"Trying to Live My Life Without You" or "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" is a song written by Eugene Frank Williams, originally popularized by soul singer Otis Clay. In early 1973 it reached #102 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart. On February 17, 1973, Clay performed the song on Soul Train.[2] It has since been covered by several other artists, most notably Bob Seger on his 1981 Nine Tonight album, Dr. Feelgood on their 1982 Fast Women & Slow Horses album, Brinsley Schwarz and at live performances by The California Honeydrops.
| "Trying to Live My Life Without You" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Otis Clay | |
| from the album Trying to Live My Life Without You | |
| B-side | "Let Me Be the One" |
| Released | December 1972 |
| Genre | R&B[1] |
| Length | 2:50 |
| Label | Hi |
| Songwriter(s) | Eugene Williams |
| "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | ||||
| from the album Nine Tonight | ||||
| B-side | "Brave Strangers (Live)" | |||
| Released | August 25, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | October 6, 1980 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:04 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Eugene Williams | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Seger, Punch Andrews | |||
| Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" on YouTube | ||||
Writing
editThe song is sung from the point of view of a man who is addressing his former lover. During the song's verses, the narrator tells of various habits he has had over his lifetime, such as smoking "five packs of cigarettes a day", drinking "four or five bottles of wine." and womanizing with many young women. In the song, he states that breaking those former habits was difficult, but not nearly as difficult as getting over the girl and forgetting the love they shared.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard | 102 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles[3] | 24 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [4] | 70 |
Bob Seger version
editBob Seger's cover of the song is the most successful version of the song, reaching number five on the pop singles charts. It is known for Seger's spoken prelude on top of the bassline: "Alright, you guys feel funky tonight? ... This is an old Memphis song, old Memphis song...." The Nine Tonight liner notes claim that Seger's saxophone player, Alto Reed, played all the saxophones heard on that song, at the same time. Most likely this is possible from studio overdubbing on top of the live performance.
Record World said it is a "soulful rocker that captures Seger at his best."[5]
Chart performance
editReferences
edit- ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. pp. 331–332. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
- ^ "Watch Soul Train Season 2 Episode 20 Online". SideReel.com. 1973-02-17. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 122.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 1/20/73". 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 25, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1981". 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.