It Should Have Been Me (Norman Whitfield song)

For the Ray Charles song, see It Should've Been Me (Memphis Curtis song).

"It Should Have Been Me" is a 1963 song written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Norman Whitfield for Kim Weston.^[1] It has been performed by Yvonne Fair, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Adeva among others. Knight's version peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968^[2] and number 33 in Canada.^[3] Fair had her only hit single with her recording of the song in 1976, reaching number 5 in the UK,^[4] number 85 in the US^[5] and number 10 in Australia.^[6]

The song begins:

"I saw my love walking down the aisle

And as he passed me by, he turned to me and gave me a smile"

Versions

Kim Weston (1963)

• Lead vocals by Kim Weston
• Backing vocals by The Supremes: Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Gladys Knight & The Pips (1968)

• Lead vocals by Gladys Knight
• Backing vocals by Merald "Bubba" Knight, Edward Patten, and William Guest
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Yvonne Fair (1975)

• Lead vocals by Yvonne Fair
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

This version was used in The Vicar of Dibley 2006 episode "The Handsome Stranger",^[7] with Dawn French miming the singing.

Adeva (1991)

"It Should Have Been Me"
Single by Adeva
from the album Love & Lust
Released	1991
Genre	Dance house
Length	3:22
Label	Capitol Records
Songwriter(s)	William "Mickey" Stevenson and Norman Whitfield
Producer(s)	Smack
Adeva singles chronology
"Ring My Bell" (1991) "It Should Have Been Me" (1991) "Don't Let It Show on Your Face" (1992)
Music video
"It Should Have Been Me" on YouTube

In 1991, American dance music artist Adeva had the first of two number ones on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with her version of "It Should Have Been Me".^[8] The song was released as the second single from her second album, Love & Lust (1991). In Europe, it peaked at number 48 in the UK and number four on the European Dance Radio Chart.

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from music critics. Alex Henderson from AllMusic stated that Adeva interprets the Gladys Knight & the Pips hit "with equally impressive results."^[9] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Dance chanteuse previews her sophomore effort, Love & Lust, with an attitudinal houser. Highly stylized, assertive vocals are countered by a physical bass line and a rousing gospel-spiced undercurrent. Demands immediate club approval—not to mention attention at crossover and urban radio."^[10] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker complimented it as a "joyously stomping" disco/garage tune, "well worth the price of a 45."^[11] Ian McCann from NME wrote, "There's an epic cover of an old soul hit: instead of "Respect", this time Yvonne Fair's terrible "It Should've Been Me" gets the treatment, and what a treatment it is: Adeva slits open the tune and takes all the mawkishness out of it. Given a cooler mix it should—ironically—be a massive Italian-styled hit."^[12]

Track listing

• Vinyl, Europe (1991)

A: "It Should've Been Me" — 3:22

AA: "It Should've Been Me" (Touchdown Edit) — 4:18

• 12", UK (1991)

A: "It Should've Been Me" (Touchdown Mix) — 6:09

AA1: "It Should've Been Me" (Classic Club Mix) — 6:59

AA2: "It Should've Been Me" (Def Club Mix)

• CD single, US (1991)

1. "It Should Have Been Me" (Hype Radio Mix) — 4:08
2. "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Radio Mix) — 3:55
3. "It Should Have Been Me" (Extended Remix) — 6:30
4. "It Should Have Been Me" (Classic Club Mix) — 9:11
5. "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Club Mix) — 7:40
6. "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Zone Mental) — 6:35
7. "It Should Have Been Me" (Sound Factory Mix) — 5:08
8. "It Should Have Been Me" (LP Version) — 5:06

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	83
Europe (European Dance Radio)[13]	4
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	48
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	1

Miley Cyrus (2021)

• Lead vocals by Miley Cyrus.^[15]

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1991 (U.S.)

References

1. Dahl, Bill (2001). Motown: The Golden Years. Krause Publications. p. 333. ISBN 0873492862.
2. Whitburn, Joel (March 2010). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Record Research, Inc. p. 542. ISBN 978-0898201802.
3. "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 6, 1968" (PDF).
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 192. ISBN 1904994105.
5. Whitburn, Joel (March 2010). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Record Research, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0898201802.
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 18. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. The Vicar of Dibley – The Handsome Stranger (2006) – Soundtracks
8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 16.
9. Henderson, Alex. "Adeva – Love or Lust?". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
10. Flick, Larry (19 October 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
11. Smith, Andrew (9 November 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 34. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
12. McCann, Ian (26 October 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 35. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
13. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 November 1991. p. 26. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
14. "Adeva: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
15. Watch Miley Cyrus Cover ‘It Should Have Been Me’ on ‘Fallon’, Rolling Stone, December 10, 2021

External links

• It Should Have Been Me at AllMusic