Some Guys Have All the Luck

"Some Guys Have All the Luck"
Single by The Persuaders
from the album Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
B-side "Love Attack"
Released October 1973
Format 7"
Recorded 1973
Genre R&B
Length 3:29
Label Atco
Songwriter(s) Jeff Fortgang
Producer(s) LeBaron Taylor, Phil Hurtt, Tony Bell (The Young Professionals)
The Persuaders singles chronology
"Bad, Bold and Beautiful, Girl"
(1973)		 "Some Guys Have All the Luck"
(1973)		 "All Strung Out on You"
(1974)

"Bad, Bold and Beautiful, Girl"
(1973)		 "Some Guys Have All the Luck"
(1973)		 "All Strung Out on You"
(1974)

"Some Guys Have All the Luck" is a song written by Jeff Fortgang,[1] which has been a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 twice, first by The Persuaders in 1973 reaching No. 39,[2] then by Rod Stewart in 1984 where it hit No. 10 in the U.S. and No. 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The Shakers recorded it for their debut album Yankee Reggae (Elektra, 1976)[3] and released the song as promo-only 45 rpm single.

Fortgang wrote many songs during his three years in the music industry after graduating Yale in 1971. While Fortgang eventually released a solo album in 2013, titled All the Music in the World, consisting of the demos he had created in the 1970s, "Some Guys Have All the Luck" was not one of the tracks.[4]

Original Persuaders version

The single was released from The Persuaders' album, Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me. It was their last Top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 7 on the R&B chart and No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1973.

Chart history

Chart (1973-74) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 64
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 39
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 7
US Cash Box Top 100[6] 39

Rod Stewart version

"Some Guys Have All the Luck"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Camouflage
B-side "I Was Only Joking"
Released July 1984
Format
Recorded 1984
Genre
Length 4:17
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Jeff Fortgang
Producer(s) Michael Omartian
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Infatuation"
(1984)		 "Some Guys Have All the Luck"
(1984)		 "All Right Now"
(1984)

"Infatuation"
(1984)		 "Some Guys Have All the Luck"
(1984)		 "All Right Now"
(1984)

British rock singer Rod Stewart released a cover over a decade later, released as the second single from his 1984 album Camouflage. The most successful version to date, in Stewart's native country the single climbed to No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1984, while on the US Cash Box Top 100, the single peaked at No. 16 in that same month. Stewart's version incorporated a vocal refrain from "Ain't Got No Home" by Clarence "Frogman" Henry.

Chart history

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 95
Canada[8] 16
Germany[8] 58
Ireland[8] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 10
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 27
US Cash Box Top 100[12] 16

Other notable cover versions

Louise Mandrell recorded a country version of the song in 1985, altering the lyrics to the female perspective and changing the title to "Some Girls Have All the Luck". Mandrell's version peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1986. A music video was filmed for the song.

Maxi Priest recorded it on his album Maxi in 1987.[13]

Other artists who have recorded the song include Robert Palmer (UK No. 16 in 1982),[14] whose version had a significantly altered melody and lyrics, as well as a number of reggae artists, including Junior Tucker,[15] Derrick Harriott,[16] Camera Obscura, Jacob Miller,[17] Judge Dread,[18] and the Shakers. Rod Stewart began using the Palmer-style arrangement in live concerts in 2003 after Palmer's death as a tribute, with live female backup vocalists and a horn player wearing identical dresses, similar to Palmer's signature music videos. In 2017, the Canadian pop singer, Matt Forbes, covered Stewart's version with an arrangement inspired by the early 1980s yacht rock sound.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Rod Stewart | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  2. ↑ "The Persuaders". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Yankee Reggae - Shakers | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  4. ↑ Jeff Fortgang- All the Music in the World @bandcamp.com Retrieved 6-26-2015.
  5. ↑ "The Persuaders Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 29, 1973". Cash Box Magazine. December 29, 1973. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Australian Chart Books". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "Song artist 18 - Rod Stewart". Tsort.info. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Official Charts". July 28, 1984. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Rod Stewart - Chart history". October 27, 1984. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  12. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 27, 1984". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2018-02-03. Cash Box magazine.
  13. ↑ "Hit Singles: Top 20 Charts from 1954 to the Present Day" (5th ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books via Hal Leonard Corporation. 2004 [1994]. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 415/6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Junior Tucker | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  16. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Derrick Harriott | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  17. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Inner Circle,Jacob Miller | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  18. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Judge Dread | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  19. ↑ "Some Guys Have All the Luck - Matt Forbes". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
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