The great Percy Sledge record “When a Man Loves a Woman” was released 49 years ago on Thursday. Credited to songwriters Andrew Wright and Calvin Lewis, it was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Ala., and featured some of the era’s great R&B instrumentalists.
It was the only song the two ever wrote together, though Sledge long insisted he played a crucial role in its creation. Credit issues aside, the voice of Percy Sledge, who died Tuesday, owned the song, and made it one of the most resonant ballads of the past half century.
Released on April 16, 1966, the song hit No. 1 and nearly 50 years later its emotion is just as powerful. A baby boomer classic, “When a Man Loves a Woman” was further embedded in American culture through its use in the 1983 film “The Big Chill.” The recording also opens the film “The Crying Game,” and is the title of an Al Franken co-penned romantic comedy.
A ballad about a devotion bordering on obsession, the song features Sledge embodying a soul who’s desperate, lost and so bent pleasing his woman that he’s willing to turn his back on his friends, spend all his money on her, “give up all his comforts and sleep out in the rain.” As he sings, Sledge phrases the lines with both passion and futility, embodying those emotions with every syllable. It was Sledge’s biggest hit, and the song for which he will be remembered.
“When a Man Loves a Woman” was written in early 1966, Wright recalled to American Songwriter magazine in 1994. “We were set to play a Friday night dance, and we were practicing,” said Wright. “I was messing around on the organ when this riff came up out of nowhere. There was no one in the club but us. I told Calvin to go home and write some words.” He did, and over the next few weeks the song evolved after an Alabama radio DJ, Quin Ivy, suggested a few tweaks.
“He called me and said, ‘Do you mind if we change some of the lyrics,’” Lewis told American Songwriter in the same interview. “He wanted to diminish the negative … make it more of a love story in the bridge … and call it ‘When A Man Loves A Woman.’”
Sledge put himself at the center of the creation story during an AOL/Spinner interview in 2010. “When I wrote the song at first, it was called ‘Why Did You Leave Me Baby.’ And I changed it from that to ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’ I just reversed it. Quin told me that if I was to write some lyrics around that melody and the expression I’d put into ‘Why Did You Leave Me Baby,’ he believed it would’ve been a hit record.
“He was one of the top disc jockeys at that time. Sure enough, he asked me if I had any lyrics for that. He said, “That’s it! Write a story around that title! What a song that would be with that feeling you had!’ It was a song that was meant to be. It wasn’t just what I had done; it was the musicians, the producer, the background singers, the right time,” Sledge continued. Despite his ownership claim, however, Wright and Lewis are credited as sole writers of the song.
Sledge was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. In his acceptance speech, he recalled the first time he realized he had a voice. Sledge said he was “10 years old, singing my songs in the fields, picking, chopping cotton, and my boss man tells me one day, ‘Perc, that voice that your using right now coming out of your throat, the whole world is going to hear one day.’”
Little did the boss man know how right he was.
Follow Randall Roberts on Twitter: @liledit
Categories: MUSICStories
Percy Sledge’s song “When a Man Loves a Woman had a completely different title and meaning when it started. Sledge recalled in 2010: “When I wrote the song at first, it was called ‘Why Did You Leave Me Baby.’ And I changed it from that to ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’ I just reversed it. Quin told me that if I was to write some lyrics around that melody and the expression I’d put into ‘Why Did You Leave Me Baby,’ he believed it would’ve been a hit record. He was one of the top disc jockeys at that time. Sure enough, he asked me if I had any lyrics for that. He said, “That’s it! Write a story around that title! What a song that would be with that feeling you had!” It was a song that was meant to be. It wasn’t just what I had done; it was the musicians, the producer, the background singers, the right time.”
Percy Sledge says that when he originally sang this, he had in mind Lizz King, his girlfriend of three years who left him for a modeling job in Los Angeles. Said Sledge: “I didn’t have any money to go after her, so there was nothing I could do to try and get her back.”
(sourced from songfacts.com)
When a man loves a woman, Can’t keep his mind on nothin’ else, He’d change the world for the good thing he’s found. If she is bad, he can’t see it, She can do no wrong, Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down. When a man loves a woman, He’ll spend his very last dime Tryin’ to hold on to what he needs. He’d give up all his comforts And sleep out in the rain, If she said that’s the way It ought to be. Well, this man loves you, woman. I gave you everything I have, Tryin’ to hold on to your heartless love. Baby, please don’t treat me bad. When a man loves a woman, Down deep in his soul, She can bring him such misery. If she is playin’ him for a fool, He’s the last one to know. Lovin’ eyes can never see. When a man loves a woman He can do her no wrong, He can never want Some other girl. Yes,When a man loves a woman I know exactly how he feels, ‘Cause baby, baby, you’re my world
When a man loves a woman….
lyrics by azlyrics.com
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Title Performer Release date Info When a Man Loves a Woman Percy Sledge March 1966 First recording on February 17, 1966
First release When a Man Loves a Woman Joe Simon March 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Leroy Jones [US2] (Herbert Hunter) April 1966 When a Woman Loves a Man Esther Phillips May 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman The Spencer Davis Group September 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman James Brown at the Organ October 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman The Elgins October 1966 When a Woman Loves a Man Jane Morgan 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman We Five [GR] 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Thee Midniters 1966 When a Woman Loves a Man Ketty Lester 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman The Capitols 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Loulou Gordon e i Storks 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Ripple Blast Singers 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Mae West 1966 When a Man Loves a Woman Johnny Rivers September 1967 Live When a Woman Loves a Man (When a Man Loves a Woman) Jerry Butler December 1967 When a Man Loves a Woman Die Firestone-Band 1967 When a Man Loves a Woman Z.Z. Hill 1967 When a Man Loves a Woman The Love Depression May 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman D'Swooners November 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman Mystics [HK] 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman Mercia Love 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman Isabel Bond 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman Maxine Brown 1968 When a Man Loves a Woman Lou Rawls June 1969 When a Man Loves a Woman Darrell Banks 1969 When a Man Loves a Woman Pacific Gas and Electric June 1970 When a Man Loves a Woman Neville Whitmill 1970 When a Man Loves a Woman The Now Generation [US] 1970 When a Man Loves a Woman Glenn Walker & The Nashville Country Singers 1970 When a Man Loves a Woman Karen Dalton 1971 When a Man Loves a Woman Laura Lee June 1972 When a Man Loves a Woman Reuben Howell April 1973 When a Man Loves a Woman Jerry Lee Lewis October 31, 1973 When a Man Loves a Woman Rita Hovink October 1973 When a Woman Loves a Man Jane Harvey, John Bunch, Billy Goodwin, Don Elliot, Bucky Pizzarelli, Doc Cheatham, Richard Davis 1974 When a Man Loves a Woman New Jordal Swingers 1974 When a Man Loves a Woman Tommy McLain 1975 When a Man Loves a Woman Roger Troy 1976 God Blessed Our Love - When a Man Loves a Woman - That's How Strong My Love Is O.V. Wright June 1977 Medley When a Man Loves a Woman Harry Hippy 1977 When a Man Loves a Woman John Wesley Ryles 1977 When a Man Loves a Woman James & Bobby Purify 1977 When a Man Loves a Woman Alexander [SE] 1977 When a Man Loves a Woman Dobie Gray 1977 When a Man Loves a Woman Phil Manning (Phil Manning) 1977 Unverified When a Man Loves a Woman Rare Earth 1978 When a Man Loves a Woman Second Life 1978 When a Man Loves a Woman Burton Cummings 1978 When a Man Loves a Woman Leon Russell 1978 When a Man Loves a Woman Bette Midler 1979 Live When a Man Loves a Woman Masaki Ueda 1979 When a Man Loves a Woman United Singers 1980 When a Man Loves a Woman Dean Conn 1980 When a Man Loves a Woman Arlen Roth 1980 When a Man Loves a Woman Natalie Cole July 18, 1981 When a Man Loves a Woman Jack Grayson and Blackjack 1981 When a Man Loves a Woman Justine Johns 1983 When a Man Loves a Woman Silver Condor 1983 When a Man Loves a Woman Demis Roussos 1984 When a Man Loves a Woman Solomon Burke 1986 When a Man Loves a Woman Johnny "C" 1986 When a Man Loves a Woman Mikael Rickfors 1986 