When You've Gotta Go

"When You've Gotta Go" was written by Lynsey de Paul (credited to her birth name, Lynsey Rubin) and Ron Roker.[1] It was recorded by Solomon King at 10cc's Strawberry Studios and released as a single in 1972.[2] The single was a chart hit in Australia,[3] and also spent four weeks on the Dutch "Tipparade", peaking at #17.[4] It also appeared on the Polydor compilation album "Doppel Pop Tops 3".[5]

Another version of the song was also released as a single in Australia by Jay Justin (a regular on national TV shows Bandstand and the Johnny O'Keefe Show),[6] in November 1973 on the RCA label.[7][8]

The song was covered by German artist and producer Frank Farian in 1973 as "Was kann schöner sein", with German lyrics by Fred Jay and released as a single[9][10] as well as a track on his 1973 album, So Muß Liebe Sein.[11] He performed the song on the German TV programme ZDF Hitparade on 17 February, 1973 and it reached No. 48 on the German singles chart on the 16 March that year.[12] His version of the song was featured on the 2009 CD compilation album, Frank Farian – Das beste aus 40 Jahren ZDF Hitparade[13] and is listed as one of Farian's song highlights by "AllMusic".[14] It was also recorded as a track by Jürgen Marcus on his album, Ein Festival Der Liebe.[15] The duo Wyn Hoop & Andrea Horn also recorded "Was kann schöner sein" and released it as a single in Austria and Germany on the Decca Record label.[16][17][18]

A Finnish version of the song entitled "Kun Mentävä On" by the artist Danny was released as the B-side to his single "Yksinäinen Ilta",[19] as well as the title track on his 1973 album.[20] A Spanish version of the song with the title "Adios Amigo" (albeit with lyrics partially in English) was also recorded and released as a single by the pop group Los Albas in 1972,[21] as well as a track on their self-titled album in 1974.[22] A French language version with lyrics by J.-C. Deseure entitled "Le Temps De Vivre" was recorded by French group Virus and released as a single in 1973.

In 1974, it was released by the British vocalist, Ricki Disoni (aka Gordon Waddison), a regularly appearing artist at venues such as The Night Out Theatre Restaurant), as a track on his UK album, This Is Ricki Disoni.[23]