(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Leo Sayer - "When I Need You"
Hit Number 1: May 14, 1977
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Albert Hammond was deep in his feels one day. He had been away from his lover for a few days, and it was starting to get to him. For those who may not know who Hammond is, he's a well-established songwriter, who appears to have written several hit singles for many artists. (Hammond only had one song he wrote for himself that became a big hit. That was "It Never Rains in Southern California," which made it to #5 in 1972. It's a 6) So what's one thing songwriters like Hammond do when they're alone and missing their lover? They write songs about love of course. Hammond took his experience a step further though when he wrote "When I Need You."
"When I Need You" is a song about Hammond's own experiences being away from his lover. But even though he's out on the road, presumably touring and what not, he knows if he can just "close his eyes," he's with her. If he holds out his hand, he touches love etc. The song is filled of overly saccharine lyrics, which makes me think Hammond was really feeling it one night, perhaps had a bit too much to drink, and wrote this. That's my own speculation of course, but it can't be that far-fetched, right? Anyway, Hammond did include this song on his album of the same name, but either it was never released as a single, or it was an epic flop on the charts. It took an English goof by the name of Leo Sayer to propel the song to the top of the charts.
If you remember way back when I was still consistently writing these posts (I've finally found a system to where I can be consistent again by the way, so that's pretty great, right?) Sayer has appeared in this series once before. He hit #1 earlier in 1977 with "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" a song that is nothing like "When I Need You." Sayer showcased his fun personality on that song, though the falsetto became a bit too much for me halfway through it. "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" fit right into the disco era, obviously with a song title like that. But then there's "When I Need You." This song sounds like something that may have come out around 1973, rather than 1977, right in the heart of the disco era. (Yes, those four years make a huge difference) Despite that, the song soared to #1.
Hammond did not write "When I Need You" all by himself. He wrote the song with Carole Bayer Sager, who also helped write hit songs for English bands such as Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders and the Hollies. Sayer was a big fan of both Hammond and Sager's work, so one day when he, too, was away from his wife, he happened to put on Hammond's version of "When I Need You." Sayer said his wife was away in England, and the words in the song were the words he wanted to say to her on the phone. So just like Hammond, he recorded the song as a way to, I guess, honor his lover when she's away from him.
Like I said earlier, the lyrics are definitely saccharine, and kind of corny at times. I'm talking specifically about lines such as "When I need love/I hold out my hands and I touch love." However, even I, a known mocker of silly, cheesy lyrics, can respect the idea of what Hammond was going for here. Being away, I mean potentially countries away, from the one you love can be hard, and you're looking for any possible way to feel like you are right back at home again, with that person. Don't get me wrong, it's still cheesy. But it's tolerable cheese. I respect it.
Sayer shows too that he doesn't have to use a crazy falsetto to show off his vocal range. There are some big notes he reaches for in "When I Need You," and it's, I can't even lie, impressive. Truthfully, Sayer is what makes the song. You of course have some soft instrumentation behind Sayer, which supports his lead vocal, but it's never there to steal the show. It's all Sayer here, and I think it's a way for Sayer to truly relay to us about how desperately he misses his wife when he's out on the road. I can't really knock that.
Of course, there isn't too much special here either. "When I Need You" is not something that's going to give you chills, nor is it something that will stick with you for a particularly long time. But, it's harmless, decent soft rock, which is sort of a precursor to what would start to become popular in the early '80s when the disco fever died down. We'll of course get to that when we get to it, but we've got a few more disco #1 hits to get through first. Consider "When I Need You" to be a sneak preview of what's to come. It can be worse.
GRADE: 6/10
IN POP CULTURE:
Even after Sayer, "When I Need You" proceeded to be covered many more times. Here's one of those covers, this one from Celine Dion:
(To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Celine Dion will eventually appear in this series)
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