Top 10 Percy Sledge Songs

Photo: Gene Pugh / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Our Top 10 Percy Sledge songs list takes a look at the songs of a great R&B singer born in 1941 who had a massive hit entitled “When A Man Loves A Woman” in 1966. The song would become Percy Sledge’s first and only number one hit of his career. However, Percy Sledge would celebrate a long, successful career, releasing music continuously throughout the 1960s and 70s. Even in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000’s, the popularity of Percy Sledge’s 1966 hit “When A Man Loves A Woman” would lead to periodic career revitalizations and new album releases. His long career would lead to Percy Sledge’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

# 10 – Big Blue Diamonds

We open up our Top 10 Percy Sledge songs list with a great track from Percy Sledge’s last album, entitled Shining Through the Rain. The album was released in 2004. The song was written by Earl Kit Carlson. This is a great one that sounds like it should have been released in the 1960s on Stax Records.

# 9 – Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)

Continuing our top 10 Percy Sledge songs list, we turn to the classic song “Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms).” The song was written by Virgil “Pappy” Stewart. Percy Sledge recorded the song in 1967. The song broke into the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 66. The song had been recorded by many other artists, including a hit version released by Patsy Cline.

# 8 – My Special Prayer

The great Percy Sledge recording of “My Special Prayer” has always been one of our favorites. The song was released on the Percy Sledge album entitled The Percy Sledge Way. The album was released in 1967 on Atlantic Records.

# 7 – True Love Travels on a Gravel Road

The song “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road” is a true rock-and-roll classic, first popularized by Elvis Presley, who released it on various albums. The song was written by Dallas Frazier and A.L. Owens. Percy Sledge recorded his great version of the song in 1969.

# 6 – It Tears Me Up

“It Tears Me Up” was Percy Sledge’s third straight top 20 single released from his debut album entitled When A Man Loves A Woman. Like just about every other Percy Sledge recording, Percy’s vocal performance is off the charts on “It Tears Me Up.” The song was released as the third single from the record. It hit number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Billboard R&B Charts.

# 5 – Warm and Tender Love

As we enter the second half of our top 10 Percy Sledge songs list, we turn to the follow-up single to “When A Man Loves A Woman.” It’s always tough to follow up a number one single, and it’s pretty rare that the follow-up even comes close to repeating the success of a number one. Nonetheless, Percy Sledge’s follow-up, entitled “Warm and Tender Love,” would become a top 20 hit for Percy Sledge. The song peaked at number seventeen on the US Billboard Hot 100. It reached higher on the Billboard R&B charts, peaking at number five in 1966.

# 4 – I’ll Be Your Everything

Percy Sledge’s “I’ll Be Your Everything” is the singer’s last single to chart in the United States. The song was released in 1974. “I’ll Be Your Everything” peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was more successful on the Billboard R&B charts, where it became a top-20 hit, peaking at number 15. The success of “I’ll Be Your Everything” revitalized Percy Sledge’s career and made him a big draw on the concert scene worldwide.

# 3 – Sunshine

As we close in on our number one spot on our top 10 Percy Sledge songs list, we turn to the great song “Sunshine.” This one is a little-known gem released in 1973. The song was released as a single but never broke the Billboard Hot 100. It did, however, chart on Billboard’s R&B chart, peaking at number 89. It’s a shame this one isn’t better known. This is a great one!

# 2 – Take Time To Know Her

Percy Sledge’s “Take Time to Know Her” was the second biggest hit of his career. The song was released in 1968.”Take Time to Know Her” was written by Steve Davis. It just missed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eleven. However, the song reached the top 10 of the Billboard R&B charts, peaking at number 6.

# 1 – When a Man Loves a Woman

We close out our top 10 Percy Sledge songs list with the obvious choice. When one mentions the name Percy Sledge, they will often mention the song “When A Man Loves A Woman” in the same breath. Percy Sledge never came close to having the chart success he had with “When A Man Loves A Woman” with any other song. That’s not saying that he didn’t record a lot of great material. As we hope we have shown with this Top 10 Percy Sledge songs list, there are so many great recordings out there for fans to enjoy.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” was released in 1966. The song went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B Charts. The song was written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright. Interestingly, twenty-five years later, in 1991, Michael Bolton recorded the song and also had a number one hit with it. However, it’s Percy Sledge’s recording that will always be the classic version. That vocal is as genuine and legendary as it gets.