Saturday, September 26, 2009

I Love You More Than You`ll Ever Know



SONG:
I Love You
More Than You'll Ever Know

WRITTEN BY: Al Kooper

PERFORMED BY: Blood Sweat and Tears, Donny Hathaway

APPEARS ON: Child is Father to the Man,
Extension of a Man


Writing for this blog has proven to be very educational. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about These Eyes by The Guess Who and how all my life I had been listening to the version of that song by Junior Walker not knowing it was a remake. Well, it just happened again with one of my favorite songs. I was coming up with the words to describe this song and I decided to look up the lyrics while I thought about it. I typed in the words “I Love you more than you’ll ever know” and waited to see Donny Hathaway’s name. I looked at the screen and was shocked to see the name Blood Sweat and Tears. I was positive Donny Hathaway wrote this song and if I went on a music trivia show I would have been eliminated on this question. It turns out I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know was originally performed by Blood Sweat and Tears and written by Al Kooper. It was released on their debut album Child Is Father to the Man in 1968. I have to admit that the original version is very impressive for a band I never heard of. I am not sure about Al Kooper's singing but the band plays the hell out of the music.

The reason why I love the song so much is because it tells a story from the standpoint of a regular man trying to do anything he can to keep the woman he loves. Sometimes the things you do work out and sometimes they don’t but you have to try what you can to make her happy. In this modern day of rhythm and blues it seems songs get attention that go against this theory. It’s all full of fantasy and stories about trips to islands, nice cars and expensive jewelry. There are some real singers still out there but a lot of the make believe images get attention. This song represents what a man really feels inside when he loves someone with real life circumstances. I don’t want to paint all current songs with a broad brush but it’s been a long time since I heard a love song on the radio with lyrics like.

When I wasn’t making much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to you baby
And I never spent a red cent.

That sounds more like real life in this economy. You have to give credit to Al Kooper for coming up with the song and the lyrics but Donny Hathaway sings these lyrics with so much feeling that you can imagine him just walking in the studio without anything written down and singing this straight from his heart. I love Donny Hathaway. He had that special gift in his voice that allows you to feel every emotion of the song. Although he’s been deceased since 1979 he’s still on my concert wish list. If I had found out he went in the studio the same night his woman left to sing this song I would have believed it. Maybe that’s why so many people think he wrote it. It would have been really cool to hear him sing it with the original band because those guys can play.

Lyrics
If I ever leave you baby....you can say I told you so
And if I ever hurt you ..... you know I hurt myself as well

Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know

When I wasn't making much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to you baby
And I never spent a red cent
Heeey

Is that any way for a man to carry on
Do you think I want my loved one gone
Said I love you
More than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know

Now listen to this
I'm not trying to be
Just any kind of man
No I ain't
I'm just trying to be somebody
You can love, trust and understand
I know, I know, I know that I can be
A part of you that no one else could see
Yeah
But I gotta hear you say
I got to hear you say
It's alright
I'm only flesh and blood
But I can be anything that you demand
I can be King of everything
Or just a tiny grain of sand
Now tell me

Is that anyway for a man to carry on
Do you think that I want my loved one gone
I love you
More than you'll ever know
I said I love you
I love you
I love you
Heeey
Don't want nobody else but you.....






7 comments:

  1. You might know Al Kooper from the organ riff that opens Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." He formed BS&T as a vehicle for melding rock, blues, and jazz, then left after one album because of artistic differences (the rest of the band wanted to go in a more pop direction). BS&T's second album -- after Kooper -- yielded their biggest hits ("Spinning Wheel" and "And When I Die"), but the first has always garnered the highest critical praise.

    LoveDonny Hathaway's rendition. Do you know his outstanding cover of Leon Russell's "Song For You"? "Song For You" is proof of a great song's ability to cross genres, because Willie Nelson performs a terrific version, too.

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  2. Citizen K...
    In 2 words - You Rock!
    I love the way that you describe your amazement that this Classic was originally performed by BST. My sentiments exactly - I have the Hathaway collection and Song for you is also one of my favorites - It is often stated and in this instance I feel it is definitely true - Our Lord wanted Donnie near to perform in his Many Mansions. Too Bad more of the world does not know of his incredible artistry - sorta like the story of the indescribeable Phyllis Hyman - but that is for another story - another time.
    Ciao
    Fernando

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  3. The version you added from youtube is not Al Kooper on vocals, it's Jerry Fisher, try here
    for the original version.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2LSKL9Yjs

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  4. One of the classic love songs i always wanted to hear. the same as beautiful in my eyes, my lady.

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  5. I experienced a strange sensation when you wrote "I have to admit that the original version is very impressive for a band I never heard of."... Why? Because I grew up listening to BS&T; indeed their entire band jammed in my living room in the Bronx on several occasions (I was just a little boy of 7 or 8 years old at the time). You see, to this day, Fred Lipsius is my fathers best friend. They grew up in the same building in Parkchester section of the Bronx.

    I don't know if you have had the experience of listening to BS&T's first 4 albums, but if/when you do you may agree with me that there has never been another band of this caliber since. I know that is broad statement, and if you ever suggest this in a musical crowd, you'll have an argument on your hands. People will suggest Chicago and Tower of Power and even Earth Wind & Fire, but if you are a musician and you listen closely, you'll hear the difference.

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  6. the one that i loved best is album version Blood sweat tears with guitar riff and sax

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  7. the album version blood sweat tears with guitar riff and sax is in my opinion the best such memories

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