When a Man Loves a Woman

About this song

Sledge says the song began on a night when he was too upset over a broken relationship to perform with his local band, so he asked bass player Calvin Lewis and organ player Andrew Wright to play a slow blues backing while he sang what he was feeling. The trio later reworked that ad-libbed idea into the recorded version. It is also described as the first in a long line of great songs recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound studio in Sheffield, Alabama.

What it's about

The song grew out of Sledge's raw emotion over a woman and a broken relationship, with him singing about what he was feeling that night.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 4 other songs, like “Non-Stop by Frank Ocean”.
• Covered 23 times, including “When a Man Loves a Woman by Art Garfunkel”.
• Written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright (Songwriter).
• Produced by Quin Ivy and Marlin Greene.