Percy Sledge: "When a Man Loves a Woman"

June 6, 1966 (1 week)

Steven: "And there's these three girls with the band: I've had lustful thoughts...about all of them. And when I studied I used to sing hymns, now I'm always humming "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Marvin Gaye and..."

Father: "(whispers) Percy Sledge."

Steven: "What?"

Father "It was Percy Sledge who did that particular song. I have the album."

Steven: "Oh."

Steven Clifford isn't a particularly interesting character in The Commitments. While others are shown either being recruited or scouted by manager Jimmy Rabbitte, he appears seemingly out of the blue at an early band meeting, much to the chagrin of some members who look down upon him due to his advanced education. (There are working class snobs, you know!) The aspiring impresario counters that he's a mean keyboardist and that his medical training might come in handy at some of the dodgy venues they may end up playing at. Though he comes to be accepted by the others, Steven doesn't appear to be growing tight with any of them and the film comes to an end with him becoming a doctor as he had expected. He isn't at the centre of any drama, doesn't sleep with any of the girls he admits to fancying and doesn't fall out massively with anyone during their split. In other words, he's the one you're mostly likely to have forgotten all about.

But as the above exchange indicates, he has been changed by the experience of playing Dublin Soul. The sins he has to confess to the Father all surround the group: he's been neglecting his studies, he's been uttering some cruse words, he's been having lustful thoughts and when he has been hitting the books it's been to the tune of "When a Man Loves a Woman". I love the idea that he thinks the latter is some kind of a sin. (Of course, it may well be a sin for all I know!) Music is a conduit for Steven's rebellious side as he demonstrates by playing "A Whiter Shade of Pale" on the church organ. In the film's closing scene he is shown in his medical practice instructing a patient to say "ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah" which suggests that he's maybe not as timid as he once was.

"When a Man Loves a Woman" isn't mentioned in the film beyond the Steven's confessional but it represents just how devoted Jimmy Rabbitte and the others were to The Commitments. Imelda, a pretty blonde with a serious (if also controlling and obnoxious) boyfriend, needs the band perhaps less than anyone yet she demonstrates her commitment — see what I did there? — by walking out on a family trip at the last second in order to rejoin her bandmates for a gig. Audiences laugh at them at their first gig, Jimmy's Elvis-loving father thinks the whole thing is a load of bollocks, they owe money to thugs and the pay is meager. Yet, they all happily sacrifice everything for a group that doesn't end up going anywhere in the end. When a person loves playing music, they'll put up with everything that Percy Sledge sings of.

As a lifelong fan of music, I often smirk at the average person's choice of song. I had a friend and roommate about twenty years ago who was in a chorus and one day I heard her singing along to The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows". She explained to me that they were going to be performing it at an upcoming wedding. I couldn't get over the idea of a song that begins with the line "I may not always love you..." being sung to a pair of newlyweds and that they chose it. What did it matter that "God only knows what I'd be without you" is its most repeated line or that it is arguably the prettiest song ever invented: I'm a music snob and those people didn't know anything, the silly turds.

As you can probably tell by my tone, I no longer make it my goal in life to be a giant downer whenever it comes to music. I'm in my forties now and I'm happy to accept whatever people want. Not only that, I now agree with this couple I never met and who never knew who the hell I am: "God Only Knows" should be played at weddings (and, indeed, everywhere else). The same goes for "When a Man Loves a Woman". In this case, however, it would never have occurred to me to look down upon someone for choosing it for a couple's first dance. (Well, I might have rolled my eyes at it being such a commonplace choice but not at its subject matter)

To be fair, I don't really hear it as a song about a perfect couple. The guy here is going through some serious shit and there's no way it's going to be getting better for him before it gets so much worse. I've been in some crappy situations and contemplated some of these hypothetical outcomes. I've been happily married for just over ten years and still find myself agreeing with Percy Sledge but just because I would do these things for love that doesn't mean I'm not grateful for the fact that I don't have to do them.

Score: 9