"It Should Have Been Me" is a 1963 song written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Norman Whitfield for Kim Weston. 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 and number 33 in Canada. Fair had her only hit single with her recording of the song in 1976, reaching number 5 in the UK, number 85 in the US and number 10 in Australia.
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",The Vicar of Dibley – The Handsome Stranger (2006) – Soundtracks with Dawn French miming the singing.
Adeva (1991)
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". The song was produced by Smack and released by Capitol Records as the second single from her second album, Love & Lust (1991). In Europe, it peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the European Dance Radio Chart and number one on the UK Club 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." Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "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." Andrew Smith from Melody Maker complimented it as a "joyously stomping" disco/garage tune, "well worth the price of a 45." 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."
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) "It Should Have Been Me" (Hype Radio Mix) — 4:08 "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Radio Mix) — 3:55 "It Should Have Been Me" (Extended Remix) — 6:30 "It Should Have Been Me" (Classic Club Mix) — 9:11 "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Club Mix) — 7:40 "It Should Have Been Me" (Def Zone Mental) — 6:35 "It Should Have Been Me" (Sound Factory Mix) — 5:08 "It Should Have Been Me" (LP Version) — 5:06
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1991)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA) 83Europe (European Dance Radio) 4UK Airplay (Music Week) 59UK Dance (Music Week) 8UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 1US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard) 1
Year-end charts Chart (1991)PositionUK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 52
Miley Cyrus (2021) Lead vocals by Miley Cyrus.Watch Miley Cyrus Cover ‘It Should Have Been Me’ on ‘Fallon’, Rolling Stone, December 10, 2021
See also List of number-one dance singles of 1991 (U.S.)
References
External links