Photo: Elektra Records / Public domain
Bread was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969. The group members consisted of singer-songwriter and producer David Gates and singer-songwriter and session musicians Jimmy Griffin and Robb Royer. Mike Botts became their permanent drummer in 1969, and “wrecking crew” session musician Larry Knechtel replaced Royer as keyboardist in 1971. Though the writing was left to Gates, Royer, and Griffin, Gates would go on to compose and sing all of the group’s most famous hits.
Gates’ sweet, soft voice would be Bread’s trademark sound. In conjunction with the more aggressive album tracks, that clearly established Bread as the forerunner of 70’s soft rock. They were in great company with artists such as Seals & Crofts, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, and The Carpenters. Though Bread was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006, to this day, David Gates has yet to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Considering all the classics he wrote, this is a big oversight. Below is a list of our favorite Bread songs.
# 10 – Sweet Surrender
We open our Top 10 Bread songs list with the excellent track “Sweet Surrender.” This breezy, melodic song was the last of four number-one hits for Bread on the United States Easy Listening chart. The song “Sweet Surrender.” can be found on their fifth album, Guitar Man, released in 1972.
# 9 – Make It With You
This tender, easy-listening song with a memorable hook sold over one million copies. It was Bread’s first top-ten hit released in 1970. The song “Make It With You” was released on the album On The Waters. It features David Gates’ tender singing, instantly establishing the band’s soft rock sound. The song was also widely covered by famous 1970s male crooners such as Engelbert Humperdinck and others.
# 8 – Baby I’m-a Want You
“Baby I’m-a Want You” was the title track from Bread’s fourth album, released in 1972. The great Bread album Baby I’m-a Want You featured three big-time Bread songs, including the title track, “Diary,” and “Everything I Own.” The song “Baby I’m-a Want You” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1971, where it would achieve gold status. It was written, sung, and produced by David Gates.
# 8 – Diary
Released as the third single from the 1972 album Baby I’m-a Want You, the song reached number three on the Easy Listening charts. The production is sparse, with just an acoustic guitar, Gates’s sweet vocals, and an electric guitar with a vibrato effect that was exploited in their song “If.” The lyrics deal with a man who does the unspeakable: he reads through his lover’s diary! Unfortunately, he eventually finds out that his girl loves someone else. Musically, this song can be thought of as the older sister to Gates’ later composition “Aubrey.”
# 7 – Mother Freedom
At number seven on our list, we present some Heavy Bread. The song “Mother Freedom: has long been a fan favorite as the group stretches out on this one. The song was released on the band’s Baby I’m-a Want You album. “Mother Freedom” was the album’s opening track. The song was written by David Gates. “Mother Freedom” was the first single released form the album. However, it was soon overshadowed by the next three singles, “Baby I’m-a Want You,” “Everything I Own,” and “Diary,” which would become there of the band’s most loved songs.
# 6 – Lost Without Your Love
The title track of Bread’s final album, Lost Without Your Love, is a lush romantic love song produced and written by David Gates. It was Bread’s last Top 10 hit in 1976 and signified their comeback after being away from the charts for three and a half years. The sound of 1970s ballads is so clearly defined in the writing, production, and arrangement of this classic Bread song.
# 5 – The Guitar Man
This David Gates song first appeared on Bread’s 1972 release Guitar Man. The instrumentation is a little heavier here than in previous singles due to the excellent wah-wah guitar soloing of Larry Knechtel. The song reached number eleven on The Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics reflect the loneliness a rock star can have even after amassing tremendous notoriety. The guitar man is always resigned to going on to the next gig and living in an isolated bubble. For him, playing is just a way to make a living. Nothing else. The crowd applauding in the fading outro adds to the song’s melancholy tone.
# 4 – It Don’t Matter To Me
Originally just an album cut from Bread’s debut in 1969, it was re-recorded and released as a single from their second album. As usual, it features a sweet, restrained vocal from David Gates, who wrote and produced it. The philosophical lyrics about being able to let go of one’s lover but still retain an emotional connection to them until they come back, makes this song relevant in any time period.
# 3 – Everything I Own
The song “Everything I Own” was the second single released from the 1972 album Baby I’m-a Want You. The song peaked on The Billboard Hot 100 at number five. Listeners have interpreted this song as one about a broken relationship. However, David Gates revealed that it was written about his father, who died in 1963.
# 2 – Aubrey
One of the greatest songs about unrequited love, it was released as a single in 1973 from the album Guitar Man. It reached #15 on the Billboard Chart. The orchestration surrounding David Gates’ somber vocal is a simple mixture of strings, acoustic guitar, and celeste. It’s a beautiful composition with its title inspired by Audrey Hepburn after Gates watched the movie Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Undoubtedly, the film’s classic song “Moon River” also influenced Gates. His choice of developing a wide melodic range against a descending bass line helps make this song a real tearjerker.
# 1 – If
David Gates wrote this touching standard in 1971. It went to number one on the Adult Contemporary Charts. Countless artists have covered it; it is one of the most popular songs to be played at weddings. The song can be found on Bread’s third release entitled Manna, which means bread from heaven.
Interesting side note: David Gates formed his first band, The Accents, in high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The keyboardist for the group was none other than Claude Russell Bridges, who later changed his name to Leon Russell.
Honorable mention: the prog-pop “I Could” (with it’s odd time signatures) composed by Griffin and Royer. That one can be found on their 1969 debut release, Bread.
Updated February 2, 2024
The Top 10 Songs From The Group Bread article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024
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Compiled by John Tabacco
i always thought Bread was very good,mostly because of David Gates.
I meant I not i.there really needs to be an edit option on here.
Thank you for doing this Top 10 Bread Songs, I like all of their hit songs but Guitarman is my favorite it’s really great.
I meant Guitar Man.
Hi there May I see Top10 songs by artists such as Cliff Richard (solo preferably) The Hollies, and Hall and Oates please?
Hello Cyril: Thanks for the comment. We have already done top 10 lists for those artists. You can always just uses the search bar at the top of the page to look for any artist or band. We have covered thousands on this website. To make it even easier for you, I have included the links to those exact artists you asked about below.
Top 10 Cliff Richard Songs
Top 10 Songs By The Hollies
Top 10 Hall & Oates Songs
Am I wrong or isn’t there a song by Bread called “Angela”?
Hi Angela. I don’t think they have a song called Angela. They have a song called Aubrey. You can see a list of all the albums and songs at the link below.
https://www.classicrockhistory.com/complete-list-of-bread-albums-and-discography/
Angela was sung by Jose feliciano.
You have ignored some great James Griffin songs, Games of Magic and Just Like Yesterday