Songfacts®:

• This song was written by the group's lead singer, Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis was their guitarist - he was chosen as the group's namesake because he was the only one who enjoyed doing interviews). Winwood says they banged it out in the studio in the first or second take. The song was also written on the fly. In Rolling Stone magazine, bassist Muff Winwood said, "Steve had been singing, 'Gimme some lovin',' just yelling anything. It took about an hour to write, then down the pub for lunch."
• Steve Winwood was just 17 years old when he wrote this song. It was one of the first songs he wrote, and the first one that he says wasn't derivative of something already recorded.
• The Spencer Davis group was signed by Chris Blackwell, who released their first single, a cover of the John Lee Hooker song "Dimples," in 1964. He had the group record songs written by the Jamaican composer Jackie Edwards, two of which were #1 UK hits in 1965: "Keep on Running" and "Somebody Help Me."
  
  When Blackwell set his sights on the American market for the group, he had them record with producer Jimmy Miller and asked them to write an original song that would go over well in the US. "Gimme Some Lovin'" was the result; Miller made the US release more appealing to American taste by adding percussion and a female chorus. The song served its purpose, becoming the first American hit for The Spencer Davis Group. Their follow-up, "I'm a Man," made #10, but was their last significant hit stateside. Winwood, however, went on to tremendous success in America as a solo artist, becoming far more popular there than in his native UK. In America, he had two #1 hits: "Higher Love" and "Roll With It."
• Steve Winwood played a Hammond B-3 organ on this track, which became one of the most recognizable organ riffs in rock. Winwood also wrote the song on the instrument, which explains why it is so prominent in the mix.
• In America, the first release of this song was by The Jordan Brothers, which was a rock band from the Philadelphia area. Frank Jordan explained to the Forgotten Hits newsletter:
  
  "Artists back in the 50's and 60's relied heavily on the record company's people to come up with a hit for them. This was the case with The Jordan Brothers' band. Upon receiving a phone call from the people at our record company in New York, we packed up our instruments and, along with our father, we went to the Big Apple. The people at our company played a 'demo' or demonstration of the song 'Gimme Some Lovin'' for us to hear and approve. We all agreed that we liked the song and agreed to record it. Little did we know that it was the actual 8-track tape we listened to containing Steve Winwood's vocal, organ, a lead guitar, bass guitar and drums. The other remaining tracks were open for any additional accompaniment. We did not know this at the time or how our record company got hold of the original recording. We may never know. Or how the other record company that recorded the other tracks on it got a hold of it. We learned the song, recorded it on that same trip and it was released in three major cities in the US. So, we did have the first release in the US and the record took off immediately. It boasted huge sales in three major cities which would make the Spencer Davis version seem like it was a cover. The Spencer Davis version was enhanced with more instrumentation and background voices which gave it somewhat of a 'soul sound,' a term used back then for a sound produced at Motown records which was very popular at the time. The Spencer Davis version was released and it got immediate attention. It didn't take long for it to take over our version and cover it."
• In 1980 The Blues Brothers returned this song to the American Top 20 when their cover from the soundtrack of The Blues Brothers reached #18.
• This was featured in the 1999 film Notting Hill. Other movies where it appeared include Days of Thunder, The Big Chill and Sleepers.
• Steve Winwood later covered the song with Traffic on their live album Welcome to the Canteen. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  James - Tracy, CA
• This was use in a TV commercial for Allstate insurance. The Grateful Dead's cover of this song was used in a commercial for Ameriprse Retirement Planning. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Josh Deutchman - Pound Ridge, NY