DUTC#57 February 18, 2024

Feature Song: “To Love Somebody”

One of the many pleasures I get from doing this “covers” blog is when I stumble upon a song from the past and find cover versions by artists that one wouldn’t normally associate with one another, let alone the original artist(s). This is certainly the case for this installment. I don’t think you can get a more diverse representation in the world of music than the Bee Gees, Janis Joplin, and Nina Simone. And yet, both of these cover versions of the song “To Love Somebody” not only do justice to it but take it to a whole other level. Both of these covers arrived merely one/two years after the original was released.

I realize that I recently featured Nina Simone and her cover of the song “Feeling Good” (DUTC#52), as well as featuring the Bee Gees (DUTC#34) and their disco anthem, “Stayin’ Alive,” but this was too good to pass up. I have also been thinking, for quite some time, to do a feature on Janis Joplin and covers of her songs, but I am still searching for ones that do justice to Joplin’s energy and voice, which is no easy task, but I haven’t given up…so stay tuned.

“To Love Somebody” is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb and produced by Robert Stigwood. It was the second single released by the Bee Gees from their international debut album, Bee Gees 1^st, in 1967. Stigwood, the band’s manager, requested Barry and Robin to write a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave, or The Rascals for Otis Redding who loved their material. They recorded the song at IBC Studios in London in April of 1967 and released it as a single in mid-June. Redding, unfortunately, died in a plane crash later that year before having a chance to record the song. Interestingly enough, the song never really did well in Britain. In an interview years later, Barry stated: “I think the reason it didn’t do well here (Britain) was because it was a soul number; Americans loved it, but it wasn’t right for this country.”

Nina Simone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, 1933-2003) was an African American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. She is the sixth of eight children born into a poor family in North Carolina. She initially aspired to be a concert pianist, and with the help of a few supporters in her hometown, she enrolled in the Julliard School of Music in New York City. She applied for a scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. However, despite a well-received audition, she was denied admission, which she attributed to racism. In 2003, just days before her death, the institute awarded her an honorary degree. The fact that it took that long tells you all you need to know. To make a living, Simone started playing piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City. It was at this time that she changed her name to “Nina Simone” to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play “the devil’s music” or so-called “cocktail piano.” The nightclubs she performed in told her that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, which effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist. She went on to record more than 40 albums between 1958 and 1974, making her debut with Little Girl Blue.

Simone’s cover of “To Love Somebody” is from her album of the same name, which was released in 1968. Her cover of the Bee Gees song became her second British hit single after “Ain’t Got No-I Got Life.” Also on this album is another Bee Gees cover of “I Can’t See Nobody.” Other covers on the album are from Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, to name a couple.

Janis Lyn Joplin (1943-1970) was an American singer and songwriter. She was, without a doubt, one of the most successful and widely known performers of her era, known for her very powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and “eclectic” stage presence, which is the polite way of saying…I think I just leave it right there. There are no shortage of stories about her “troubled” life, especially when it comes to drugs and alcohol, but her star shone very brightly for the short time she graced us with her larger-than-life presence on the stage. I, for one, was in mourning after I learned of her death in 1970, as I was a huge fan. She had performed in Montreal less than a year prior to her overdose, and I remember seeing pictures from that show showing Janet with a bottle of Southern Comfort. To this day, whenever I indulge myself with a little shot of that caramel flavored whiskey, I think of her and her music.

Joplin rose to prominence following an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967) when she was the lead singer for the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. After releasing two albums with the band, she left to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. Ya gotta love the sixties! She appeared at Woodstock (1969), as well as on the Festival Express train tour. Some of her most celebrated songs are the cover versions of “Piece of my Heart,” “Cry Baby,” “Down on Me,” “Ball and Chain,” and “Summertime.” Her original song, “Mercedes Benz,” was her final recording. She also cover a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” which posthumously reached number 1 in March 1971.

Her cover of “To Love Somebody” is from her debut solo album, Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mamm! The album was released in September 1969. It was to be her only solo album released during her lifetime, as the follow up album, Pearl, was released in January 1971.

First up the original followed by Joplin and Simone. Enjoy!

The Bee Gees. “To Love Somebody.” Album, Bee Gees 1^st 1967.

Janis Joplin. “To Love Somebody,” cover. Album, Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! 1969. Live performance, The Dick Cavett Show, July 18, 1969.

Nina Simone. “To Love Somebody,” cover. Album, To Love Somebody 1968. Live performance in Antibes, 1969.

Los Angeles 2024