Love the One You're With

"Love the One You're With"
Single by Stephen Stills
from the album Stephen Stills
B-side	"To a Flame"
Released	November 1970
Format	7-inch single
Genre	Folk rock
Length	3:03
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Stills
Producer(s)	Stephen Stills Bill Halverson
Stephen Stills singles chronology
"Love the One You're With" (1970) "Sit Yourself Down" (1971)
"Love the One You're With" (1970) "Sit Yourself Down" (1971)

"Love the One You're With" is a song by folk rocker Stephen Stills. It was released as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album in November 1970. The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Billy Preston, became his biggest hit single, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1971.^[1] David Crosby and Graham Nash, Stills' fellow members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, provide background vocals on the song. The song was also covered by a number of artists, including Aretha Franklin, The Isley Brothers, Bucks Fizz, and Luther Vandross.

Background

Stills wrote the song after being inspired by the tag line — "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" which was a frequent remark by musician Billy Preston. Stills asked him for permission to use the line in a song and Preston agreed immediately.

A live version by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young appears on their album 4 Way Street. A solo version by Stills appears on the Crosby, Stills and Nash CD Demos.

Chart history

Personnel

• Stephen Stills: lead vocals, guitar, organ, steel drum, percussion
• Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels: bass
• Jeff Whittaker: congas
• Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Jones, John Sebastian, David Crosby, Graham Nash: background vocals

Isley Brothers version

Several acts have since covered the song. The most notable cover came in 1971 from The Isley Brothers, whose unique gospel-driven cover of the song sent it to the charts again reaching number three R&B and number eighteen pop, giving the group their fifth US top 40 pop single.^[7]

Bucks Fizz version

"Love the One You're With"
Single by Bucks Fizz
from the album Writing on the Wall
B-side	"Too Hard"
Released	20 August 1986
Format	7-inch single, 12-inch single
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:19
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Stills
Producer(s)	Andy Hill
Bucks Fizz singles chronology
"New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (1986) "Love the One You're With" (1986) "Keep Each Other Warm" (1986)
"New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" (1986) "Love the One You're With" (1986) "Keep Each Other Warm" (1986)

UK pop group Bucks Fizz covered the song as their eighteenth single in 1986. The single, released in August, was the follow-up to the group's comeback top ten hit "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" and was seen as a make or break release. Ultimately the song peaked at a low No.47 in the UK Singles Chart during a three-week run.^[8] In a review, music magazine Number One said that the song lacked bass and sounded rather "tinny" but predicted that it would be a hit.^[9] Member Mike Nolan puts the song's failure down to the decision to showcase other male member Bobby G as the lead singer. Their previous single had featured all the group equally and was a hit, while earlier flops had featured G on lead and this was a return to that format.^[10] A promotional video for the song was filmed featuring the group performing the song in a blue-toned studio accompanied by backing musicians.^[11] The single was released on 7" and 12" on Polydor Records with an extended mix on the latter, the B-side was a Bobby G composition, "Too Hard".^[12] Also included on the 12" was an extended mix of earlier single "I Hear Talk". A second 12" single was released featuring a dance edit of "Love the One You're With", backed by another alternate mix of "I Hear Talk".^[13] "Love the One You're With" was included on the group's fifth studio album Writing on the Wall released at the end of the year. It has subsequently been included on re-issues of the album in alternate mixes.

Chantoozies version

"Love the One You're With"
Single by Chantoozies
from the album Gild the Lily
Released	February 1991
Format	CD Single, 7", 12"
Recorded	Metropolis Audio and Gotham Audio
Genre	Pop music
Label	Mushroom Records
Songwriter(s)	Stephen Stills
Producer(s)	Ross Inglis, Doug Brady
Chantoozies singles chronology
"Walk On" (1990) "Love the One You're With" (1991) "I'll Be There" (1991)
"Walk On" (1990) "Love the One You're With" (1995) "I'll Be There" (1991)

Australian group, Chantoozies released a version in February 1991. The song was the second single from the group's second studio album Gild the Lily. The song peaked at number 21 on the Australian charts.^[14]

Luther Vandross version

Luther Vandross released a cover of the song on his 1994 album Songs. It peaked in the top 30 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles, 33 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks; and earned Vandross a 1995 Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.^[16]

Other versions

• The Free Movement released a version of the song as a single in 1972.^[20] It was featured on their album, I've Found Someone of My Own.
• Bob Seger covered the song on his 1972 album, Smokin' O.P.'s.
• Mark Williams covered the song on his 1975 album, Mark Williams.
• Marina Prior recorded the song for her 2012 album Both Sides Now.
• Phyllis Dillon
• Gino Soccio covered the song in 1988 and reached #79 in Canada
• Sherbet recorded the song on the 1972 album Time Change... A Natural Progression

In culture

In 2012, the song was featured in Ridley Scott's sci-fi movie Prometheus. Idris Elba sings a short phrase from the song after describing a possibly fictional account of how his squeezebox used to belong to Stills.^[21]

Notes

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics