"Whatcha Gonna Do About It" is the debut single released by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

, released in the UK on 6 August 1965. The song peaked at number 14 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and stayed on chart for a total of 14 weeks. It reached number 28 in Canada.

Song profile

The songwriting duo of the group

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted pos ...

and

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces ...

already had the melody for the song, the inspiration coming from Solomon Burke's hit record "

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" is a song written by Bert Berns, Solomon Burke, and Jerry Wexler, and originally recorded by Solomon Burke under the production of Bert Berns at Atlantic Records in 1964. Burke's version charted in 1964, but ...

." However they had no lyrics, so their manager,

Don Arden Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbath ...

, brought in

Ian Samwell Ian Ralph Samwell (19 January 1937 – 13 March 2003) was an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the writer of Cliff Richard's debut single "Move It", and his association with the rock band America, with ...

and Brian Potter to provide the words for the song. The song entered the

at number 27 and rose to number 14, just missing the all important Top Ten. Kenney Jones recalled to ''Uncut'' magazine: "We hadn't fully established our own songwriting abilities – our stage show was mainly covers of things like Otis Redding's 'Shake' – and this really suited the power of Steve's voice. The style was very indicative of the time and we loved it." According to Marriott, the group had by the end of July entered

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

and recorded an earlier version of the song, which he claimed to love. However, this version was abandoned in favor of a newer rendition recorded at

Pye Studios Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

. The older version was later issued in 1972 on a French compilation album. The feedback heard throughout the track was Marriott's idea, claimed Jones in an interview with ''Uncut.'' "He was pissing about in front of his old Marshall amp and it sounded lovely, so we kept it." Years later, Arden admitted to spending £12,000 on chart fixing to ensure the band's debut song would be a hit. In an interview, Arden denied it was cheating: "I had a saying, you can't polish a turd. In other words, if the record's no good to begin with, it still won't be any good after you've wasted your time and money getting it played." It was originally issued on the group's eponymous debut album, and later it was included on their 1967 compilation ''From the Beginning''.

Personnel

;

– lead vocal, lead guitar *

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

Jimmy Winston James Edward Winston Langwith (20 April 1945 – 26 September 2020), known professionally as Jimmy Winston, was an English musician and actor. He was the original keyboard player with Small Faces. Winston had apparently previously worked under th ...

– Hammond organ, rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Kenny Jones – drums

Covers

* In 1967, Minneapolis, Minnesota based garage band

The Litter The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, " Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s bef ...

used the track on the LP ''Distortions'', and as the B-side to their regional hit "

Action Woman "Action Woman" is a song by the American garage rock band the Litter, written by their record producer Warren Kendrick, and first released as the group's debut single on Scotty Records in January 1967 (''see'' 1967 in music). The song also appea ...

" (Warick 6712) *

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

recorded a cover version of "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", changing the lyrics from "I want you to know that I ''love'' you baby" to "I want you to know that I ''hate'' you baby." Apart from

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...

, the Sex Pistols were known to be fans of the Small Faces' music. *

Cock Sparrer Cock Sparrer () is an English punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London. Although they have never enjoyed commercial success, they helped pave the way for the early '80s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre., Their songs have been c ...

and

The Templars The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ( la, Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar, or simply the Templars, was a Catholic military order, o ...

have also recorded versions of the song. * In 1978, Scottish band

The Jolt The Jolt were a Scottish band formed in Wishaw, Scotland in September 1976. History At the time, Robbie Collins and Jim Doaks were clerks in the civil service and Iain Shedden was a music journalist for a local paper. They had known each ...

released the song on a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

and included it on their

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

debut album (2383 504). * In 1981,

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: * The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (le ...

released a 7" Flexi-disc (006) for Flexipop magazine, manufactured by Lyntone (LYN 9650). The promotional disc features "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" on the A side and "Stop Your Sobbin'" (The Kinks) on the B side. * In 2002, the UK TV talent show ''

Stars in Their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...

'' grand finals winner Emma 'Dusty Springfield' Wilkinson released a cover version.

References

External links

The Small Faces Official Website
{{Small Faces 1965 songs 1965 debut singles Small Faces songs Songs written by Ian Samwell Decca Records singles Songs written by Brian Potter (musician)

Song profile

Personnel

Covers

See also

References

External links