Everybody Loves Somebody

"Everybody Loves Somebody" is a song written in 1947 by Sam Coslow, Irving Taylor and pianist Ken Lane.

History

Although written almost twenty years earlier, by 1964 the song had already been recorded by several artists - including Frank Sinatra - but without much success. Lane was playing piano for Dean Martin on his Dream with Dean LP sessions, and with an hour or so of studio time left and one song short, Lane suggested that Martin take a run at his tune. Dean was agreeable, and the small combo of piano, guitar, drums and bass performed a relatively quiet, laid back jazz version of the song. (Coincidentally, Martin had sung it almost 20 years earlier on Bob Hope's radio show in 1948.)

Almost immediately Martin re-recorded the song for his next album, this time with a full orchestra and chorus. His label, Reprise Records, was so enthusiastic about the hit potential of this version they even titled the LP Everybody Loves Somebody to capitalize on it.

Although still a major recording artist, Martin had not had a Top 40 hit since 1958. With the British Invasion ruling the U.S. charts, few had hopes that an Italian crooner who had been singing mainly standards for almost 20 years would sway many teenagers. Martin resented rock n' roll, and his attitude created conflict at home with his 14-year-old son Dean Paul Martin, who like many teenagers at the time worshipped pop groups like The Beatles. He told his son, "I'm gonna' knock your pallies off the charts,"^[1] and in August 15, 1964 he did just that: Everybody Loves Somebody knocked the Beatles "A Hard Day's Night" off the number one slot on Billboard, going straight up to the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the "Easy Listening" chart, the latter for eight weeks.^[2]

It ultimately replaced "That's Amore" as Martin's signature song, and he sang it as the theme of his weekly television variety show from 1965 until 1974. The song has become so identified with Martin that later cover versions are invariably compared to his take.

As an apt description of the power of the song in Martin's life, the words "Everybody Loves Somebody" appear on his grave marker in Los Angeles.^[3]

Later Versions

• Andy Williams released a version of the song on his 1965 album, Andy Williams' Dear Heart.
• Claudio Lippi recorded it in Italian in 1966 as "Per Ognuno C'è Qualcuno Sempre," and it became nationally known as his signature song.
• The Martin version, along with his version of Gentle on My Mind, were featured in the French spoof of 60s spy films OSS 117: Lost in Rio.
• Deana Martin, Dean's daughter, recorded "Everybody Loves Somebody" in 2006. The song was released on her 2006 album, "Memories Are Made Of This", by Big Fish Records.
• In 2007, the song was remastered as a duet with French musician Charles Aznavour for Dino's album Forever Cool.

Parodies

A parody of the song "Everybody Needs Some Money" is featured in the Western Union commercial in the early-1990s.

References

• The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics