The often-underrated hit: SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK

There are those songs that become so deeply ingrained in our minds that we never forget them. Take, for example, ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘Satisfaction’ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Sailing’ by Rod Stewart, and so on and so forth… All of them are anthems for musical eternity. No doubt the reader can think of numerous others at this point. But then there are also those songs that may not quite make it into this top tier of greatest hits, yet remain a faithful companion over the years and decades.

One that falls into this category is ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’, originally written by the American songwriter Jeff Fortgang. The song was written and first released in July 1973, reaching the Top 40 of the American Billboard charts at the time.

Nine years later, Robert Palmer released a version of the song on his album *Maybe It’s Live*, which reached number 16 in the UK charts.

Compared to earlier versions of the song, Palmer’s version features a significantly altered melody and different lyrics. Palmer told the British music journalist Max Bell in 1989: “I was working with Moon Martin at the time I wrote ‘Some Guys’. I played the song to him, and a few days later he said he’d just heard someone singing it in the studio across the road – which seemed impossible to me, as I hadn’t even finished it myself! What had actually happened was that I must have heard it subconsciously – I think it was on Australian radio – but simply hadn’t noticed. The only thing I could remember was the title.”

In 1984, Sir Rod Stewart released his version of “Some Guys”. As the second single from his album *Camouflage*, the song was released on 20 July 1984, with the classic “I Was Only Joking” on the B-side. Rod’s version reached its highest chart positions in Ireland (No. 11), the UK (No. 15), the US Billboard 100 (No. 10) and Canada (No. 16).

Admittedly, Sir Rod has had more successful singles throughout his career. But somehow, ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ has never really left us. Since the 1980s, the track has been a regular feature of Rod Stewart’s set list and is still a huge hit with audiences today.

And that’s probably also because many of us can really relate to the lyrics. “The guy next to me has a girl in his arms, my arms are empty” or “All of my friends have a ring on their finger, they have someone”. I’d bet that many of us, when hearing these lines, have already pictured this situation in our minds countless times, haven’t we?

As well as these lines, the chorus also quickly sticks in your mind. “Some guys have all the luck, Some guys have all the pain, Some guys get all the breaks, Some guys do nothing but complain...” – easy to remember, inviting you to sing along, and evoking some thought or memory with every word. Add to that the catchy 80s pop-rock sound, which still fits perfectly into the music scene today (or has found its way back into it).

“Live”, the song packs even more of a punch than the album version. The 2004 Royal Albert Hall performance has left a particularly lasting impression on many Stewart fans, when Rod dedicated his “Some Guys” to his mate Robert Palmer, who had passed away the year before, and incorporated a section of Palmer’s mega-hit “Addicted To Love” into the performance.

This performance in particular, and the song “Some Guys” in general, continued to go down a treat with the fans. As Maik from Germany writes: “I first heard this track back in the 80s and thought it was brilliant, and that’s still the case today.” And Dieter sums it up succinctly in his review: “Simply great music.” Liam from Scotland adds: “It never ceases to amaze me just how wide a range Rod Stewart has. ‘Some Guys’ is one of those songs I’ve simply loved since the 1980s and still do today. I also like Robert Palmer’s version, though.”