Everybody Loves Somebody

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

For the film, see Everybody Loves Somebody (film).

"Everybody Loves Somebody"
Single by Dean Martin
from the album Everybody Loves Somebody
B-side"A Little Voice"
ReleasedJune 1964
Recorded1964
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:48
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Sam Coslow, Irving Taylor, Ken Lane
Producer(s)Jimmy Bowen

History

Although written almost 20 years earlier, by 1964 the song had already been recorded by several artists—including Frank Sinatra—but without much success.[1] 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 version of the song (coincidentally, Martin had sung it almost 20 years earlier on Bob Hope's radio show in 1948, and also on Martin & Lewis' NBC radio program at about the same time). 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 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 12-year-old son Dean Paul Martin, who like many young people at the time worshipped pop groups like The Beatles. He told his son, "I'm gonna' knock your pallies off the charts,"[2] and on August 15, 1964 he did just that: "Everybody Loves Somebody" knocked The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" off the #1 slot on Billboard, going straight up to the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the "Pop-Standard Singles" chart,[3] the latter for eight weeks.[4]

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 to 1974. The song has become so identified with Martin that later 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 Sometime" appear on his grave marker in Los Angeles.[5]

Chart performance
Frank Sinatra
Chart (1948) Peak
position
US Billboard Pop-Standard Singles 25
Dean Martin
Chart (1964) Peak
position
Australia - Music Maker[6] 3
Canada - RPM Top 40-5s[7] 8
Canada - CHUM Hit Parade[8] 3
Belgium (Flanders)[9] 5
Germany[10] 20
New Zealand - "Lever Hit Parade"[11] 1
Norway - VG-lista[10] 10
UK - Record Retailer[12] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 1
US Billboard Pop-Standard Singles[14][3] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[15] 1

References
Notes
  1. "Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin". Songfacts. Retrieved June 4, 2018. The songwriters Sam Coslow, Ken Lane and Irving Taylor wrote this for Dean Martin's friend and fellow Rat Pack member Frank Sinatra. His version was released in 1948, but went nowhere.
  2. Quoted from Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams by Nick Tosches.
  3. "Pop-Standard Singles", Billboard, August 1, 1964. p. 43. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 158.
  5. Any last words?
  6. "Billboard Hits of the World", Billboard, September 26, 1964. p. 33. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  7. "Top 40-5s", RPM Weekly, Volume 2, No. 1, September 01, 1964. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  8. "1050 CHUM - CHUM Charts". CHUM. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2016. Chart No. 386, Week of August 03, 1964.
  9. Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody, Ultratop. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  10. Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody, norwegiancharts.com. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  11. "Lever Hit Parade" 27-Aug-1964, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  12. Dean Martin - Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  13. Dean Martin - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  14. Dean Martin - Chart History - Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Accessed September 21, 2016.
  15. "Cash Box Top 100", Cash Box, August 15, 1964. Accessed September 21, 2016.
Bibliography
  • The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
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