When a Man Loves a Woman Roly Daniels 1987 When a Man Loves a Woman Freddie Roy 1987 When a Man Loves a Woman Art Garfunkel 1988 When a Man Loves a Woman Jimmy Barnes 1988 When a Man Loves a Woman Wentus Blues Band 1989 When a Man Loves a Woman John Berry 1990 When a Man Loves a Woman Just 4 Fun 1990 When a Man Loves a Woman Loa Falkman 1990 When a Man Loves a Woman Michael Bolton April 23, 1991 When a Man Loves a Woman Barbara Mandrell September 24, 1991 When a Man Loves a Woman Ronnie McDowell January 1992 When a Man Loves a Woman Karin Bloemen 1994 When a Man Loves a Woman Flash Cadillac 1994 When a Man Loves a Woman The Dakotas 1995 When a Man Loves a Woman Andy Timmons - Pawn Kings 1995 When a Man Loves a Woman Kenny Rogers 1996 When a Man Loves a Woman Bernard Purdie 1996 When a Man Loves a Woman John Cowan 1997 When a Man Loves a Woman Finn Nørbygård 1997 When a Man Loves a Woman The BB Band 1999 When a Man Loves a Woman Flemming Bamse Jørgensen 1999 When a Man Loves a Woman Rita Ellis Hammer 1999 When a Man Loves a Woman Ivan Pedersen + Singers & RadioUnderholdningsOrkestret 1999 When a Man Loves a Woman Gregorian 1999 When a Man Loves a Woman Shirley Brown September 26, 2000 When a Man Loves a Woman Lee Towers October 2000 When a Man Loves a Woman E.G. Kight April 1, 2002 When a Man Loves a Woman David Bisbal 2002 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman The Flames [DK] 2002 Released more than 10 years after its recording When a Man Loves a Woman Helmut Lotti September 22, 2003 When a Man Loves a Woman Jan Nielsen 2003 When a Man Loves a Woman Kashief Lindo 2004 When a Man Loves a Woman Cotton Club Singers 2004 When a Man Loves a Woman Andy Abraham March 13, 2006 When a Man Loves a Woman Aaron Neville September 19, 2006 When a Man Loves a Woman Tino Tomas 2006 When a Man Loves a Woman Rúzsa Magdolna 2006 When a Man Loves a Woman Avid All Stars August 7, 2007 When a Man Loves a Woman Renée Geyer September 29, 2007 When a Man Loves a Woman Alexander O'Neal February 4, 2008 When a Man Loves a Woman The MacDonald Bros February 2008 When a Man Loves a Woman Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. October 14, 2008 When a Man Loves a Woman The Studio Sound Ensemble December 2, 2008 When a Man Loves a Woman Tahta Menezes November 11, 2009 When a Man Loves a Woman The Rounder Girls August 26, 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman The Tribute Co. September 14, 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman David Clayton-Thomas October 5, 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman The Soldiers October 25, 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman Alessandro Casillo November 17, 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman BJ Blue with Brittany Allyn 2010 When a Man Loves a Woman / It's a Man's Man's Man's World Michael Bolton / Seal March 1, 2011 Live
Medley When a Man Loves a Woman Stefano Langone April 6, 2011 When a Man Loves a Woman Tim Halperin September 27, 2011 When a Man Loves a Woman Joshua Ledet March 15, 2012 When a Man Loves a Woman Patrick Adams (Open Records Studio Artists) July 20, 2012 When a Man Loves a Woman Trevin Hunte November 12, 2012 When a Man Loves a Woman Matthew Schuler December 2, 2013 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman The LaRaDos December 31, 2013 When a Man Loves a Woman Leslie West 2013 When a Man Loves a Woman The Contours June 30, 2014 Released more than 10 years after its recording When a Man Loves a Woman David Clooney August 8, 2014 When a Man Loves a Woman Renee de Ruijter August 30, 2014 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman Odd René Andersen 2014 When a Man Loves a Woman Hugh Maynard March 2, 2015 When a Man Loves a Woman Meghan Linsey May 19, 2015 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman Ms Murphy August 28, 2015 Live When a Man Loves a Woman Andy Fairweather Low and The Low Riders 2015 When a Man Loves a Woman Hurricane Ruth 2015 When a Man Loves a Woman Hannah Huston May 24, 2016 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman Jillian Edwards November 18, 2016 When a Man Loves a Woman Chris Blue May 23, 2017 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman Straight No Chaser November 2, 2018 A cappella When a Man Loves a Woman J. R. Richards November 10, 2018 When a Man Loves a Woman Rod Stokes May 6, 2019 Version from TV talent show When a Man Loves a Woman Home Free February 12, 2021 A cappella
When a Man Loves a Woman Michael Stephenson & The Alexander Claffy Trio September 10, 2021
