Love the One You're With
Encyclopedia
"Love the One You're With" is a 1970 single by folk
rocker Stephen Stills
. The first release off his first solo album Stephen Stills
, it rose to the top twenty of the pop singles chart, peaking at No. 14.
A live version by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young appears on their album 4 Way Street
. A solo version by Stills appears on the Crosby, Stills and Nash CD Demos.
Stills wrote the song after being inspired by the tag line -- "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" which was a frequent remark by musician Billy Preston
. Stills asked him for permission to use the line in a song which Preston immediately agreed to.
, whose unique gospel
-driven cover of the song sent it to the charts again reaching number three R&B and number eighteen pop
, giving the group their fifth US top 40
pop single. Other versions from 1971 include Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
on their live album 4 Way Street
, Aretha Franklin
on her album Aretha Live at Fillmore West
, The Supremes
along with The Four Tops on their album Dynamite, Engelbert Humperdinck on Live At The Riviera, Bobby Goldsboro
and Les Humphries Singers
.
A version was released by early 80s UK pop trio, Tight Fit
in 1983, but failed to chart. Bucks Fizz
covered the song as their eighteenth single in 1986 reaching UK #47. Will Young
also recorded a version for his second album, Friday's Child
. In 2006, Dennis Rollins
produced a further cover on the album Big Night Out!. The Chantoozies produced another cover, releasing it as a single from their second album Gild the Lily
, becoming their biggest selling single.
Another notable cover of this tune is from the Danish act Ray Dee Ohh
's second album from 1990 "Too". A solid up-tempo, classic pop/rock version
Other live versions include The Jackson 5
, Jeff Martin
, Hootie and the Blowfish, Luther Vandross
and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
. Crosby, Stills, & Nash also performed the song with James Taylor
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert.
In 2010, the song became a family affair with Stephen's daughter Jen Stills
covering her father's classic. The track was featured in an episode of the popular ABC drama, Brothers & Sisters.
It was also sampled by Canadian artist Classified
on the track "Love the one you're with"
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
rocker Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
. The first release off his first solo album Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills (album)
Stephen Stills is an eponymous rock album by Stephen Stills, famous for his long-time membership in Crosby, Stills, & Nash. It consists of songs written by Stills and is one of four high-profile albums released by each member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their 1970 chart-topping...
, it rose to the top twenty of the pop singles chart, peaking at No. 14.
A live version by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young appears on their album 4 Way Street
4 Way Street
4 Way Street is the third album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their second as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and their first live album. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200...
. A solo version by Stills appears on the Crosby, Stills and Nash CD Demos.
Stills wrote the song after being inspired by the tag line -- "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" which was a frequent remark by musician Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
. Stills asked him for permission to use the line in a song which Preston immediately agreed to.
Cover versions
Several acts have since covered the song. The most notable cover came in 1971 from The Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
, whose unique gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
-driven cover of the song sent it to the charts again reaching number three R&B and number eighteen pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, giving the group their fifth US top 40
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
pop single. Other versions from 1971 include Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
on their live album 4 Way Street
4 Way Street
4 Way Street is the third album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, their second as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and their first live album. It was originally released as Atlantic Records SD-2-902, shipping as a gold record and peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
on her album Aretha Live at Fillmore West
Aretha Live at Fillmore West
Aretha Live at Fillmore West is a gold-certified album by Aretha Franklin, released in 1971. It was reissued on compact disc in the 1990s through Rhino Records. An expanded, limited edition 4-CD box set entitled, Don't Fight The Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live At Fillmore...
, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
along with The Four Tops on their album Dynamite, Engelbert Humperdinck on Live At The Riviera, Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida...
and Les Humphries Singers
Les Humphries Singers
The Les Humphries Singers was a 1970s musical group formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 by the English born Les Humphries , who had been inspired to do his own version of the Edwin Hawkins Singers.The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end of the...
.
A version was released by early 80s UK pop trio, Tight Fit
Tight Fit
Tight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...
in 1983, but failed to chart. Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
covered the song as their eighteenth single in 1986 reaching UK #47. Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
also recorded a version for his second album, Friday's Child
Friday's Child (album)
Friday's Child is the second album from original Pop Idol winner Will Young. The album was released on 1 December 2003 and reached #1 in the UK Album Chart...
. In 2006, Dennis Rollins
Dennis Rollins
Dennis Rollins is a British jazz trombonist, the founder and bandleader of BadBone and Co.Rollins was born in Birmingham, of Jamaican parents, and brought up in Bentley, Doncaster and attended Don Valley High School...
produced a further cover on the album Big Night Out!. The Chantoozies produced another cover, releasing it as a single from their second album Gild the Lily
Gild the lily
Gild the lily is an idiom that refers to wastefully and unnecessarily adding to something that is already perfect. The term is a derived from a misquotation from William Shakespeare's play The Life and Death of King John: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, to throw a perfume on the violet,...
, becoming their biggest selling single.
Another notable cover of this tune is from the Danish act Ray Dee Ohh
Ray Dee Ohh
Ray Dee Ohh was a Danish pop band that existed between 1988 and 1992, made from the remnants from Tøsedrengene and The Lejrbåls. The group consisted of Maria Bramsen , Caroline Henderson , Michael Bruun , Poul Halberg , Jan Sivertsen , Simon West and Christian Dietl .The band is known for a...
's second album from 1990 "Too". A solid up-tempo, classic pop/rock version
Other live versions include The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
, Jeff Martin
Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)
Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
, Hootie and the Blowfish, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen" .-History:...
. Crosby, Stills, & Nash also performed the song with James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert.
In 2010, the song became a family affair with Stephen's daughter Jen Stills
Jen Stills
Jen Stills is a singer and songwriter who was raised in Arizona and later moved to Los Angeles where she lives today.Stills has appeared on Ray LaMontagne's album Trouble on the track “Narrow Escape,” and on the title track of Crosby Stills and Nash's After the Storm...
covering her father's classic. The track was featured in an episode of the popular ABC drama, Brothers & Sisters.
It was also sampled by Canadian artist Classified
Classified (rapper)
Luke Boyd , professionally known as Classified, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.-Career:...
on the track "Love the one you're with"
Stephen Stills version credits
- Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
: vocals, guitar, organ, steel drum, percussion - Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels: bass
- Jeff Whittaker: congas
- Rita CoolidgeRita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
, Priscilla Jones, John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, Graham NashGraham NashGraham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
: background vocals
Isley Brothers version credits
- Ronald IsleyRonald IsleyRonald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
: lead vocals - O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph IsleyRudolph IsleyRudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
: background vocals - Ernie IsleyErnie IsleyErnest "Ernie" Isley is a member of the iconic American musical ensemble, The Isley Brothers.-Life and career:Ernie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his older brothers formed The Isley Brothers, first as a gospel group, then as a secular-singing group. In 1960 his family moved to Englewood and...
: guitar - Marvin IsleyMarvin IsleyMarvin Isley was the youngest member of the family music group the Isley Brothers and its bass guitarist....
: bass - Chris JasperChris JasperChris Jasper is a former member of both the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley. He is also a successful solo artist and record producer, recording a number of his own solo albums, and producing artists, for his New York based record label, Gold City Records...
: piano, keyboards - George Moreland: drums, percussion
- Chester Woodard, Jr: guitar
- John Mosley: flute
- Milton Westley: organ
- Gary Jones: congas
- Buck Clarke: congas