewis and Wright to take the writing credits because they gave him the opportunity "to sing his heart out".^[3]

In another interview, Sledge said:^[6]

"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."

Michael Bolton version

Background

"When a Man Loves a Woman" was covered by singer Michael Bolton in 1991 for his album Time, Love & Tenderness. His version of the song reached number one on the U.S. pop and adult contemporary singles charts. Bolton also received a Grammy Award for this song. This version has the distinction of being the last number one song to chart on the old Billboard Hot 100 charting system which relied on sales and airplay reports before switching over to Soundscan.

Chart performance

Chart (1992)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7]	1

Other versions

• A version of the song with revised lyrics, "When a Woman Loves a Man", was recorded by Esther Phillips in late 1966 and reached number 73 on the Hot 100 and number 26 on the R&B chart.^[8]
• The Spencer Davis Group recorded a version on their 1966 UK album Autumn '66 (Fontana TL5359).
• American singer and actress Bette Midler recorded the song in 1979 for the film The Rose. Her version of the single was released in 1980 and reached number 35 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• Three separate country music covers have made the Hot Country Songs charts: John Wesley Ryles (number 72 in 1976),^[9] Jack Grayson and Blackjack (number 18 in 1981)^[10] and Narvel Felts (number 60 in 1987).^[11]
• Pacific Gas & Electric recorded a version on their 1970 album Are You Ready?^[12]
• Singer-songwriter and ex-Guess Who front man Burton Cummings recorded the song for his 1978 release Dream of a Child.
• Former Birtha bassist Rosemary Butler recorded her version for the 1983 debut album Rose.
• Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes released a live version as a single from his 1988 album Barnestorming that was a number 3 hit in Australia.
• In 1996, Kenny Rogers recorded the song for his album, Vote For Love. Barbara Mandrell recorded a country version of the song that same year.
• The song has also been recorded by Jerry Butler, Floyd Cramer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Art Garfunkel, Luba, and Karen Dalton.

References

1. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 52 – The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 8] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. Track 3.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 533.
3. "When a Man Loves a Woman", Songfacts.com. Retrieved 14 April 2015
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 533.
5. Vernell Hackett, "Writers Pen Only One Hit: But…When A Man Loves A Woman” Is A Definite Hit", American Songwriter, September 1, 1994. Retrieved 14 April 2015
6. Randall Roberts, "Percy Sledge's 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' a great American ballad", LA Times, April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015
7. "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Retrieved 2010-07-30.
8. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 348.
9. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 367. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
10. Whitburn, p. 168
11. Whitburn, p. 143
12. Pacific Gas & Electric, Are You Ready? Retrieved January 10, 2016

External links

• Percy Sledge article on The Standard Report
• "When a Man Loves a Woman" in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics