"Somebody Special" | ||||
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Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
from the album Foolish Behaviour | ||||
Released | March 1981 | |||
Length | 4:28 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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"Somebody Special" is a song by British singer Rod Stewart, which was released in 1981 as the third single from his tenth studio album Foolish Behaviour (1980). The song was written by Stewart and Steve Harley (lyrics), and Phil Chen, Kevin Savigar, Jim Cregan and Gary Grainger (music). It was produced by Stewart (credited as Harry the Hook), with co-production by the Rod Stewart Group and Jeremy Andrew Johns. "Somebody Special" reached number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [1]
Steve Harley co-wrote the lyrics to "Somebody Special" with Stewart. The pair also collaborated on the lyrics for another track that appeared on Foolish Behaviour, "Gi' Me Wings", as well as a third song that did not make the album. Harley recalled to Smiler in 1997, "I was sitting around at the Sunset Marquis for three weeks writing the lyrics. I wrote nearly all [the lyrics] of 'Somebody Special', I wrote lots of that with Rod, lots of it on my own, [and] 'Gi' Me Wings'." [2]
On its release as a single, Record World commented, "Rod's jagged vocal delivery turns good lyrics into great ones, as on this successor to his top 10 'Passion'." [3] In a review of Foolish Behaviour, John Griffin of The Montreal Gazette described "Somebody Special" as "a beautiful, affirmative piece of advice for those who wonder whether true love will ever walk into their lives." [4] Bill Flanagan of The Boston Globe felt the song "could be a Commodores hit". [5] Debra Rae Cohen of Rolling Stone described the song as "a soulful duet with Susan Grindell that's nearly as powerful as the Teddy Pendergrass–Stephanie Mills collaborations". [6]
7-inch single [7]
7-inch single (US promo) [8]
Credits are adapted from the Foolish Behaviour LP sleeve notes. [9]
Somebody Special
Production
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 [10] | 71 |
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [11] | 79 |
James Cregan is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her as a record producer. He has also worked with London Quireboys, Glass Tiger, Katie Melua and formed Farm Dogs with Bernie Taupin.
"The Phantom of the Opera" is a song from the 1986 stage musical of the same name. It was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics written by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and additional lyrics by Mike Batt. The song was originally recorded by Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley, which became a UK hit single in 1986, prior to the musical. In its theatrical debut, it was sung by Brightman and Michael Crawford in their roles as Christine Daaé and the Phantom.
Foolish Behaviour is Rod Stewart's tenth studio album, released on 21 November 1980 on the Riva label in the United Kingdom and on Warner Bros. Records in both The United States and Germany. The tracks were recorded at The Record Plant Studios and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles from February to September 1980. "Passion", "My Girl", "Somebody Special", "Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight" and "Gi' Me Wings" were released as singles.
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Downtown Train is a compilation album by Rod Stewart released in March 1990 only in the United States by Warner Bros. Records.
Unplugged...and Seated is a live album released by British musician Rod Stewart on 24 May 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It is Stewart's second live album and his first appearance on MTV Unplugged. The unplugged versions of "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison, "Reason to Believe", "Having a Party", and "People Get Ready" were released as singles, with "Have I Told You Lately" and "Having a Party" reaching success as singles. A special collector's edition was released in March 2009 on Rhino Records. This two-disc package included the DVD of the performance with 13 songs while the CD contained 17 tracks including two songs not on the original 1993 release.
"Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)" (commonly known as "Tom Traubert's Blues" or "Waltzing Matilda") is a song by American musician Tom Waits.
Gary Grainger is an English rock, blues, jazz and pop songwriter and guitarist, most known for his work with Rod Stewart.
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Time is the twenty-eighth studio album by Rod Stewart, it was released on 3 May 2013 in the UK, on 7 May in the US and Canada, and on 8 May in Japan under the title "Time: Toki no Tabibito" (タイム~時の旅人~). In May 2013, Stewart released Time, a rock album of his own original material. It marked a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period of twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again. The album entered the top 10 in the US and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist, as his last studio album to reach the top spot was A Night on the Town in 1976. The album was certified platinum in the UK on 16 August 2013 and double-platinum on 29 December 2017. Overall, the album was the No. 7 best-selling album of 2013 in the UK. In the United States, the album has sold 141,000 copies as of September 2015.
Kevin Savigar is an English session keyboardist, record producer, songwriter, and composer based in Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps most recognised for his longtime collaboration with Rod Stewart, Savigar has also contributed to a wide range of recordings for artists such as Bob Dylan, George Harrison, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Marilyn Manson, Willie Nelson, Randy Newman, Sinéad O'Connor, and Peter Frampton among others.
"A Friend for Life" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released by Intrinsic Records on 30 April 2001 as a non-album single. The song was written by Harley and former Cockney Rebel guitarist Jim Cregan, and was produced by Cregan. Harley's first release of new material since his 1996 album Poetic Justice, "A Friend for Life" was later included on Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's sixth studio album The Quality of Mercy (2005).
Acoustic and Pure: Live is a live acoustic album by English songwriter and musician Steve Harley, released in 2003. The album features ex-Cockney Rebel guitarist Jim Cregan, while certain tracks also include other members of Cockney Rebel.
"Passion" is a song by Rod Stewart that first appeared in 1980 on his album Foolish Behaviour. It was the lead single and biggest hit from the album. The song was also released as a 12-inch promotional single with an extended running time of 7:30.
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"Every Beat of My Heart" is a song by British singer Rod Stewart. Written by Stewart and Kevin Savigar and produced by Bob Ezrin, the song is a sentimental ballad with lyrics about Stewart returning to the United Kingdom after a long period overseas. The song was included on Stewart's 14th studio album, Every Beat of My Heart (1986), and was released as its second single on 30 June 1986. Music critics were divided on the track, but it became a commercial hit in Europe, peaking at number two on both the UK and Irish singles charts. It was not as successful in North America, stalling outside the top 75 in the United States and Canada.
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"Gi' Me Wings" is a song by British singer Rod Stewart, which was released in 1981 as the fifth and final single from his tenth studio album Foolish Behaviour (1980). The song was written by Stewart and Steve Harley (lyrics), and Phil Chen, Kevin Savigar, Jim Cregan and Gary Grainger (music). It was produced by Stewart, with co-production by the Rod Stewart Group and Jeremy Andrew Johns. "Gi' Me Wings" was released as a single in Japan only, but also reached number 45 on the US Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart.
"Me and My Foolish Heart" is the debut single by English band Johnny Hates Jazz, released by Rak in 1986. It was written by Phil Thornalley, Calvin Hayes, Iain MacDonald and Mike Nocito, and was produced by Hayes and Nocito. The song was included on the band's 1988 debut album Turn Back the Clock as "Foolish Heart".
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