For your love
For Your Love is the title of a million-seller written by Graham Gouldman for The Yardbirds in 1964 .
History of origin
The still unknown composer Graham Gouldman actually wrote For Your Love during his lunch break as an employee of a men's outfitter in his native Salford for his own beat band Mockingbirds, but their record company Columbia Records declined to record the demo . In December 1964, the manager of the Yardbirds, Giorgio Gomelsky , met Gouldman at a concert and brought the demo recording to London.
The simple lyrics are about a protagonist who would do anything for the love of the loved one - even give diamond rings and fetch the stars and moon from the sky - to win their love. For January 5, 1965, Gomelsky arranged a recording date in the IBC Studios in London and came up with the idea of using bongos and a harpsichord in the piece . Already in the intro the bongo drums and the harpsichord are used in a four-chord sequence, creating a mysterious atmosphere for the recording; the harpsichord got its own soundtrack . Offering a slightly oriental-style chord progression in E Minor composed song presented in the song bridge a rare change in a different time signature of 90-98 bpm bpm to 132, introduced by a percussion passage. After increasing the tempo and doubling the bongo sounds, the singing begins with the chorus sung by the group . The outro ends with slower bongo hits and rounds off the unusual arrangement by Paul Samwell-Smith . The song was finished in just 3 takes .
The line- up with Keith Relf (vocals), Eric Clapton (melody guitar), Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar), Paul Samwell-Smith (bass guitar) and Jim McCarty (drums) presented an almost guitarless melody in which the harpsichord and bongos dominated. Brian Auger (harpsichord), Denny Piercey (bongos) and Ron Prentiss (acoustic bass guitar) also acted as session musicians . Eric Clapton had to imitate the chords played by the harpsichord in live performances with his 12-string guitar - but it required minimal finger technique to play a round-sounding basic chord in E minor. This first commercial recording by the blues-oriented Yardbirds led Eric Clapton to leave the group in March 1965; Jeff Beck came to the group for him .
Publication and Success
Columbia Records had nothing against the release of For Your Love / Got to Hurry (Columbia DM 7499) as the Yardbirds' third single. It was released on March 5, 1965 and penetrated to number 3 in the British charts and - as part of the British Invasion - also to number 6 on the US hit parade ; it sold over a million copies worldwide. In Canada , For Your Love even achieved the status of a number one hit (1 week) in June 1965.
The single marked a departure from the Yardbirds from the blues to pop. The LP of the same name was released in July 1965.
Cover versions
Ed Townsend composed an often covered song with the same title For Your Love as early as March 1958 , so that confusion cannot be ruled out from 1965 onwards. There are at least 35 cover versions of the Yardbirds title , including Gary Lewis & the Playboys (LP A Session With Gary Lewis & the Playboys , August 1965), Herman's Hermits (LP Both Sides of Herman's Hermits ; September 1966), Humble Pie (LP Live in Whiskey a Go Go ; December 1969), Fleetwood Mac (December 1973) or Chilly (September 1979).
For Your Love appears in the films Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (Premiere: May 15, 1998 in Cannes), Harimu Ogen (May 10, 1985) and Deadly Advice (April 19, 1994).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dafydd Rees / Luke Crampton, Rock Movers & Shakers , 1991, p. 52
- ^ Greg Russo, Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up , 1997, p. 19
- ↑ David Nathan / Susan Gedutis Lindsay, Inside the Hits , 2001, p. 189
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 215