Marshall Crenshaw – Someday, Someway —Powerpop Friday

I’ve said this before about other artists but I thought Marshall would have had more hits when I first heard his music in the early 80s. This is his only top forty hit…incredibly it was the only song Crenshaw had in the top 100. The song peaked at #32 in the Billboard 100 in 1982. Someday, Someway was on his self-titled debut album Marshall Crenshaw that peaked at #50 on the Billboard album charts in 1982.

This is a review of the Crenshaw’s debut album at Aphoristic Album Reviews…he has a very good album review and music site.

Marshall Crenshaw on the song: “I was taking basic rhythmic grooves from some of my favorite old rock ‘n’ roll records,” “There was a record that I really loved by Gene Vincent called ‘Lotta Lovin” that had a particular kind of beat to it. It just really did a thing to my nervous system.”

From Songfacts

Marshall Crenshaw is an American singer-songwriter who got his first break playing John Lennon in the off-Broadway touring company of the musical Beatlemania. While in New York, he recorded this song for Alan Betrock’s Shake Records, after which he was signed to Warner Bros. Records. “While I was there, I wrote ‘Someday, Someway’ and five or six of the other tunes on my first album,” he recalled to Spinner UK. “I wrote those in my hotel room. That was my next move in life, to be a recording artist. I actually had a sense of artistic direction and off I went.”

Retro rocker Robert Gordon was the first to record this tune, taking the song to #76 in 1981, then Crenshaw’s own version made #36 the next year. Though his self-titled debut album was acclaimed as a pop masterpiece upon release, this song was to be his only Billboard Top 40 hit. However he has continued to record over the next few decades and has also had some success in Hollywood, appearing in the film Peggy Sue Got Married as well as portraying Buddy Holly in La Bamba.

Speaking to American Songwriter magazine, Crenshaw described the writing of this song as an ‘Eureka’ moment. He said: “By this time I’d already written ‘(You’re My) Favorite Waste of Time’ and some other good ones, but I really thought that “Someday” was a breakthrough. I liked that it had this hypnotic riff-type basis; I’d used the basic groove to ‘Lotta Lovin’ by Gene Vincent as a starting point, thought that that was cool. And I liked the lyrics, they were nice and spare but had some depth, lots of possible meanings and implications, etc. There was something kind of mysterious about it and I liked that. It was one of those ones that came out in a rush.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH44d9UTDUs

Some Day, Some Way

I can’t stand to see you sad
I can’t bear to hear you cry
If you can’t tell me what you need
All I can do is wonder why

Someday, someway aw
Someday, someway, yeah now
Someday, someway
Maybe I’ll understand you

After all you’ve done for me
All I really want to do
Is take the love you brought my way
And give it all right back to you

Someday, someway
Someday, someway yeah yeah
Someday, someway
Maybe you’ll understand me
You’ve taken everything from me
I’ve taken everything from you

I’ll love you for my whole life through
Now after all you’ve done for me
All I really want to do
Is take the love you brought my way
And give it all right back to you

Someday, someway aw
Someday, someway, yeah now
Someday, someway maybe you’ll understand me
You’ve taken everything from me
I’ve taken everything from you

I’ll love you for my whole life through
I can’t stand to see you sad
I can’t bear to hear you cry
If you can’t tell me what you need
All I can do is wonder why

Someday, someway aw
Someday, someway, yeah yeah
Someday, someway
Maybe I’ll understand you

Someday, someway aw
Someday, someway, yeah yeah
Someday, someway
Maybe you’ll understand me

Someday, someway oh!
Someday, someway, yeah now
Someday, someway
Maybe I’ll understand you

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all. View all posts by Badfinger (Max)