"Every Little Bit Hurts" was originally a 1964 hit
single for
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
singer
Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway (born June 26, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter, who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the soul hits, " Every Little Bit Hurts", " When I'm Gone", and " You've Ma ...
, written by
Ed Cobb
Edward C. "Ed" Cobb (February 25, 1938 – September 19, 1999) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most notably during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for writing the song " Tainted Love" for Gloria Jones, which lat ...
.
Background
Though she was against recording the song again (she recorded it a couple of years before signing with Motown), she reluctantly recorded the song and the label released it in the summer of the year. "Every Little Bit Hurts" was a big hit peaking at No. 13 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and became one of Holloway's trademark singles.
Covers
* The Spencer Davis Group version reached No. 41 in the UK in early 1965.
and No. 9 in Canada in 1967.
*In 1968,
Small Faces
Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The b ...
recorded the song and included on "The BBC Sessions" LP.
* Released in October 1976, it was covered by
Graeme "Shirley" Strachan (lead singer of
Skyhooks
Skyhook, sky hook or skyhooks may refer to:
Fiction
* 'Skyhooks' or 'Skyhooks II', parts 1 and 8 respectively of the Adventure Time Elements miniseries.
* ''Sky Hook'', a Hugo-award nominated science fiction fanzine
* ''Sky Hook'' (film), a ...
) as his debut solo release and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
Singles Charts.
* British band
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave music, new wave moveme ...
recorded a cover of the song in 1980 for
Sandinista!, but the track didn't make it onto the album. It was instead released in 1991 on the box set
Clash on Broadway
''Clash on Broadway'' is a box set compilation album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on Legacy Records in 1991. It comprises 64 tracks on three compact discs, spanning the time period from their 1977 debut single, " White R ...
.
Chart history
;Brenda Holloway
;Spencer Davis Group
;Graeme "Shirley" Strachan
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Alicia Keys version
"Every Little Bit Hurts" was included by
American recording artist
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...
on her live album, ''
Unplugged'' (2005). It was released as the album's second and last single in 2006. It failed to enter the US and international charts.
Critical reception
Sal Cinquemani from ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' felt that Keys treated the song "like
vocal audition
..and not the blank canvas
..of an interpretive artist".
Music video
Directed by Justin Francis, the video premiered on January 17, 2006 on
BET's ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rat ...
''.
Track listing
*US promotional CD single
# "Every Little Bit Hurts" (Radio Edit) – 3:58
# "Every Little Bit Hurts" (Call Out Hook) – 0:10
# "Every Little Bit Hurts" (Radio Edit) (MP3 format) – 3:58
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Every Little Bit Hurts
1964 singles
1965 singles
1976 singles
2006 singles
Brenda Holloway songs
Alicia Keys songs
Songs written by Ed Cobb
Motown singles
Small Faces songs
Soul ballads
Rhythm and blues ballads
1964 songs
Teena Marie songs