You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond

"You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" (later titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond") is a gospel song that is attributed to both tradition and to gospel blues musician Blind Willie Johnson. Johnson first recorded the song in December 1930, although Delta blues musician Charley Patton recorded a similar "You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die" in October 1929. Over the years, several other musicians have recorded renditions of the song.

"You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond"
Single by Blind Willie Johnson
Released1930 (1930)
RecordedNew Orleans, Louisiana, December 11, 1929
GenreGospel blues
Length3:05
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Traditional or Blind Willie Johnson

Blind Willie Johnson

The lyrics of "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" deal with "the idea that we will all need a legally binding guarantee to gain access to heaven" and that Jesus as our advocate "will provide us with a guarantee or bond, if we follow His ways".

Johnson sang the song on the streets of towns in Texas as both entertainment and a calling to adhere to the teachings of Jesus. As with many of his songs, "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" is performed with Johnson on lead vocals and slide guitar and an unknown female singer accompanying him on vocals. While it was first believed that his wife Angeline Johnson provided those backing vocals, it has since been refuted by Johnson's lead biographer. The second version, titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" is nearly identical to the first, with slightly more subdued vocals and backing vocal provided by Willie B. Harris, sometimes considered to be Johnson's first wife.[1]

Johnson recorded the first version of the song for Columbia Records as "You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond" on December 11, 1929, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He later recorded a second version titled "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" on April 20, 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia, which was Johnson's last recorded song.[1] The songs appear on several Johnson compilation albums – both are included on The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (1993), while the second version is found on The Soul of a Man (2003).

Buffy Sainte-Marie version

In 1964, Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" with slightly altered lyrics and included the song on her debut album, It's My Way!. While her debut album did not chart, it proved influential to both the American and British folk communities. Sainte-Marie recorded the song on acoustic guitar without using a slide and sang without any backup vocals.

Donovan version
"You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond"
Single by Donovan
from the album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
B-side"The Little Tin Soldier"
ReleasedNovember 1965 (1965-11) (US)
Recorded1965
GenreFolk
Length4:04
LabelHickory
Songwriter(s)Traditional or Blind Willie Johnson
Producer(s)
  • Terry Kennedy
  • Peter Eden
  • Geoff Stephens
Donovan US singles chronology
"Universal Soldier"
(1965)		 "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond"
(1965)		 "To Try for the Sun"
(1966)

Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan recorded "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" in early 1965 for inclusion on his debut album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid. Since Donovan recorded a version of "Universal Soldier" after hearing it on Buffy Sainte-Marie's debut album, it is likely that he first heard "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" from the same source. Hickory Records released "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" backed with a cover of "The Little Tin Soldier" by Shawn Phillips in November 1965 (Hickory 45-1375), but it did not appear in the single charts.

References
  1. Charters, Samuel (1993). The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (CD booklet). Blind Willie Johnson. Columbia/Legacy. pp. 22, 25–26. C2K 52835.
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