Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)
Encyclopedia
"Somebody to Love" is a rock
song that was written by Darby Slick
and originally recorded by 1960s folk rock
band The Great Society and later by the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane
. Rolling Stone
magazine ranked Jefferson Airplane's version #274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
and first performed by that band, which included his then-sister-in-law Grace Slick
on vocals, the song made little impact outside of the club circuit in the Bay Area
. The song was released in 1966 as a single on the North Beach subsidiary of Autumn Records
and received minimal circulation outside of San Francisco
.
departed to join Jefferson Airplane
, she took this song with her, bringing it to the Surrealistic Pillow
sessions, along with her own composition "White Rabbit
". Subsequently, the Airplane's more ferocious rock and roll version became the band's first and biggest success; the single by Jefferson Airplane
scored at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
"Somebody to Love" was also a track on their influential album released in February 1967, Surrealistic Pillow
. Driven by Slick's forceful vocal, the song's hard-rock sound was atypical of the group's more folk-oriented psychedelia
that comprised most of their previous style and some of the album. The lyrics are in the second person
, with each two-line verse setting a scene of alienation and despair, and the chorus repeating the title of the song, with slight variations such as: "... / Don't you need somebody to love? / Wouldn't you love somebody to love? / ..." Like the album on which it appeared, this song was instrumental in publicizing the existence of the Haight-Ashbury
counterculture to the rest of the United States
.
This version appears in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when Raoul Duke
reminisces about the first time he took LSD
at The Matrix
club in San Francisco in 1967. The song is also played during prologue in TV movie A Bright Shining Lie
(1998), and in A Home at the End of the World
(2004).
In the 1996 film The Cable Guy
, Jim Carrey performs a karaoke version as his character Ernie "Chip" Douglas. Carrey's version is also on the movie's soundtrack.
The full, vocal version of the song can also be heard on a radio in the beginning of the Paramount film Four Brothers
.
The song works as a metaphorical framing device for the Coen brothers
' film A Serious Man
.
The song is featured in episode five of season two of Being Human
as the vampire Mitchell explores his residual humanity, through a relationship with a mortal woman.
The song was played on episode 3 of ITV drama Marchlands
.
The song is a downloadable content for Rock Band 3
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song that was written by Darby Slick
Darby Slick
Darby Slick is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Great Society, and as the writer of the Jefferson Airplane song "Somebody to Love". In 1965 he co-founded The Great Society with Jerry Slick, Jenn Piersol, and Grace Slick...
and originally recorded by 1960s folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band The Great Society and later by the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked Jefferson Airplane's version #274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Great Society version
Written by Great Society guitarist Darby SlickDarby Slick
Darby Slick is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Great Society, and as the writer of the Jefferson Airplane song "Somebody to Love". In 1965 he co-founded The Great Society with Jerry Slick, Jenn Piersol, and Grace Slick...
and first performed by that band, which included his then-sister-in-law Grace Slick
Grace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
on vocals, the song made little impact outside of the club circuit in the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The song was released in 1966 as a single on the North Beach subsidiary of Autumn Records
Autumn Records
Autumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Its most prominent contract was considered The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little"....
and received minimal circulation outside of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Jefferson Airplane version
When Grace SlickGrace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
departed to join Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, she took this song with her, bringing it to the Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow is the second album by American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in February 1967.Original drummer Alexander 'Skip' Spence had left the band in mid-1966, replaced by a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, a nephew of Charlie Chaplin. New lead vocalist...
sessions, along with her own composition "White Rabbit
White Rabbit (song)
"White Rabbit" is a song from Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100...
". Subsequently, the Airplane's more ferocious rock and roll version became the band's first and biggest success; the single by Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
scored at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
"Somebody to Love" was also a track on their influential album released in February 1967, Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow is the second album by American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in February 1967.Original drummer Alexander 'Skip' Spence had left the band in mid-1966, replaced by a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, a nephew of Charlie Chaplin. New lead vocalist...