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Bud Shank, Orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson | August 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Floyd Cramer | August 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Billy Larkin & The Delegates | August 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | John Schroeder and Orchestra | November 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Soulful Strings | 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Harold Betters | 1966 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Raymond Lefèvre et son grand orchestre | 1966 | Unverified | |
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Willie Mitchell | February 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Wes Montgomery | September 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | King Curtis & The Kingpins | November 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Eddie Harris | 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Total Eclipse | 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Ace Cannon | 1967 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Shirley Scott | 1968 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Le grand orchestre de Paul Mauriat | 1968 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Will Horwell | 1968 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Pat Riccio | 1968 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Louis Van Dyke Trio | 1968 | ||
i | Good to Me - When a Man Loves a Woman | Paul Nero Sounds | 1968 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Yusef Lateef | November 1970 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Baker St. Philharmonic | 1970 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | StereoAction Orchestra | 1971 | ||
i | Profile (Medley of the Following Songs): When A Man Loves A Woman / I Never Loved A Man / Kentucky … | Spooner Oldham | 1972 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Takashi Mizuhashi Quartet | 1974 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Pete Tex | 1975 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman / Tu t'en vas | Orchester Anthony Ventura | 1976 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Richard Clayderman | 1980 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Gino Marinello Orchestra | 1982 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Blonker | 1983 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Hank Crawford | 1984 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman - Oleo | Yoshiaki Miyanoue | 1985 | ||
i | When A Man Loves A Woman | Richard Elliot | 1989 | Unverified | |
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Alan Baker | 1991 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Louis van Dijk & The London Studio Orchestra | 1993 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | James Galway | September 13, 1994 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | James Last & Richard Clayderman | 1994 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Paul Brooks | 1996 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Blowing Free | 1996 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Grant Green Jr. | 1998 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Danny Wright | March 9, 1999 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Jack Jezzro & Sam Levine | 2000 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Milton Guedes | 2000 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Bennie Wallace | March 26, 2002 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Yoshiaki Miyanoue, Mamoru Inagaki | June 2003 | Live | |
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Akiko Tsuruga | May 19, 2004 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Yvonne de Paris | June 2007 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Cyril Courbay, The Dreamsound Orchestra | August 5, 2008 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Sam Levine | August 2008 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | United Guitar Players | August 2011 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Jean Le Fort | March 7, 2013 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Ralf Willing & His Multisound-Orchestra | August 1, 2013 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Manu Dibango | October 21, 2013 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Steve Wingfield Band | 2013 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Pindakaas Saxophone Quartet | 2014 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Russell Malone | March 2016 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | Uriel | August 1, 2018 | ||
i | When a Man Loves a Woman | The Cat and Owl | April 17, 2020 |
Jen já vím | Karel Gott | 1998 | First release |
Quando ami una donna | Nello Villa | 2006 |