When Will I Be Loved (song)

"When Will I Be Loved" is a classic popular song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who had a US top-ten hit with it in 1960. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1975, and her version was an even bigger hit in the US, peaking at No. 2.

"When Will I Be Loved"
Single by The Everly Brothers
from the album The Fabulous Style of The Everly Brothers
B-side"Be-Bop-A-Lula"
ReleasedMay 1960
FormatVinyl, 7", 45 RPM
RecordedFebruary 18, 1960
GenreCountry
Length2:26
LabelCadence
Songwriter(s)Phil Everly
Producer(s)Wesley Rose
The Everly Brothers singles chronology
"Cathy's Clown"
(1960)		 "When Will I Be Loved"
(1960)		 "So Sad"
(1960)

The Everly Brothers version

Background

The Everly Brothers scored a number 8 hit single with "When Will I Be Loved" in the summer of 1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track had been recorded in 1960 while the duo were contracted to Cadence Records; by 1960 they had moved to Warner Brothers and recording in a more mainstream pop/rock style than previously. The belated release by Cadence of "When Will I Be Loved" provided the Everly Brothers with a final rockabilly-style hit.[1]

Personnel

The session, produced by Archie Bleyer, took place on February 18, 1960, at the RCA Studio in Nashville. Those present at the session included:

Chart performance

Linda Ronstadt version
"When Will I Be Loved"
Single by Linda Ronstadt
from the album Heart Like a Wheel
B-side"It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
ReleasedMarch 25, 1975
FormatVinyl, 7", 45 RPM
GenreCountry rock, soft rock[4]
Length2:04
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Phil Everly
Producer(s)Peter Asher
Linda Ronstadt singles chronology
"You're No Good"
(1974)		 "When Will I Be Loved"
(1975)		 "Heat Wave"
(1975)

Background

The song had its highest profile when Linda Ronstadt covered it on her album Heart Like A Wheel. This version rearranges the verses of the Everly Brothers original, transposing the first and fourth verses. Capitol Records was reportedly unsure whether to release "When Will I Be Loved" or "You're No Good" as the lead 45 off of Heart Like a Wheel, finally deciding to issue "You're No Good" as the premier single.[5] "When Will I Be Loved" was issued as the second single in March 1975.

The song hit number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year, as well as number 1 in Cash Box;[1] only the chart dominance of the year's biggest hit, "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille, prevented Ronstadt from having consecutive number 1 hit singles on the Hot 100.[6] Billboard did afford a number 1 ranking to "When Will I Be Loved" on its C&W chart.[7] The song has sold 268,000 copies in the United States since becoming available for digital download as of January 2020.[8]

As Ronstadt's "When Will I Be Loved" descended the charts, its B-side, a remake of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", garnered enough airplay to chart at number 47 Pop, number 20 Adult Contemporary, and number 54 Country.[1]

Charts

Other versions
  • Manfred Mann included a version of the song on their number-one EP in 1966.
  • John Denver recorded a cover of the album on his 1966 album John Denver Sings. However, the album was not released to the general public until 2011.
  • In 1967, Johnny Young & Kompany reached No. 3 in Australia with "When Will I Be Loved" charted in tandem with its flip "Kiss Me Now".
  • Sandy Denny recorded a version of the song with Linda Thompson on the rock n' roll covers album Rock On with The Bunch in 1972. The track was also released as a single that same year.
  • Tanya Tucker recorded "When Will I Be Loved" for her 1975 album Tanya Tucker; the track features a harmony vocal by the song's composer, Phil Everly.
  • Slik has taken this song on their album Slik in 1976.
  • Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds released a version of the song on their 1980 EP, Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing The Everly Brothers.[13]
  • The 1985 Magnum, P.I. episode "Let Me Hear the Music" features a live performance of "When Will I Be Loved" by Amanda McBroom[14] while the "Jami McFame" episode of According to Jim (2008) features Jamison Belushi - daughter of series star James Belushi - performing the song.
  • Dolly Parton has performed the song live on numerous occasions, including on her 1987-88 TV series Dolly.
  • In the movie Cocktail (1988), Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue dance and sing along to the jukebox which is playing "When Will I Be Loved".
  • Ria performed the song in the movie When Will I Be Loved (2004).
  • Carrie Underwood performed the song on American Idol in 2005.
  • John Fogerty remade "When Will I Be Loved" for his 2009 album The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again; the track is performed as a duet with Bruce Springsteen.[15]
  • The Chapin Sisters remade "When Will I Be Loved" for their 2013 album release A Date with the Everly Brothers.
  • Versions of "When Will I Be Loved" have also been recorded by Rosemary Clooney, John Denver, The Little River Band, Gram Parsons, Sandy Posey, Ricochet, and Rockpile. Vince Gill recorded the song for the soundtrack of the 1994 movie 8 Seconds.
  • Martina McBride sang the song on the ACM Girls Night Out Broadcast, April 22, 2011.
  • In 2012, The Rifles recorded an acoustic cover for their album Acoustic 2
  • In 2014, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Miranda Lambert performed the song at the Grammy Awards as a tribute to the song's writer who had died in January 2014.

References
  1. Poore, Billy (1998). Rockabilly: a forty-year journey. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Publishing. p. 170. ISBN 0-7935-9142-2.
  2. "SINGLES DISCOGRAPHY". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. "Top 100 Hits of 1960/Top 100 Songs of 1960". Musicoutfitters.com.
  4. Knowles, Christopher (1 October 2010). "The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll". Simon and Schuster – via Google Books.
  5. The New York Times, 19 November 1974, p.32
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 540.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2008). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944b2008,. Record Research. p. 300.
  8. Bjorke, Matt (January 7, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Songs Chart: January 7, 2020". Rough Stock. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  9. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  11. "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com.
  12. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1975". Tropicalglen.com.
  13. "Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing The Everly Brothers". Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  14. "Episode Music & Scores". Magnum Mania!. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  15. "News". John Fogerty. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
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