Need Your Love So Bad

"Need Your Love So Bad"
Single by Little Willie John
B-side	"Home at Last"
Released	1955
Genre	Blues
Length	4:30
Label	King
Writer(s)	Mertis John Jr.

"Need Your Love So Bad" sometimes known as "I Need Your Love So Bad", is a blues song first published in 1955 and written by Mertis John Jr.

The first recording of the song was by Mertis John's younger brother Little Willie John^[1][2][3] and was released by King Records^[2]. Willie John's single achieved #5 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1956^[4] and the B-side "Home at Last" reached #6 in the same chart.^[4]

Fleetwood Mac released a cover of this song as single,^[2] which reached #31 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1968.^[5] Other artists who have released cover versions of the song include, Whitesnake, Gary Moore (on his tribute album, Blues For Greeny), Irma Thomas, Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Lee, Bonnie Tyler, Eva Cassidy, Deborah Bonham, Sting, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, Pee Wee Crayton, and Robert Palmer.

The songwriting credit has often been incorrectly attributed to Little Willie John.^[6] An example of this is the 1969 Fleetwood Mac album The Pious Bird of Good Omen, on which the original label gave the credit to Little Willie John.^[7] The performing rights organisation BMI credit the song to both John brothers.^[8]

Little Willie John's version of the song was used in the soundtrack to the film Wonder Boys in 2000.^[9] The song has also appeared on various compilation albums, such as The Very Best of Little Willie John, released in 2001 by Collectables Records as a CD.^[10]

References

1. ^ "Little Willie John, Need Your Love So Bad by Mertis John". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/song/t7243401. Retrieved 2020-20-03. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Little Willie John by Richard Tapp". acerecords.co.uk. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?page_id=59&release=788. Retrieved 2010-20-03. 
3. ^ "Soul Greats, Marble John". supersoulsisters.com. http://supersoulsisters.blogspot.com/2009/02/mable-john-stay-out-of-kitchen-1993.html. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 228. 
5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 205. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
6. ^ "Song search esults for Need Your Love So Bad". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:3018013~2~T000. Retrieved 2010-20-03. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Rsindex.pictures-hosting.com "Fleetwood Mac, Pious Bird of Good Omen , image of disc label". pictures-hosting.com. http://rsindex.pictures-hosting.com/2009-12-03/000fd153_medium.jpeg Rsindex.pictures-hosting.com. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
8. ^ "Entry for Need Your Love So Bad, BMI". repertoire.bmi.com. http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=1052543&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID. 
9. ^ "The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Wonder Boys". Afi.com. http://www.afi.com/tvevents/afi2000/catalog/wonderboys.asp. Retrieved March 19, 2010. 
10. ^ "The Very Best of Little Willie John". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r556696. Retrieved 2010-20-03.