I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)#Follow-up
{{Infobox song
| name = I Could Never Miss You
(More Than I Do)
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Lulu
| album =
1)Don't Take Love for Granted
2)Lulu
| B-side = Dance to the Feeling In Your Heart
| released = July 1981
| recorded = 1978 at Air Studios (Oxford Street)
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Easy listening
| length = 3:10
| label = Alfa Records
| writer = Neil Harrison
| producer = Mark London
Lem Lubin
| prev_title = I Love to Boogie
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Independence
| next_year = 1993
}}
"I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was the fourth and final US Top 40 hit for Lulu.
History
"I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was introduced on Lulu's 1978 album Don't Take Love For Granted, a Rocket Records release co-produced by Mark London the co-writer of Lulu's signature song "To Sir, With Love" and also the husband of Lulu's longtime manager Marion Massey. The album's other co-producer was Lem Lubin onetime bassist with Unit 4 + 2 and Christie and from 1977 a&r head for Rocket Records.
| class="wikitable floatleft" style="text-align: center; font-size: 70%" |
| Session Personnel for I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do) by Lulu |
|---|
| Drums{{*}}Trevor Spencer 1 Bass{{*}}Alan Tarney Keyboards{{*}}Lynton Naiff 1 Guitars{{*}}Ray Russell Percussion{{*}}Ray Cooper Chorale{{*}}Joanne Stone, Stevie Lange, Vicki Brown String arrangement{{*}}Lynton Naiff Orchestra Leader{{*}}Gavyn Wright{{Cite web|url=https://labibledelawestcoast.blogspot.ca/2016/12/lulu-dont-take-love-for-granted-1979.html?m=1|title = La Bible de la Westcoast Music - Cool Night -: Lulu "Don't Take Love for Granted" (1979) -Blue-Eyed Soul-|date = 18 December 2016}} |
According to Lulu, Mark London had discovered Neil Harrison and asked Lulu to record demos of Harrison's compositions to pitch to another singer: (quote Lulu:) "as soon as we did the demos it was very obvious that they weren't going to be demos. They were obviously going to be for me."The Palm Beach Post 27 November 1981 p. 28 A total of four Harrison compositions would appear on the Don't Take Love For Granted including the title cut and "Love is the Sweetest Mistake" which were respectively the A-side and B-side of the overlooked lead single.
In 1981 Alfa Records acquired Lulu's Rocket Records recordings and released "I Could Never Miss You" as a single backed with "Dance to the Feeling in Your Heart" - the latter track had been a non-album B-side being the flip of "I Love to Boogie" the second single off the UK edition of the Don't Take Love For Granted album.{{cite web|url=http://www.lulu.co.uk/7i.htm|title=The Lulu Web Site-Singles|
accessdate=31 March 2009}} "I Could Never Miss You" was issued in July 1981 in the US where Lulu's US profile had received a recent boost via her participation in two ATV series devoted to rock and roll music: Oh Boy aired in the autumn of 1980 while Let's Rock ran over the summer of 1981.{{cite web|url=http://www.lulu.co.uk/biography1.htm|title=The Lulu Web Site-Bio|accessdate=3 April 2009}} Also the early 1980s saw a considerable boost in the popularity of easy listening music as exemplified by the success of the comparable Sheena Easton.
The 1981 success of "I Could Never Miss You" resulted in Alfa issuing a self-titled album by Lulu featuring "I Could Never Miss You" plus two other tracks from the Don't Take Love For Granted album: the title cut plus "You Are Still a Part of Me", with seven newly recorded tracks completing the album.
Chart performance
"I Could Never Miss You" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1981, rising to a #18 peak in October. This marked Lulu's first appearance in the US Top 20 since "To Sir, with Love" in 1967.
"I Could Never Miss You" - whose Cash Box peak was #14
{{cite web|url=http://www.cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19811017.html|title=Cash Box 10/10/81|accessdate=31 March 2009}} - also reached #2 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
The US success of "I Could Never Miss You" translated into only a glimmer of interest in Lulu's native United Kingdom, where the single - issued October 1981 - peaked at #62 in the final week of 1981 – it would mark Lulu's sole UK charting between "Take Your Mama For a Ride" in 1975 and "Shout" in 1986.
{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/|title=The Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts |accessdate=31 March 2009}}
"I Could Never Miss You" also charted low in Australia at #71, although this was somewhat offset by a 16-week run. Canada's RPM magazine ranked "I Could Never Miss You" with a #10 peak. [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/index-e.html] The track had its strongest chart impact in New Zealand with an April 1982 peak of #3, which remains the highest post-1960s' peak on a national Pop chart for a solo recording by Lulu (tying with the 1974 UK chart peak of "The Man Who Sold the World").
Other versions
- Melba Moore as "I Could Never Miss You More" for her 1980 album Closer
{{cite web|url=http://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/album/melba_moore/closer|
title=Soul & FunkMusic-Melba Moore|accessdate=31 March 2009}}
- Bobbi Walker as "I Could Never Miss You" for her 1980 album Diamond in the Rough
{{cite web|url=http://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/album/bobbi_walker/diamond_in_the_rough|
title=Soul & Funk Music-Bobbi Walker|accessdate=31 March 2009}}
- Shirley Bassey as "Nadie Más Te Quiso (Como Yo)" (Nobody loves you more [than me]) for her 1989 Spanish language album La Mujer whose producer Leonardo Schultz wrote the new lyrics.{{cite web|url=http://www.songsofshirleybassey.co.uk/song/sng89005.html|title=Songs of Shirley Bassey|accessdate=31 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041704/http://www.songsofshirleybassey.co.uk/song/sng89005.html|archive-date=16 May 2008|url-status=usurped}}
- Syd Dale as an instrumental on his album Love Isn't Just For The Young {{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-isnt-just-for-the-young/378054595|title=Love Isn't Just For The Young|website=iTunes |date=January 2000|access-date=7 July 2011}}
References
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{{Lulu}}
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