Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)

"Somebody to Love"
Single by Jefferson Airplane
from the album Surrealistic Pillow
B-side "She Has Funny Cars"
Released April 1, 1967 (1967-04-01)
Format 7-inch single
Recorded November 3, 1966
Studio RCA, Hollywood, California
Genre Psychedelic rock[1]
Length 2:54
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s) Darby Slick
Producer(s) Rick Jarrard
Jefferson Airplane singles chronology
"My Best Friend"
(1966)		 "Somebody to Love"
(1967)		 "White Rabbit"
(1967)

"Somebody to Love" (originally titled "Someone to Love") is a rock song that was written by Darby Slick. It was originally recorded by The Great Society, and later by Jefferson Airplane. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jefferson Airplane's version No. 274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2]

Background

Written by The Great Society guitarist Darby Slick[2] after realizing his girlfriend had left him, and first performed by that band, which included his then-sister-in-law Grace Slick on vocals, the song made little impact outside of the club circuit in the Bay Area. The song was released in 1966 as a single with the B-side another Darby Slick composition titled "Free Advice" on the North Beach subsidiary of Autumn Records, and received minimal circulation outside of San Francisco.[3] San Francisco in the mid-'60s was the epicenter of free love, but Darby Slick saw a downside to this ethos, as it could lead to jealousy and disconnect. This song champions loyalty and monogamy, as the singer implores us to find that one true love that will nurture us and get us through the tough times.[4]

Rerecording

When Grace Slick departed to join Jefferson Airplane, she took this song with her, bringing it to the Surrealistic Pillow sessions,[2] along with her own composition "White Rabbit". Subsequently, the Airplane's more ferocious rock and roll version became the band's first and biggest success, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The group's first hit song, "Somebody To Love" was also one of the first big hits to come out of the US West Coast and San Francisco Bay area counterculture scene, which numerous artists and musicians would be drawn to over the following few years.

Slick's original performance of the song with The Great Society is more subdued, with the Jefferson Airplane version sounding far more accusatory and menacing on lines such as "Your mind is so full of red" and "Your friends, baby, they treat you like a guest."[4] The lyrics are in the second person, with each two-line verse setting a scene of alienation and despair, and the chorus repeating the title of the song, with slight variations such as: "... / Don't you need somebody to love? / Wouldn't you love somebody to love? / ..." Like the album on which it appeared, this song was instrumental in publicizing the existence of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture to the rest of the United States.

Chart history

Personnel

Other versions

References

  1. ↑ Starr, Larry (2008). Rock: A Canadian Perspective. Oxford Univ Pr. p. 175. ISBN 978-0195427615.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "500 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME". Rolling Stone.
  3. ↑ Richie Unterberger. "Darby Slick | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  4. 1 2 "Somebody To Love by Jefferson Airplane Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  5. ↑ RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967, June 17, 1967
  6. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  7. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 17, 1967
  8. ↑ RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967 Archived 2016-08-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  10. ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 23, 1967
  11. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 71. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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