Back in 1977, Dan Hill recorded Sometimes When We Touch, and when it was released as a single in 1978 it made number three on the Billboard charts, becoming Hill's biggest hit. It's already been covered numerous times, by the likes of Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and even Manny Pacquiao.
Now, it's the turn of Cover Me Canada's Warren Dean Flandez to sing it on Sunday (at 9pm - CBC TV), as he hopes to stay in the competition for another week. We spoke to Dan Hill about having his song chosen by Cover Me, and just what the song means to him.
How much did you know about the show before you found out about your song being used?
I knew a fair amount about it because some of my friends are working on the show and I'd talked to some of the producers. I didn't know that they were going to be using one of my songs but I knew about the concept. Of course, there are so many iconic universal hit songs that have come out of Canada over the years that I figured the chance of using mine was pretty slim.
Did you think 'oh, I hope they use mine'?
I didn't think about it too much because I didn't want to be disappointed. I thought there was a possibility...
Now that you know that they are using it, how does it feel?
I'm thrilled. You know, I'm really, really honoured. The thing I really love about this concept of the show is the idea that this song is being picked up by a whole new generation of singers. Y'know, an artist who probably wasn't even alive in 1977 when the song first came out. That makes me feel like there's an enduring quality to this song. If it was one of my contemporaries I wouldn't be quite so moved...!
How much do you know about Warren Dean Flandez?
I've heard nothing but great things about him. I've heard he is an amazing singer
Are you by any chance going to be in the studio this weekend? He's the only person that's actually had the writer of each of the songs that he's done in the studio that night. He's under pressure! (David Clayton Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears was in the studio when WDF did Spinning Wheel, and of course, Deborah Cox was there last week for Nobody's Supposed to be Here)
Really? Yes, I will be in the night that he performs. I didn't know that. But it must be really exciting for him as well.
Your track has been covered so many times by certain people - is there a certain way you'd want him to do it?
Not really, it's been done so many different ways, from reggae to dance, to hip hop, to soul, to country. I like it when it's as different from my version as possible. Then it's fresh.
Do you have a favourite cover version of it?
Well the one I'm most touched by is Manny Pacquio's version, 'cause he's the greatest boxer in the world. To think that the toughest guy in the world would then want to sing this song that's so sweet and sensitive, there's something about the dichotomy of that that I really, really love. These two different worlds of a boxer and a romantic song. I was in the studio coaching him through the vocals and did the harmonies and stuff. He'd gone public saying it was his favourite song of all time.
Other people like Barry Manilow, Tina Turner and Rod Stewart have covered it. They're some of the biggest names in the world.
Donny Osmond went public saying he sang it better than I did! We played a prank on him, I called the radio station when they debuted the single. I pretended to be an anonymous guy who said 'Hey Donny, I liked the way you sang 'Sometimes...' you did it way better than Dan Hill." And he said "yeah, everybody tells me I sing it better than Dan!" And then the disc-jockey said "will you tell him you really are?" then he got a little bit embarrassed.
It's been done in so many different languages as well.
Yes, in China alone there's something like 15 different dialects.
Did you ever imagine that would happen when you were writing the song?
No! I was just trying to get this girl to like me! She was going out with me but going out with all these other guys too. It was the swinging early '70s at the time of Erica Jong's Fear of Flying and sexual liberation, I was so shocked in her that she would want to go out with other guys so I wrote this song to try to win her over.
Can you just remember everything about that record? The filming of the video etc?
Yes, it was a very emotional record at a very emotional time of my life so I have a very strong recollection of recording it and singing it over, and over, and over again until the vocal was right.
If there was one Canadian song that you could cover, what would it be?
Jee, there are so many. Y'know, maybe River by Joni Mitchell. I love that song. There have been great songs by Neil Young that I would look at A Man Needs a Maid something that'd be really different from my natural style I think.
