"Gimme Some Lovin" is a song first recorded by

the Spencer Davis Group The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numbe ...

. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs. Other artists have also recorded versions of the song; group singer

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

later recorded it live with

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

and a rendition by

the Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

reached number 18 on the main US singles chart.

Background

As recalled by bassist

Muff Winwood Mervyn "Muff" Winwood (born 15 June 1943, Erdington, Birmingham, England) is a British songwriter and record producer, and the older brother of Steve Winwood. Both were members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff Winwood pla ...

, the song was conceived, arranged, and rehearsed in just half an hour. At the time, the group was under pressure to come up with another hit, following the relatively poor showing of their previous single, "

When I Come Home "When I Come Home" is a song written by Steve Winwood and Jackie Edwards, first recorded by Winwood's band the Spencer Davis Group in 1966. Released as a single that summer, it reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart. The single received mixe ...

", written by Jamaican-born musician Jackie Edwards, who had also penned their earlier number one hits, "

Keep On Running "Keep On Running" is a song written and first recorded by Jackie Edwards. It became a hit in the UK for The Spencer Davis Group; their version reached number one in the charts. Recordings "Keep On Running" was written by Jamaican singer-songwrit ...

" and "

Somebody Help Me "Somebody Help Me" is a single by The Spencer Davis Group, which was released in 1966. As with "Keep on Running", it was composed by Jackie Edwards. Chart performance "Somebody Help Me" became the band's second consecutive and last number-on ...

". The band auditioned and rejected other songs Edwards offered them, and they let the matter slide until, with a recording session looming, manager

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

took them to London, put them in a rehearsal room at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

, and ordered them to come up with a new song.

Personnel

The Spencer Davis Group: *

– lead vocals, organ, piano, percussion *

Spencer Davis Spencer Davis (born Spencer David Nelson Davies; 17 July 193919 October 2020) was a Welsh singer and musician. He founded The Spencer Davis Group, a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "Keep On Running", "Gimme Some Lovin'", and ...

– rhythm guitar, vocals *

– bass, vocals *

Pete York Peter York (born 15 August 1942 in Redcar, Yorkshire, England) is a British rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s. Biography Born in Redcar, he attended the Nottingham High School and learnt to play the trumpet and snare drum ...

– drums

Chart performance and legacy

In 2004, ''

'' magazine ranked "Gimme Some Lovin'" at number 247 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Winwood later recorded live versions of the song with

for ''

Welcome to the Canteen ''Welcome to the Canteen'' is the first live album by English rock band Traffic. It was recorded live at Fairfield Halls, Croydon and the Oz Benefit Concert, London, July 1971 and released in September of that year. It was recorded during Dave Ma ...

'' (1971) and ''

The Last Great Traffic Jam ''The Last Great Traffic Jam'' is a live album and DVD from the English rock band Traffic. The album was recorded on the 1994 reunion tour supporting Far from Home. DVD track listing # "Pearly Queen" (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) – 5:35 # "Me ...

'' (2005). In an album review for ''Welcome to the Canteen'',

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's William Ruhlmann wrote "the et listcapper was a rearranged version of Steve Winwood's old Spencer Davis Group hit "Gimme Some Lovin'." "Gimme Some Lovin'" has been recorded by several rock and other artists. Pop artist

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

covered it for her 1978 album, ''

Totally Hot ''Totally Hot'' is the tenth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 21 November 1978. Commercially, it became her first top-ten album on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart since ''Have You Never Been Mellow'' (1975). ...

'', which an album reviewer called "as close to a drunken party as one will get on a Newton-John album". A performance for the musical comedy film ''

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

'' (1980) "featur san arrangement notable for the horn section that replaces Steve Winwood's rumbling organ work", according to critic Bret Adams. Released as single by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, it reached number 18 on ''Billboard'' magazine's

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. In 1990, British group

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

recorded it for their debut album ''

Backstreet Symphony ''Backstreet Symphony'' is the debut studio album by English hard rock band Thunder. Recorded in 1989 at Great Linford Manor Studios in Milton Keynes, it was produced by former Duran Duran and The Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor, then m ...

''. AllMusic writer Alex Henderson commented: "Another high point of this CD is an inspired cover of the Spencer Davis Group's 'Gimme Some Lovin',' which Thunder changes from blue-eyed soul/rock to straight-up hard rock."

References

External links

"Gimme Some Loving" by the Spencer Davis GroupPartial list of subsequent versions
{{authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles The Spencer Davis Group songs The Blues Brothers songs Olivia Newton-John songs Thunder (band) songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Steve Winwood Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller Fontana Records singles United Artists Records singles Atlantic Records singles