Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From '' Somebody To Love ''
Label: Sara Bee – BN 124
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1980
Tracklist
A Somebody To Love
Written-By – Darby Slick
B Submarine City
Written-By – Band Of Joy
Published By – Rondor Music (London) Ltd.
Published By – Band Of Joy Music Ltd.
Lacquer Cut At – Tape One
Pressed By – Damont
Distributed By – Pye Records
Manufactured By – Pye Records
Lacquer Cut By – BilBo
Notes
(Walton-on-Thames(98) 42689)
Manufactured and Distributed by Pye Records
℗ 1980
© 2007 Sarabee
℗ 2007 Sarabee
🎵 [SONG INFO]
"Somebody to Love" (originally titled "Someone to Love") is a rock song that was written by Darby Slick.
It was originally recorded by The Great Society, and later by Jefferson Airplane.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jefferson Airplane's version No. 274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Background
Written by The Great Society guitarist Darby Slick after realizing his girlfriend had left him, 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 recorded on December 4, 1965, and released in February 1966 as a single with the B-side another Darby Slick composition titled "Free Advice" on the Northbeach label (Northbeach 1001) and received minimal circulation outside of San Francisco.
San Francisco in the mid-1960s was the center of free love, but Darby Slick saw a downside to this ethos, as it could lead to jealousy and disconnect.
This song champions loyalty and monogamy, as the singer implores us to find that one true love that will nurture us and get us through the tough times.
However, the lyrics do not treat love as something that randomly happens to a person, but rather as an action that a person, male or female, may choose to take.
This subtle but profound difference in philosophy places this song in opposition to songs that speak of "falling in love" as if love is something that happens to a person outside of their conscious intention.
Re-recording
When Grace Slick 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, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group's first hit song, "Somebody To Love" was also one of the first big hits to come out of the US West Coast and San Francisco Bay area counterculture scene, to which numerous artists and musicians would be drawn over the following few years.
Slick's original performance of the song with The Great Society is more subdued, with the Jefferson Airplane version sounding far more accusatory and menacing on lines such as "Your mind is so full of red" and "Your friends, baby, they treat you like a guest."
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.
Here are some notable uses in movies and television:
A Serious Man (2009): The Coen brothers' film uses the studio release of the song at the beginning of the main story, helping to transition the setting to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in 1967.
The Cable Guy (1996): Features a memorable and humorous karaoke performance of the song by Jim Carrey's character.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): This movie, which delves into 1960s drug culture and paranoia, includes the song on its soundtrack, fitting its aesthetic.
Apollo 13 (1995): Used in the film to evoke the time period.
Gimme Shelter (1970): The documentary about the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour, culminating in the Altamont Free Concert, features Jefferson Airplane performing the song during their set at Altamont.
Four Brothers (2005)
Parenthood (TV Series): Appeared in an episode of the show.
American Pop (1981): An animated film with a multi-generational storyline using rock music.
Cover versions / Remixes
Boogie Pimps
A German electronic music duo who released a popular house/electronic remix of the song in 2003.
Their version became a worldwide hit, notably reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
The duo reportedly decided to cover the song after watching it in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Mother's Finest covered the song in 1979, giving it a funk/disco arrangement.
Great White
The Ramones included a cover on their 1994 album Acid Eaters.
W.A.S.P.
Rez Band (Resurrection Band)
🔗 [LINKS]
Available on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/album/5vk2J8HRtmrTGgNJyUObxP
#splitgenes
#somebodytolove
#newwave
#postpunk
#newwave
From '' Somebody To Love ''
Label: Sara Bee – BN 124
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1980
Tracklist
A Somebody To Love
Written-By – Darby Slick
B Submarine City
Written-By – Band Of Joy
Published By – Rondor Music (London) Ltd.
Published By – Band Of Joy Music Ltd.
Lacquer Cut At – Tape One
Pressed By – Damont
Distributed By – Pye Records
Manufactured By – Pye Records
Lacquer Cut By – BilBo
Notes
(Walton-on-Thames(98) 42689)
Manufactured and Distributed by Pye Records
℗ 1980
© 2007 Sarabee
℗ 2007 Sarabee
🎵 [SONG INFO]
"Somebody to Love" (originally titled "Someone to Love") is a rock song that was written by Darby Slick.
It was originally recorded by The Great Society, and later by Jefferson Airplane.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jefferson Airplane's version No. 274 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Background
Written by The Great Society guitarist Darby Slick after realizing his girlfriend had left him, 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 recorded on December 4, 1965, and released in February 1966 as a single with the B-side another Darby Slick composition titled "Free Advice" on the Northbeach label (Northbeach 1001) and received minimal circulation outside of San Francisco.
San Francisco in the mid-1960s was the center of free love, but Darby Slick saw a downside to this ethos, as it could lead to jealousy and disconnect.
This song champions loyalty and monogamy, as the singer implores us to find that one true love that will nurture us and get us through the tough times.
However, the lyrics do not treat love as something that randomly happens to a person, but rather as an action that a person, male or female, may choose to take.
This subtle but profound difference in philosophy places this song in opposition to songs that speak of "falling in love" as if love is something that happens to a person outside of their conscious intention.
Re-recording
When Grace Slick 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, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group's first hit song, "Somebody To Love" was also one of the first big hits to come out of the US West Coast and San Francisco Bay area counterculture scene, to which numerous artists and musicians would be drawn over the following few years.
Slick's original performance of the song with The Great Society is more subdued, with the Jefferson Airplane version sounding far more accusatory and menacing on lines such as "Your mind is so full of red" and "Your friends, baby, they treat you like a guest."
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.
Here are some notable uses in movies and television:
A Serious Man (2009): The Coen brothers' film uses the studio release of the song at the beginning of the main story, helping to transition the setting to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in 1967.
The Cable Guy (1996): Features a memorable and humorous karaoke performance of the song by Jim Carrey's character.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): This movie, which delves into 1960s drug culture and paranoia, includes the song on its soundtrack, fitting its aesthetic.
Apollo 13 (1995): Used in the film to evoke the time period.
Gimme Shelter (1970): The documentary about the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour, culminating in the Altamont Free Concert, features Jefferson Airplane performing the song during their set at Altamont.
Four Brothers (2005)
Parenthood (TV Series): Appeared in an episode of the show.
American Pop (1981): An animated film with a multi-generational storyline using rock music.
Cover versions / Remixes
Boogie Pimps
A German electronic music duo who released a popular house/electronic remix of the song in 2003.
Their version became a worldwide hit, notably reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
The duo reportedly decided to cover the song after watching it in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Mother's Finest covered the song in 1979, giving it a funk/disco arrangement.
Great White
The Ramones included a cover on their 1994 album Acid Eaters.
W.A.S.P.
Rez Band (Resurrection Band)
🔗 [LINKS]
Available on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/album/5vk2J8HRtmrTGgNJyUObxP
#splitgenes
#somebodytolove
#newwave
#postpunk
#newwave
