Please Send Me Someone to Love
Specialty Records
"Please Send Me Someone to Love" is a blues ballad, written and recorded by Percy Mayfield in 1950, for Art Rupe's Specialty Records. It was on the R&B chart for 27 weeks and reached the number one position; it was Mayfield's most successful song.[1]
It has been called a "multilayered universal lament".[2] Mayfield sang it in a soft ballad style. Its appeal lay in the sensitivity of its lyrics in juxtaposing an awareness of a world in conflict with a personal expression of the need for love.[3] Sung in Mayfield's gentle, suave vocal style, the lyrics were a combination of a romantic love ballad and a social message against discrimination.[4]
Johnny Diesel and the Injectors version
| "Please Send Me Someone to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnny Diesel and the Injectors | ||||
| from the album The Delinquents (soundtrack) | ||||
| Released | January 1990 | |||
| Format | 7 inch single, CD single, cassette single | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis Records | |||
| Producer(s) | Terry Manning | |||
| Johnny Diesel and the Injectors singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1989 the Australian ARIA award-winning rock band Johnny Diesel and the Injectors recorded the song for the soundtrack of the film The Delinquents. It was released as a single and peaked at number 11 on the Australian ARIA chart in 1990.[5]
Track listing
- "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (4:17)
- "Who's for Better" (3:40)
- "Thang 1" (3:15)
- Tracks 2 and 3 recorded live at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia, August 16, 1989[6]
Other versions
- In 1968, Toni Williams covered the song. It was the B side for his single "Sad, Lonely And Blue" on the Zodiac label
- In 1969, Ruth Brown covered the song for her album Black Is Brown and Brown Is Beautiful.
- In 1997, B.B. King and Mick Hucknall covered the song on the album Deuces Wild.
- In 1993, Sade released a cover of the song for the soundtrack for the movie Philadelphia.
- In 1998, Fiona Apple released a cover of the song for the soundtrack for the movie Pleasantville.
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 385.
- ↑ "West coast artists – Percy Mayfield". Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ↑ Gillett, Charlie (1996). The Rise of Rock and Roll (2nd ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. p. 146. ISBN 0-306-80683-5.
- ↑ Shaw, Arnold (1978). Honkers and Shouters. New York: Macmillan. p. 193. ISBN 0-02-061740-2.
- ↑ "Johnny Diesel & the Injectors - Please Send Me Someone to Love (Song)". www.australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ↑ "Johnny Diesel & the Injectors – Please Send Me Someone to Love". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
| Preceded by "Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere" by Joe Morris and His Orchestra featuring Laurie Tate |
Billboard Best Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues Records number-one single November 4, 1950 |
Succeeded by "Teardrops from My Eyes" by Ruth Brown |