. Driven by Slick's forceful vocal, the song's hard-rock sound was atypical of the group's more folk-oriented psychedelia
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
that comprised most of their previous style and some of the album. The lyrics are in the second person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
, with each two-line verse setting a scene of alienation and despair, and the chorus repeating the title of the song, with slight variations such as: "... / Don't you need somebody to love? / Wouldn't you love somebody to love? / ..." Like the album on which it appeared, this song was instrumental in publicizing the existence of the Haight-Ashbury
Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California
Haight-Ashbury is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called The Haight and The Upper Haight.-Location:...
counterculture to the rest of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This version appears in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when Raoul Duke
Raoul Duke
Raoul Duke is the fictional character and antihero based on Hunter S. Thompson in his autobiographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book was originally written under the name Raoul Duke....
reminisces about the first time he took LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
at The Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
club in San Francisco in 1967. The song is also played during prologue in TV movie A Bright Shining Lie
A Bright Shining Lie (film)
A Bright Shining Lie is an 1998 American television film based on Neil Sheehan's book of the same name and true story of John Paul Vann's experience in the Vietnam War...
(1998), and in A Home at the End of the World
A Home at the End of the World (film)
A Home at the End of the World is a 2004 drama film directed by Michael Mayer. The screenplay by Michael Cunningham was adapted from his 1990 novel of the same title.-Plot synopsis:...
(2004).
In the 1996 film The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy is a 1996 black comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The film also features Leslie Mann, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson...
, Jim Carrey performs a karaoke version as his character Ernie "Chip" Douglas. Carrey's version is also on the movie's soundtrack.
The full, vocal version of the song can also be heard on a radio in the beginning of the Paramount film Four Brothers
Four Brothers (film)
Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
.
The song works as a metaphorical framing device for the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
' film A Serious Man
A Serious Man
A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading to questions about his faith...
.
The song is featured in episode five of season two of Being Human
Being Human (TV series)
Being Human is a British supernatural drama television series. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse and is currently broadcast on BBC Three. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama...
as the vampire Mitchell explores his residual humanity, through a relationship with a mortal woman.
The song was played on episode 3 of ITV drama Marchlands
Marchlands
Marchlands is a five-part supernatural drama first shown on ITV in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2011, telling the story of three different families living in the same house at three different time periods, in 1968, 1987 and 2010. The three families are linked by the spirit of a young girl who...
.
The song is a downloadable content for Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
Personnel
- Grace SlickGrace SlickGrace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
– lead vocals - Marty BalinMarty BalinMarty Balin is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and one of the lead singers of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life:Martyn Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
– tambourine - Jorma KaukonenJorma KaukonenJorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.-Biography:...
– lead guitar - Paul KantnerPaul KantnerPaul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
– rhythm guitar - Jack CasadyJack CasadyJack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
– bass - Spencer DrydenSpencer DrydenSpencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
– drums
Other versions
- Great White on the album Psycho CityPsycho CityPsycho City is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band Great White, released in 1992. It was the last studio album produced for Capitol Records, with the exception of the 1993 compilation The Best of Great White: 1986–1992...
as part of the reissued version with bonus tracks. - AguaturbiaAguaturbiaAguaturbia was a Chilean rock band formed in 1968, featuring Carlos Corales and his wife Denise .Band is known as pioneers of psychedelic rock in Chile and one of the most known band outside USA and UK. They have mixed psychedelic rock with Latin America folklore.-Albums:*Aguaturbia *Aguaturbia Vol...
covered the song in 1969 on their self-titled debut LP. Their cover version is titled "Alguien Para Amar". - The LambrettasThe LambrettasThe Lambrettas were an English mod revival band, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Named after the iconic Italian Lambretta scooter brand popular among Mods, the band was formed in Lewes...
