"When a Man Loves a Woman" ....

... could be trouble.
But not when it's Percy Sledge singing that great song. Too bad, so sad, no longer ... he died yesterday.
I remember like it was yesterday when me and my little hand-held yellow transistor radio (god!!! I loved that thing more than words can say): it kept me sane during my first job ... walkin' up and down the highway in Brampton Ontario with a huge ~ bigger than me! ~ sandwich sign advertising a new subdivision just down the road a-way. That song (and Percy's sweet growly voice, along with a very righteous guitar in the background) was played by CHUM, Toronto's music station ~ everyone listened to CHUM, a no one if you didn't ~ pretty well once every 15 minutes (it was a GIGANTIC hit). That opening 2-second organ riff makes it instantaneously the-one-and-only.
God!!! I loved that song.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/arts/ ... .html?_r=0

[youtube:1p47fs66]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lp7FtJXp7k[/youtube:1p47fs66]

Perhaps, not by much, the only one better to listen to when carrying a sandwich sign would have been dear old Patsy Cline and her slew of incredible #1 hits ... god!!! I loved her.

[youtube:1p47fs66]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwOWX6b8HHw[/youtube:1p47fs66]

In addition to Percy there were many other great soul singers signed up to the Atlantic label, but When a Man Loves a Woman was certainly one of my favourites too.

I still have the album I bought in 1968 This is Soul!! (note the two large exclamation marks)

Running order:

Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
I Got Everything I Need - Sam & Dave
What is Soul? - Ben E. King

Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) - Otis Redding
Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd
Keep Looking - Solomon Burke
I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You) - Aretha Franklin
Warm and Tender Love - Percy Sledge
Land of a Thousand Dances - Wilson Pickett

A thread like this might go on forever.
I was never much of a fan of Wilson Pickett, but Otis Redding always knocked me out. Dock of the Bay? Man, almost a perfect song.
And Sam Cooke ... what a voice! Can I say, a male version of Patype Cline's sublime vocal chords.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y26yrgZlSGI

Not sure why this link doesn't come up with the YouTube window visible when surrounded by the youtube coding. But the link works.