Who Can I Turn To?
"Who Can I Turn To?" (alternatively titled "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)") is a song written by English lyricists Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and first published in 1964.
| Who Can I Turn To? | |
|---|---|
| When Nobody Needs Me | |
| Occasion | The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd |
| Written | Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse |
| Vocal | originally Norman Wisdom |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 3 August 1964 |
The song was introduced in the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, which struggled in the United Kingdom in 1964 and then made a tour of the United States later that year. In 1964 Shirley Bassey recorded the song and released it as a single, however it failed to chart. Recorded by Tony Bennett, "Who Can I Turn To?" became a hit, reaching number 33 on the US pop singles chart and the top 5 of the Adult Contemporary chart. So fuelled, the musical arrived on Broadway for a successful run, and the song became one of Bennett's staples. He later re-recorded the song as a duet with Queen Latifah in 2011 on Duets II and with Gloria Estefan for his 2012 album, Viva Duets.[1]
Other versions
Astrud Gilberto recorded a version that was sampled in The Black Eyed Peas song "Like That" from their album Monkey Business.
American tenor Jan Peerce recorded "Who Can I Turn To?" for his 1965 album Pop Goes Peerce.
Dionne Warwick covered the song for her 1965 album, The Sensitive Sound of Dionne Warwick. Her version reached No. 62 pop and No. 34 R&B.
Wynton Marsalis covered it on his first, eponymous album (1981).
Dusty Springfield recorded the song and included it on her 1965 album Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty.
Andy Williams released a version of the song on his 1965 album, Andy Williams' Dear Heart.
Jazz pianist Bill Evans recorded the song, both with his trio and with Tony Bennett.
Nancy Wilson recorded the song on her 1965 album, Gentle Is My Love.
The Temptations recorded the song on their album In a Mellow Mood.
The Main Ingredient recorded the song for their 1972 album Bitter Sweet; the single was also the B-side of the R&B group's biggest hit "Everybody Plays the Fool".
Australian baritone Anthony Warlow recorded the song on his 1994 album Midnight Dreaming.
Van Morrison recorded the song on his 1995 album How Long Has This Been Going On.
Harry Connick, Jr. included the song on his 2009 album, Your Songs.
Mark Vincent covered the song for his 2010 album Compass
Della Reese recorded the song on her album Della Reese Live In Hollywood In 1966.
Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her 2016 album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway as a posthumous duet with original singer and co-songwriter, Anthony Newley.
Miles Davis second great quintet (sans Ron Carter with bass duties handled by Richard Davis played the song live at the Oriental Theatre in May, 1966. This is the only existing version of the song as played by the quintet and is captured on "Miles Davis Quintet - Live at the Oriental Theatre 1966," released in June, 2014.
David Whitfield included the song on the album The Return of David Whitfield (David Whitfield with Roland Shaw and his Orchestra) London Records PS477, released in 1966.[2]
References
- "Song of the Day: Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) | The Year of Tony Bennett". Bloggingtonybennett.com. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- "David Whitfield - The Return Of David Whitfield". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
