Leo Sayer Had to Completely Redo This Song (And It Became His Final No. 1 Single)

Leo Sayer had to abandon his first recording of “When I Need You” after deciding its blues arrangement did not suit the song. Returning to the original demo’s approach helped turn the 1977 track into a US No. 1, and Sayer’s last chart-topping single there.

Written by Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager, the song appeared on Sayer’s album *Endless Flight*, which also included “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and “How Much Love”. The first version featured Booker T. Jones on organ and drew on Otis Redding’s style. Hammond and Sager were later sued by Leonard Cohen over alleged similarities to his song “Famous Blue Raincoat”; Cohen said the case was settled after a musicologist argued the motif was in the public domain.