Tag: Otis Clay

Otis Clay – That’s How It Is (When You’re In Love)

I always liked the late sixties and early seventies soul and R&B…this one fits the bill.

Otis Clay, born in Mississippi and raised in Chicago, started his career in gospel music before transitioning to soul music in the mid-sixties. His move into soul followed a trend among gospel artists of that era, like Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke, who carried over the powerful vocal styles to soul music.

In 1957, Otis Clay sang with several gospel groups, including the Golden Jubilaires, the Blue Jays, and the Pilgrim Harmonizers. However, it was with the Gospel Songbirds that he made his first recording in 1964, Jesus, I Love to Call His Name. Shortly after its release, Clay accepted an offer to join the renowned Sensational Nightingales, with whom he toured until mid-1965. He then decided to cross over into the R&B genre and signed with the One-derful label. “That’s How It Is (When You’re in Love)” took Clay onto the R&B charts in 1967.

The follow-up, Lasting Love, was also a hit, but Clay’s contract was sold to Cotillion Records as One-derful faced bankruptcy. His releases there included She’s About A Mover and Do Right Woman—Do Right Man (both of which were recorded at Muscle Shoals), as well as a searing version of Pouring Water On A Drowning Man.

The song peaked at 131 on the Billboard 100 and #34 on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1967.

His version of Pouring Water On A Drowning Man. He does a great version but my favorite version is by James Carr.

That’s How It Is

Please, somebody take your hand and slap some sense into me
Open my eyes, ’cause I’m too blind to see
I’ve got this woman and she’s messin’ my mind around
She knows that I love her, but still she’s tryin’ to put me down
I know I’m just a fool, someone she can use
But I can’t help myself, ooh, I can’t help myself

Ooh, now listen baby, I know I’m just your fool
But I love you, and for you I’ll break every rule
Now I’ve broken hearts before of the ones that love me
But now I’m in love, too, place no one above you
The Lord knows I love you, always thinkin’ of you
But I can’t help myself, I can’t help myself

Ooh no, please don’t look down on me
Because I’m weak. When you’re in love, it’s easy to be
I know I’m being abused
Misused and confused
But that’s how it is when you’re in love

That’s how it is now
I know that’s how it is now
When you love someone that don’t love you
Oh yeah, keep on being abused
Misused and confused
But that’s how it is when you’re in love

Make you feel so fine, yeah now
All right, oh yeah, keep on being abused
Keep on being misused
But that’s how it is
It ain’t a doggone thing you can do
No, now, oh no
Got to keep on holdin’ on, yeah

…

Bob Seger – Trying To Live My Life Without You

I was at “A Sound Day” reading Dave’s blog and he talked about Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s live album Nine Tonight that this song came off. I had forgotten about this song completely until Dave brought it up. So I give all credit for this post to Dave. It was like finding a long-lost pair of jeans you liked and missed. This song is not one they wear out on the radio as much.

Do you notice what song released around the same time sounds like this? Looks like the Eagles may have heard this version or the original and written the song The Long Run. Rock Critic Dave Marsh called The Long Run a complete ripoff of the 1972 R&B record “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You” and after listening to them…I do agree they are very similar. 

Otis Clay was a soul singer in the 60s and had his biggest hit with this song in 1972. He never could seem to break through…he had a good soul voice. He continued to make music until 2015 and he passed away in 2016.

This one was written by Eugene Frank Williams which Clay recorded a version in 1972 that only peaked at #102 on Billboard and #24 on the Soul Charts. Less than ten years later Bob Seger would take the song to a much higher place.

The song was on Seger’s Nine Tonight live album released in 1981. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard Album Charts, #6 in Canada, #24 in the UK, and #37 in New Zealand in 1981.

The song was a hit…it peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100 and #11 in Canada.

Trying To Live My Life Without You

… All right, you guys feel funky tonight, ah yeahthis is an old Memphis song, old Memphis songI used to smokeFive packs of cigarettes a dayIt was the hardest thingTo put them awayI drink four or five bottles of wineI kept a glassIn my hand all the timeBreaking those habits was hard to doBut nothing compared to the changesYou put me throughTrying to live my life without you babeIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever doTrying to forget the love we once sharedIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever haveAll right, I saidI had the worst reputation in townFor chasing all the women aroundI thought changing my way of livingWas hard to doBut it’s nothing compared to the changesThat you put me throughI’ve done everything I’ve tried to doBut it’s gonna take a miracleTo get me over youTrying to live my life without you babeIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever doTrying to forget the love we once sharedIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever haveAll right, I saidI had the worst reputation in townFor chasing all the women aroundI thought changing my way of livingWas hard to doBut it’s nothing compared to the changesThat you put me throughI’ve done everything I’ve tried to doBut it’s gonna take a miracleTo get me over you