It Should Have Been Me (Norman Whitfield song)
"It Should Have Been Me" is a 1963 song written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Norman Whitfield for Kim Weston.[1] It has been performed by Yvonne Fair, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Adeva among others. Knight's version peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968[2] and number 33 in Canada.[3] Fair had her only hit single with her recording of the song in 1976, reaching number 5 in the UK,[4] number 85 in the US[5] and number 10 in Australia.[6]
The song begins:
- "I saw my love walking down the aisle
- And as he passed me by, he turned to me and gave me a smile"
Versions
[edit]Kim Weston (1963)
[edit]- Lead vocals by Kim Weston
- Backing vocals by The Supremes: Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
Gladys Knight & The Pips (1968)
[edit]- Lead vocals by Gladys Knight
- Backing vocals by Merald "Bubba" Knight, Edward Patten, and William Guest
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Yvonne Fair (1975)
[edit]- Lead vocals by Yvonne Fair
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
This version was used in The Vicar of Dibley 2006 episode "The Handsome Stranger",[7] with Dawn French miming the singing.
Adeva (1991)
[edit]"It Should Have Been Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Adeva | ||||
from the album Love & Lust | ||||
Released | 1991 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Capitol Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | William "Mickey" Stevenson and Norman Whitfield | |||
Producer(s) | Smack | |||
Adeva singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"It Should Have Been Me" on YouTube |
In 1991, American dance music artist Adeva had the first of two number ones on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with her version of "It Should Have Been Me".[8] The song was released as the second single from her second album, Love & Lust (1991). In Europe, it peaked at number 48 in the UK and number four on the European Dance Radio Chart.
Critical reception
[edit]The song received favorable reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson from AllMusic stated that Adeva interprets the Gladys Knight & the Pips hit "with equally impressive results."[9] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Dance chanteuse previews her sophomore effort, Love & Lust, with an attitudinal houser. Highly stylized, assertive vocals are countered by a physical bass line and a rousing gospel-spiced undercurrent. Demands immediate club approval—not to mention attention at crossover and urban radio."[10] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker complimented it as a "joyously stomping" disco/garage tune, "well worth the price of a 45."[11] Ian McCann from NME wrote, "There's an epic cover of an old soul hit: instead of "Respect", this time Yvonne Fair's terrible "It Should've Been Me" gets the treatment, and what a treatment it is: Adeva slits open the tune and takes all the mawkishness out of it. Given a cooler mix it should—ironically—be a massive Italian-styled hit."[12]
Track listing
[edit]- Vinyl, Europe (1991)
- A: "It Should've Been Me" — 3:22
- AA: "It Should've Been Me" (Touchdown Edit) — 4:18
- 12", UK (1991)
- A: "It Should've Been Me" (Touchdown Mix) — 6:09
- AA1: "It Should've Been Me" (Classic Club Mix) — 6:59
- AA2: "It Should've Been Me" (Def Club Mix)
- CD single, US (1991)
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Hype Radio Mix) — 4:08
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Radio Mix) — 3:55
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Extended Remix) — 6:30
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Classic Club Mix) — 9:11
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Club Mix) — 7:40
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Zone Mental) — 6:35
- "It Should Have Been Me" (Sound Factory Mix) — 5:08
- "It Should Have Been Me" (LP Version) — 5:06
Charts
[edit]Chart (1991) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) | 83 |
Europe (European Dance Radio)[13] | 4 |
UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 48 |
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
Miley Cyrus (2021)
[edit]- Lead vocals by Miley Cyrus.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Dahl, Bill (2001). Motown: The Golden Years. Krause Publications. p. 333. ISBN 0873492862.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (March 2010). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Record Research, Inc. p. 542. ISBN 978-0898201802.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 6, 1968" (PDF).
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 192. ISBN 1904994105.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (March 2010). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Record Research, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0898201802.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 18. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ The Vicar of Dibley – The Handsome Stranger (2006) – Soundtracks
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 16.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Adeva – Love or Lust?". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Flick, Larry (19 October 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Smith, Andrew (9 November 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 34. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ McCann, Ian (26 October 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 35. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 November 1991. p. 26. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Adeva: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ Watch Miley Cyrus Cover ‘It Should Have Been Me’ on ‘Fallon’, Rolling Stone, December 10, 2021
External links
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