Blogocentric Formulations

Gimme Some Lovin'

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Song: "Gimme Some Lovin'"
Artist: The Spencer Davis Group
Album: The Big Chill Soundtrack


Full disclosure #1: My favorite song from this soundtrack is "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations, but I already blogged about that song during a previous Soundtrackers event and I have a strict no-repeatsies policy.

Full disclosure #2: I probably could have picked any song from this album, since the whole soundtrack is great. Other finalists included "Good Lovin'" by The Rascals, "Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles, "It's The Same Old Song" by The Four Tops, and "My Girl" by The Temptations.

Full disclosure #3: This soundtrack has been released so many times in so many different formats that I've lost track of where it appears. There's the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, More Songs from The Original Soundtrack, the Deluxe Edition (including songs inspired by The Original Soundtrack)... I'm not sure where this song falls, but who really cares beside OCD people like me?

Full disclosure #4: This song was also featured prominently during the "race to get the girl" scene toward the end of Notting Hill, which was also an excellent use of this song.

Okay, now that we have all the legal mumbo-jumbo out of the way... this album is honestly probably one of my favorites of all time. With most albums (even soundtracks and compilations) it's usually about 20% songs I love, 40% songs I think are okay, and 40% songs that I don't really ever listen to unless they come up and I'm too lazy to change the track. With this album (or albums plural, if you include all the supplemental releases), though, it's closer to 50% songs I love, 40% songs I think are okay, and 10% songs that I don't really ever listen to. I can easily listen to this album on repeat all day long. Plus, I figured as long as I did a Gen-X "generational" soundtrack, I should probably include their parents' generational soundtrack on my playlist as well!

For the longest time, I didn't realize that Steve Winwood was an original member of this band (as well as Blind Faith and Traffic); I had always known him as a solo artist who sang hits like "Higher Love" and "Valerie" and "Roll With It." When I found out about his connection to The Spencer Davis Group, the sound of his voice is unmistakable. The Spencer Davis Group, while Winwood was off pursuing other projects and his own solo career, broke up and reformed over the years, including a 22 year hiatus between 1974 and 2006. This song remains one of their most successful and most popular, still used on soundtracks in modern movies.