It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man

Album: Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)
Charted: 10
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lyrically, this follows in the tradition of soul classics like "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," where the girl is looking to break free of the relationship, but the guy just can't let her go. It would take a strong, strong man to set her free, and he is not that man.
  • Like most of the album, this song was written and produced by the team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. Whenever You Need Somebody was Astley's debut, and it was a big one. The first single, "Never Gonna Give You Up," went to #1 in both the UK and US. In America, "Together Forever" came next and followed it to #1. "It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man" was the third single in the US - it was not released in the UK.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.