Delbert McClinton – Giving It Up for Your Love

I remember hearing this song for the first time on the way to a baseball game that I was set to pitch. It was the best game I ever pitched. I didn’t have my best stuff at all but I pitched a one-hitter. There was one big problem…the other pitcher pitched a no-hitter and shut us out.  I remember I walked someone and he was on second base. The ball was hit to left field and our left fielder Greg C****** dropped the ball and the run scored. We lost 1-0. I didn’t give Greg any grief but I can STILL see him drop that ball.

McClinton is an excellent singer and musician. He plays an eclectic mix of tough soul, blues, rock and roll, country, Tex-Mex, some reggae, and jazz. He is a guy that was never a huge star but should have been. I love his music because it’s so down-to-earth and rootsy.

The song was released in 1980 on Delbert’s album “The Jealous Kind.” Giving It Up for Your Love peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100.

Delbert has performed for years but this is his only Billboard top forty hit. He did reach #5 in the Country charts with Tanya Tucker with the song “Tell Me About It.” McClinton also won a Grammy in 1992 on a duet with Bonnie Raitt in a song called “Good Man, Good Woman.”

Some trivia about Delbert… he played the harmonica on Bruce Channel’s hit “Hey Baby.” Bruce Channel with Delbert had the Beatles supporting them during a few shows during the Love Me Do era. There was a rumor that Delbert gave John harmonica lessons…Delbert has said that John already knew how to play…he just gave him a few tips.

Delbert McClinton on showing John some tips: “These things are getting romanticized by everyone, They [The Beatles] were just another group of guys. They hadn’t yet changed the world. [But] we were all going to change the world, every one of us. And there was no doubt about it.”

Givin’ It Up For Your Love

Givin’ it up for your love – everything
Givin’ it up for your love right now
Givin’ it up for your love – I said everything
Givin’ it up for your love right now, right now

My heart is aching for you, I can’t stand it
I need your lovin’, am I so demanding?

I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love right now
I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love right now

Well, I thought about it
You know I’m not playing
You better listen to me
Every word I been saying

Hot is cold and cold is hot
I’m a little mixed up
But I’ll give it everything I’ve got

Don’t want your money, baby, don’t need your car
I’m doing all right, doing all right so far

I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love right now
Givin’ it up for your love – everything
Givin’ it up for your love somehow

I know you told me
That you’d always love me
And I believed it was true
So I saved the best and I’m ready
My love only just for you

Come back here, come back real quick
My heart is aching and my body is feeling weak
I’ll be all right, yes, I’ll be OK
Come on now baby, listen to what I say

Don’t want your money, baby, don’t need your car
Been doing all right, doing all right so far

I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love right now
I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love somehow

I’m givin’ it up for your love – I said everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love right now
I’m givin’ it up for your love – everything
I’m givin’ it up for your love somehow

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

48 thoughts on “Delbert McClinton – Giving It Up for Your Love”

  3. It has been a long, long time since I last heard this one. Losing on a one-hitter is brutal. The only thing I can think of in my experience was pitching in Little League and striking out 12 batters, which in a six-inning game was pretty impressive…except we still lost 9-5. Gave up some walks and a grand slam. No one else to blame lol!

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    1. Hey striking out that many is great…who cares about the score lol. That day my arm was sore so I couldn’t pitch as fast but I had something better…control because I wasn’t trying to throw it through the catcher.

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  4. He does a great job on this song, not the only guy to have cover be their biggest hit (solo). Despite the fact he’s a great songwriter. Two More Bottles for example . No idea he played with Channel, very cool! Love that live performance!

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  5. Remember, there’s no crying in baseball! What a drag that would be to lose a 1-hitter. I’ve said before, the problem with pitcher’s W-L is that every 1-0 game has a ‘loser’ and every 17-15 one, a ‘winner’.
    Vaguely remember the song, it’s quite good, but remember his name more for some reason. Wild though that he knew the Beatles and played shows with them. I see he’s 82 now, Ringo’s age.

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    1. I was telling Bruce…my arm was sore because I threw batting practice the day before…which was stupid of the coach…but my fast ball was gone…so I had one thing I didn’t normally have…control. The other pitcher I knew well…he was great.
      It’s a good song and yea he has done about everything.

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  6. My brother sent me a CD of Del 20 years back, it wound up lost, ‘loaned’ by a ‘friend, ‘mislaid- whatever, but it was a damn good ‘go to’ CD. Till my ‘go to’ went. I must listen to him again.
    Glad to see you have forgiven ‘Butterfingers’ Gary too! As I have forgiven my CD filching friend.

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      1. Yeh buddy just got back from holidaying . Also been listening to a song ‘Te quiero igual’ by an Argentine rock artist called Andrés Calamaro. It’s a great song, and I said to my daughter Kat who went crazy for it, ‘this is Dylan’! She said what and I said, ‘watch from 1:25 in video’. Straight Dylan imitation of the first rap song ever.

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    2. ‘Live From Austin’ is where it all began for me. A neighbor lent me the record. Instantly hooked. After Max’s post I was listening to some similar music and a great cut by him came on ‘Down Into Mexico’ one of those story songs I dig. Try getting it out of your head. I double dog dare ya. Hey Max when I first looked at this post and the pic you included I said I know that guy. That’s an old pic of Delbert. Love the guy.

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      1. Thanks, CB, just listened to “Down Into Mexico” – great tune! “Live from Austin, TX” is available via my streaming music provider, so I’ll check that one out as well. I see it includes covers of “Take Me to the River” and “Shakey Ground” – both tunes I dig. Looking forward to it!

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    1. LOL… no Greg Cundiff…I have to wonder if one day he will read this. Greg’s step father played bass for Lee Greenwood.

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  13. I’ve never heard of him before. As you say, there’s quite a blending of styles here – that electric piano is pretty 1980, but there’s sax, and it’s a bit rootsy and funky. Bit of country in there too.

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  15. Pingback: Delbert McClinton – Giving It Up for Your Love – Joe Stilez Music

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