"Gimme Some Lovin'" is a song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood, although solely credited to Steve Winwood on the UK single label, and performed by the Spencer Davis Group. As recalled by bassist Muff Winwood, the song was conceived, arranged, and rehearsed in just half an hour. At the time, the group was under pressure to come up with another hit, following the relatively poor showing of their previous single, "When I Come Home", written by Jamaican-born musician Jackie Edwards, who had also penned their earlier number one hits, "Keep On Running" and "Somebody Help Me". The band auditioned and rejected other songs Edwards offered them, and they let the matter slide until, with a recording session looming, manager Chris Blackwell took them to London, put them in a rehearsal room at the Marquee Club, and ordered them to come up with a new song. In 1966, "Gimme Some Lovin'" reached number two in the UK and number seven in the US. The song is ranked number 247 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The original UK version, which is the 'master' take of the song, differs in several respects from the version subsequently released in the US on the United Artists label. First, the UK version has a different lead vocal track that includes the following lyrics in the second verse: "My head's a-spinning And I'm floating to sound, Too much is happening 'cause you're not around" These lyrics do not appear on the US single. Also, the original UK recording is a touch slower, and lacks the 'response' backing vocals in the chorus, some percussion, and the "live-sounding" ambience of the US single. These additional overdubs, and the 'tweaking' of the recording's speed to create a brighter sound, were the work of producer Jimmy Miller, who remixed the song for its US release. The single features the sound of the Hammond organ. Live recordings are included on the Traffic albums Welcome to the Canteen and The Last Great Traffic Jam.
In 1980, The Blues Brothers covered "Gimme Some Lovin'". The song is from the movie soundtrack The Blues Brothers. Their version reached number 18 on the U.S. BillboardHot 100 and number 16 on Cash Box. On WLS-AM in Chicago, the song peaked at number three.
Chart history
;Spencer Davis Group
Chart
Peak position
Australia
6
Canada RPM Top Singles
1
-
New Zealand
5
South Africa
18
UK
2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
7
U.S. Cash Box Top 100
5
;Blues Brothers
Chart
Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles
22
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
18
U.S. Cash Box Top 100
16
Other cover versions
Ike & Tina Turner often included the song in their opening dance medley during concerts; a version was released on their 1969 live albumIn Person.
Also in 1978, the group Kongas released a disco version of "Gimme Some Lovin'" under the title "Africanism / Gimme Some Lovin'." The song reached #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard's Dance / Disco Chart.
In 1990, the hard rock bandThunder released a cover version of the song on their debut album Backstreet Symphony.
In 2017, the Swiss hard rock band Krokus included a version of the song on their cover albumBig Rocks.
The song was used in the 1996 filmSleepers during a scene where Lorenzo "Shakes" Carcaterra flees from a hot dog seller
The song is used as the background sound to the car's street chase sequence on the 1999 filmNotting Hill.
The song is also used in the 1999 movie EDtv when Ed played by Matthew McConaughley is chasing Shira played by Jenny Elfman
The original Spencer Davis Group's version is used as background music in the 2013 movie Rush in the scene of the first race, when James Hunt and Niki Lauda are racing for the first time in the same race.
