| "Just When I Needed You Most" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Randy VanWarmer | |
| from the album Warmer | |
| B-side | "Your Light" |
| Released | 1979 |
| Format | 7" (45 rpm) |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:58 |
| Label | Bearsville Records |
| Writer(s) | Randy VanWarmer, Tony Wilson |
| Producer | Del Newman |
"Just When I Needed You Most" is the title of a 1979 song by the American singer-songwriter Randy VanWarmer. VanWarmer and former Hot Chocolate member Tony Wilson co-wrote the track, which was produced by Del Newman and appears on the singer's 1979 album, Warmer. It also appears on Tony Wilson's album "Catch One", produced in 1979 by Ron Albert and Howard Albert for Fat Albert Productions, Inc.
Released as a single in early 1979, "Just When I Needed You Most" spent two weeks atop the US Billboard adult contemporary chart in May of that year.[1] In June, the song reached its peak position of #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it eventually stayed in the Top 40 for 14 weeks and was certified a Gold record by the RIAA.[2] In addition, the song reached #71 on the Billboard country music chart.[1] In September 1979, the song made the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #8.[3]
VanWarmer stated that he wrote the song after he had broken up with a girlfriend when he was 18 years old.[1] The song was originally intended as the B-side to "Your Light", but record company executives preferred "Just When I Needed You Most" and made it the A-side of the single instead. VanWarmer believed that the "hook" which made the song stand out was an autoharp instrumental break between the second and third verses of the song, which was performed by musician John Sebastian.[1]
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Dolly Parton recorded a cover version of the song, which was included on her 1996 album, Treasures. This version reached #62 on the Billboard country music chart. Other artists who either recorded or performed the song in concert include country music singers Tim McGraw, Donna Fargo, Daniel Selby and Conway Twitty, R&B vocalist Millie Jackson, the German disco musician Peter Griffin, British glam rock band Smokie, Filipino singer Pops Fernandez, Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield and the Spanish group Mocedades. In 2002, the American-Taiwanese singer Wilber Pan released a bilingual English/Chinese version of the song.[4]
Ingela "Pling" Forsman wrote lyrics in Swedish as När jag behövde dig mest, which was recorded by Swedish dansband Wizex on the 1980 album You Treated Me Wrong [5].
Diana Murrell had a top 10 with a female version of 'Just When I needed You Most in 1981.