"Gimme Some Lovin'" is a song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood, although solely credited to "Stevie Winwood" on the UK single label, and originally performed by The Spencer Davis Group. The basic riff of the song was borrowed from the Homer Banks song "(Ain't That) A Lot of Love", written by Banks and Willie Dean "Deanie" Parker.[1] "Gimme Some Lovin'" was a UK #2 in the Autumn of 1966 and a US #7.[2] The song is ranked #247 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The version issued in the UK (and probably most of Europe) is different from that issued in the US on the United Artists label, being slower, and lacking backing vocals, some percussion, and the "live sounding" performance found on the US single. (The US version has more often been used on reissue CDs, even those coming from Europe.) The single features the sound of the Hammond B-3 organ.
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Cover versions[edit][]
The song has been covered by many other artists, including The Blues Brothers in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Just before that, Olivia Newton-John recorded it for her 1978 album Totally Hot with members of Toto. In 1982-83 Chicago included it as an encore in their live set with Peter Cetera taking the lead vocal. Queen also often played it during their 1986 Magic Tour.
Other groups who have covered the song include:
- In 1966, after the Spencer Davis Group had recorded a demo of this song, but not as a single or album track, the song was recorded by The Jordan Brothers.
- The Kingsmen recorded a version in 1967 that was released on the 1994 album Since We've Been Gone. It also appears in the 1995 compilation The Best of the Kingsmen.
- In 1969 Delaney & Bonnie played and recorded a live version that remained unreleased until the release of the On Tour with Eric Clapton boxset in 2010.
- In 1970, Euclid covered a version of the song on their album Heavy Equipment.
- In 1970, Freddie King covered the song on his album Getting Ready which was released in 1971.
- In 1971 The Supremes and The Four Tops recorded a version that remained unreleased until 2009.
- Also in 1971 Traffic, with Winwood as lead singer, performed it on their live album Welcome to the Canteen.
- Dragonmilk recorded it live at The Royal Fort, Bermondsey, London on 25/6/72 (appears on Wolfman Macabre)
- French disco group Kongas on their 1977 album Africanism, along with the songs, "Africanism" and "Dr. Doo-Dah", Kongas' cover reached number three on the disco chart.[3]
- The Dutch band "Janse Bagge Bend" covered the song in a Dutch dialect in 1983, naming it "Sollicitere", meaning "Applying" (for employment), and featuring it on their album "Flazjelettentaere".
- Raven covered the song on their 1986 album The Pack Is Back.
- The Insiders covered the song, which is featured in the 1988 film Iron Eagle II.
- Thunder on their 1990 album, Backstreet Symphony.
- Hanson opened shows with it on their 1998 Albertane Tour (captured on their subsequent Live from Albertane album).
- Spanish group Mägo de Oz covered it on their 1994 album, Mägo de Oz.
- Grateful Dead also covered it in concert from November, 1984 with the lead vocals shared alternately by Phil Lesh and Brent Mydland.
- Furthur covers this song in concert with Bob Weir handling the lead vocals.
- Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack recorded a version on their live cover album, DisCover in 2002.
- It was also covered by rock group Great White on their 1986 album, Shot in the Dark.
- New York City third-wave ska band The Toasters covered it on their album Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down and have also played it live.
- Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge covered it on their 2008 CD Greatest Hits Live.
- One More Girl covered it in their shows in 2010.
- Yo La Tengo covered the song in reference to a Blues Brothers question asked by an audience member at The Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, CA on 2/24/2011.
- In 2012, a cover was released by Victorious star Ariana Grande on SoundCloud. A music video for her cover was uploaded onto YouTube on August 18.[4]
The total time of the original song is 3:00.
- Yonder Mountain String Band & Railroad Earth encore the song during their 2014 shared mid-summer tour (July) 07/09/2014
Uses in film and television[edit][]
"Gimme Some Lovin'" has been used frequently in television and movies, including the films:
- Hamburger Hill
- The Boat That Rocked
- Iron Eagle
- Sleepers
- Operation Dumbo Drop
- EdTV
- Wild Hogs
- Flight of the Phoenix
- Striptease
- Notting Hill
- The Blues Brothers
- Mr. Destiny
- Kopps
- Sweatin' To The Oldies 3
- The Big Chill
- Good Morning, Vietnam
- Brian's Song
- Days of Thunder
- Soul Surfer
- Tropic Thunder
- Rush[5]
The song has been used in television shows, including:
- "The Brothel Wars", an episode of Crime Story
- An episode[which?] of Heartbeat
- An episode[which?] of Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld
- An instrumental version was one of the most frequently played songs by the Lakers band for years, and was especially audible on television during breaks in action at The Forum in Inglewood.
The song has also appeared in commercials for:
References in other works[edit][]
- David Bowie sampled the song in "Join The Gang", from his 1967 eponymous album.[citation needed]
- Mashup artist Girl Talk used a sample of "Gimme Some Lovin'" in the opening track of his CD, Feed The Animals
- Zombie Nation samples the song in the opening track to his album Zombielicious, "Mas De Todo".
- American novelist Mary McGarry Morris stated in a 2009 interview on National Public Radio that the idea for her seventh novel "The Last Secret" came to her as she was listening to the song.