(a British mod-revival band) released "Somebody to Love" as a single on Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's Rocket RecordsRocket RecordsThe Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon and Steve Brown among others, in 1972. The name is from the hit, "Rocket Man"...
label in 1982. - The Irish band In Tua NuaIn Tua NuaIn Tua Nua was an Irish rock group who achieved a modicum of fame and success in both Ireland and Europe throughout the late 1980s.- Biography :...
covered the song in 1985. - It was covered by Angry SamoansAngry SamoansThe Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
on their 1986 EP, Yesterday Started TomorrowYesterday Started TomorrowYesterday Started Tomorrow is an EP by Angry Samoans, released in 1987. The EP featured a major style change contrasting with their first two albums.-Track listing:All songs by Angry Samoans unless noted.#"Different World" - 1:47...
(with some lyric changes). - The SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n hard rockHard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Cactus JackCactus Jack (band)-Band history:The band, originally named Caramba, was formed at the end of 1998 by Stevan Birak , Miodrag Krudulj , Vladimir Jezdimirović and Dušan Gnjidić ....
recorded a version on their live cover album DisCoverDisCover (album)Discover, written as DisCover on the cover, is the first album by Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack.The album features nineteen cover songs and was recorded on Cactus Jack concert in Coupe club in Pančevo...
in 2002. - The song also received cover versions by Mother's FinestMother's FinestMother's Finest is a funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" , "Baby Love" , "Don't Wanna Come Back" , "Love Changes" , and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.-History:Mother's Finest...
, W.A.S.P. in their 1995's album Still Not Black EnoughStill Not Black EnoughStill Not Black Enough is the sixth studio album by W.A.S.P. , first released in June 1995 in Japan only. It was not until August 1996 released in the U.S. through Castle Records....
. - The Ramones (with vocals by Tracy Lords) on their 1993 cover album Acid EatersAcid EatersAcid Eaters is the thirteenth studio album by the American punk band The Ramones.Recorded in 1993 , towards the end of the Ramones' career, the album is often set apart from other Ramones releases in that it is entirely composed of covers...
. - Jim CarreyJim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
on the soundtrack of the film The Cable GuyThe Cable GuyThe Cable Guy is a 1996 black comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The film also features Leslie Mann, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson...
. - In 2003 by Boogie PimpsBoogie PimpsBoogie Pimps are an electronic music duo from Erfurt, Germany. It was formed by the two DJs Mark J Klak and Mirko Jacob.Their collaboration started in 2000, when Mirko Jacob started performing in Klak's JoueJoueClub in Erfurt...
(No. 3 UK) with the music video featuring Natasha MealeyNatasha MealeyNatasha Mealey is an English glamour model. She is based in London.-Education:A former architecture student, she dropped out of her course to concentrate on Page 3 and glamour modelling...
. - Salsoul OrchestraSalsoul OrchestraThe Salsoul Orchestra was the backing band for acts on Salsoul Records. Under their own name the group recorded several hit singles and albums between 1975 and 1981.-Group History:...
on the album Salsoul Orchestra. - Kasabian covered it on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live LoungeLive LoungeThe Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
. - Cafe SocietyCafé SocietyCafé society was the collective description for the so-called "Beautiful People" and "Bright Young Things" who gathered in fashionable cafes and restaurants in New York, Paris, and London beginning in the late 19th century...
(a South African band) did a version in 1984. - It is also recorded by the British band WaystedWaystedWaysted are a heavy metal band formed by UFO bassist Pete Way and Scottish rocker Fin Muir in 1983. Recruiting Frank Noon , Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond, Waysted signed to Chrysalis Records and released Vices in 1983....
in their 1983 debut Vices. - Lo-Fi artist Zola JesusZola jesusZola Jesus is the stage name of Russian American singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova . Having released three EPs and two full-length albums, combining industrial, classical, electronic, goth and experimental rock influences, she received generally good reviews and was regarded as one of the names...
covered it, featuring Dead Luke - It was covered by Chaud on her 2010 EP, The Black Market Revealed