When a Man Loves a Woman (song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQh112HQsoE&feature=related *Percy Sledge 演唱 April 16, 1966
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2_GQlwxbI&feature=related *Michael Bolton演唱 1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sgTkpTWFAw&feature=related *Michael Bolton & Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman Liv 2007.12.13
http://www.rollingstone.com/music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_a_Man_Loves_a_Woman_(song)
from the album When a Man Loves a Woman
Released April 16, 1966
Format 12" vinyl
Recorded February 17, 1966 in Sheffield, Alabama
Genre R&B, Soul
Length 2:51
Label Atlantic
Writer(s) Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright
Producer Marlin Greene, Quin Ivy
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Percy Sledge singles chronology
"Warm And Tender Love"
(1966) "When a Man Loves a Woman"
(1966) "Baby, Help Me"
(1967)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. [1]. It was listed 54th in the List of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time. The sidemen for this recording included Spooner Oldham, organ; Marlin Greene, guitar; Albert "Junior" Lowe, bass and Roger Hawkins, drums. The song is credited to Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, who played bass and keyboards with Sledge. However, the song was in fact written by Percy Sledge himself, but he gave it to Lewis and Wright.[2]
Before the recording session, the song had no title or lyrics. The session proceeded with the expectation that Sledge would produce them for the vocal takes. When it came time to record the vocals, Sledge improvised the lyrics with minimal pre-planning. Using the melody as a guide for rhythm and phrasing. The performance was so convincing that others working on the session assumed Sledge had the lyrics written down.
It was later covered by Michael Bolton in 1991, whose version also reached number one on the U.S. pop and adult contemporary singles charts (Bolton also received a Grammy Award for this song). Barbara Mandrell recorded a Country version of the song that same year. The song has also been recorded by Jerry Butler, Art Garfunkel and Luba.
Sledge's version was also a top ten hit in the UK peaking at number four on its initial release and peaking at number two in 1987 after it was featured in a Levi's Jeans commercial. The song makes use of a commonly used descending bass line chord progression as in Bach's "Air on a G String".
When a man loves a woman
Can't keep his mind on nothing else
He'll trade the world
For the good thing he's found
If she's 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
Spend his very last dime
Tryin' to hold on to what he needs
He'd give up all his comfort
Sleep out in the rain
If she said that's the way it ought to be
Well, this man loves a woman
I gave you everything I had
Tryin' to hold on to your precious 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 plays him for a fool
He's the last one to know
Lovin' eyes can't ever see
When a man loves a woman
He can do no wrong
He can never own some other girl
Yes when a man loves a woman
I know exactly how he feels
'Cause baby, baby, baby, you're my world
When a man loves a woman.....