| "Need Your Love So Bad" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Little Willie John | |
| B-side | "Home at Last" |
| Released | 1955 |
| Format | 10" 78 rpm single |
| Recorded | New York City, September, 28, 1955 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:14 |
| Label | King (Cat. no. 4841) |
| Writer(s) | Mertis John Jr. |
"Need Your Love So Bad" sometimes known as "I Need Your Love So Bad", is a blues song first published in 1955 and written by Mertis John Jr.
The first recording of the song was by Mertis John's younger brother Little Willie John[1][2][3] and was released by King Records.[2] It has been described as "A tightly wound and intense plea for love, it was quite different from the usual R&B ballad fare".[4] Willie John's single achieved #5 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1956[5] and the B-side "Home at Last" reached #6 in the same chart.[5]
Fleetwood Mac released a cover of this song as single,[2] which reached #31 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1968.[6] Other artists who have released cover versions of the song include, Whitesnake, Gary Moore (on his tribute album, Blues For Greeny), Irma Thomas, Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Lee, Bonnie Tyler, Eva Cassidy, Deborah Bonham, Sting, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, Pee Wee Crayton, and Robert Palmer.
The songwriting credit has often been incorrectly attributed to Little Willie John.[7] An example of this is the 1969 Fleetwood Mac album The Pious Bird of Good Omen, on which the original label gave the credit to Little Willie John.[8] The performing rights organisation BMI credit the song to both John brothers.[9]
Little Willie John's version of the song was used in the soundtrack to the film Wonder Boys in 2000.[10] The song has also appeared on various compilation albums, such as The Very Best of Little Willie John, released in 2001 by Collectables Records as a CD.[11]
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