Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane - A Serious Man
Bloomington, Minnesota, 1967: Jewish physics lecturer Larry Gopnik is a serious and a very put-upon man. His daughter is stealing from him to save up for a nose job; his pot-head son, who gets stoned at his own bar-mitzvah, only wants him round to fix the TV aerial and his useless brother Arthur is an unwelcome houseguest. But both Arthur and Larry get turfed out to a motel when Larry’s wife Judy, who wants a divorce, moves her lover Sy into the house and even after Sy’s death in a car crash they are still there. With lawyers’ bills mounting for his divorce, Arthur’s criminal court appearances, and a land feud with a neighbor, Larry is tempted to take the bribe offered by a student to give him an illegal exam pass mark. And the rabbis he visits for advice only dole out platitudes. Still God moves in mysterious--and not always pleasant--ways, as Larry and his family will find out.
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The writer of this song is an American musician by the name of Darby Slick. In fact “Somebody to Love” is the signature song of his career.
He originally wrote the tune for a band called The Great Society that he was briefly a part of in the 1960s. In fact they recorded their own version of “Somebody to Love”, which was released in 1966.
The lead singer of The Great Society was a former model by the name Grace Slick, who took up a career as a musician. Slick was actually the sister-in-law of Darby Slick.
In 1966 she left The Great Society and joined Jefferson Airplane. And when she did so, she carried “Somebody to Love” along with her.
Lyrics:
When the truth is found to be lies
And all the joy within you dies
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love
Love, love
When the garden flowers, baby are dead, yes and
Your mind, your mind is so full of red
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love
Your eyes, I say your eyes may look like his
Yeah, but in your head, baby
I’m afraid you don’t know where it is
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love
Tears are running down
They’re all running down your breast
And your friends, baby
They treat you like a guest
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love