Tryin' to Live My Life Without You

1972 song by Otis Clay
"Trying to Live My Life Without You"
Single by Otis Clay
from the album Trying to Live My Life Without You
B-side"Let Me Be the One"
ReleasedDecember 1972
GenreR&B
Length2:50
LabelHi
Songwriter(s)Eugene Williams
"Tryin' to Live My Life Without You"
Single by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
from the album Nine Tonight
B-side"Brave Strangers (Live)"
ReleasedAugust 25, 1981
RecordedOctober 6, 1980
GenreRock
Length4:04
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Eugene Williams
Producer(s)Bob Seger, Punch Andrews
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band singles chronology
"The Horizontal Bop"
(1981) 		"Tryin' to Live My Life Without You"
(1981) 		"Feel Like a Number"
(1981)
Audio
"Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" on YouTube

"Trying to Live My Life Without You" or "Tryin' to Live My Life Without You" is a song written by Eugene Frank Williams, originally popularized by soul singer Otis Clay. In early 1973 it reached #102 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart. On February 17, 1973, Clay performed the song on Soul Train.[1] It has since been covered by several other artists, most notably Bob Seger on his 1981 Nine Tonight album, Dr. Feelgood on their 1982 Fast Women & Slow Horses album, Brinsley Schwarz and at live performances by The California Honeydrops.

Writing

The song is sung from the point of view of a man who is addressing his former lover. During the song's verses, the narrator tells of various habits he has had over his lifetime, such as smoking "five packs of cigarettes a day", drinking "four or five bottles of wine." and womanizing with many young women. In the song, he states that breaking those former habits was difficult, but not nearly as difficult as getting over the girl and forgetting the love they shared.

Chart performance

Chart (1973) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 102
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles[2] 24
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [3] 70

Bob Seger version

Bob Seger's cover of the song is the most successful version of the song, reaching number five on the pop singles charts. It is known for Seger's spoken prelude on top of the bassline: "Alright, you guys feel funky tonight? ... This is an old Memphis song, old Memphis song...." The Nine Tonight liner notes claim that Seger's saxophone player, Alto Reed, played all the saxophones heard on that song, at the same time. Most likely this is possible from studio overdubbing on top of the live performance.

Record World said it is a "soulful rocker that captures Seger at his best."[4]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1981–1982) Peak
position
Canadian RPM 11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 5
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks 2
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 8

Year-end charts

Chart (1981) Rank
Canada[6] 66
U.S. Cash Box[7] 81

References

  1. ^ "Watch Soul Train Season 2 Episode 20 Online". SideReel.com. 1973-02-17. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 122.
  3. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 1/20/73". 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 25, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  6. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  7. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1981". 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
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