STEVE WINWOOD – WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE

Estrena: 1 de febrer de 1981

Llistes: EUA: #7  Regne Unit: #45

“While You See a Chance” és el primer single del segon àlbum en solitari de Steve Winwood, “Arc of a Diver”, i també el seu primer gran èxit com a solista. Composta per Winwood en col·laboració amb el lletrista Will Jennings, la cançó es caracteritza per la seva introducció d'orgue interpretada pel mateix Winwood. Va tenir un gran èxit a Amèrica del Nord, arribant al número 7 als EUA i al número 3 al Canadà.

Amb un ritme mig i un so d'estil rock soulful, “While You See a Chance” atrapa l'oient amb una melodia enganxosa que el fa moure el peu al ritme. Tot i la seva alegre interpretació, amaga un significat més profund. La cançó tracta sobre la idea que el romanticisme pot fer la vida més interessant i plena, fins i tot si no s'hi està completament compromès, reflectint una actitud oportunista en la lletra.

La frase “While you see a chance, take it, to find romance” (Quan vegis l’oportunitat, aprofita-la, per trobar l’amor) sembla una frase típica de moltes cançons d'amor, però el joc de paraules amb “While you see a chance, fake it, to find romance” (Quan vegis l’oportunitat, fingeix-ho, per trobar l’amor) canvia el sentit, suggerint una visió on qualsevol amor és vàlid i portant l'expressió “fingeix-ho fins que funcioni” a un extrem.

Durant les sessions de gravació, Winwood va esborrar accidentalment la pista de bateria del tema. Després de mesos intentant replicar-la sense èxit, va optar per refer la cançó sense bateria. Will Jennings, el coautor, tenia una trajectòria excepcional com a compositor, amb cançons com “Street Life” (The Crusaders), “One Day I’ll Fly Away” (Randy Crawford), “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes), “Tears in Heaven” (Eric Clapton), “Higher Love” (Winwood) i “My Heart Will Go On” (Celine Dion). Jennings va morir el 6 de setembre d’enguany després d’una llarga malaltia, als 80 anys.

Steve Winwood és una llegenda de la música britànica. Va ser un prodigi adolescent als anys 60, membre de tres grups importants: Spencer Davis Group (’64-’67), Traffic (’67-’74) i Blind Faith (1969). El seu primer àlbum en solitari es va publicar el 1977, però va ser durant els anys 80 quan va destacar amb àlbums com “Arc of a Diver” (1980), “Talking Back to the Night” (1982), “Back in the High Life” (1986) i “Roll With It” (1988), tots grans èxits. És membre del Saló de la Fama del Rock & Roll com a part de Traffic i guanyador de múltiples premis Grammy. Winwood ha publicat nou àlbums en solitari, l’últim dels quals, “Nine Lives”, el 2008. Encara fa gires i omple estadis, als seus 76 anys.

STEVE WINWOOD – WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE

Released: February 1, 1981

Charts: US: #7  UK: #45 

 “While You See a Chance” is the first single from Steve Winwood's second solo album, “Arc of a Diver” and his first hit single as a solo act. It was written by Winwood in collaboration with lyricist Will Jennings, and features a distinctive organ intro by Winwood. It was a big success in North America, making #7 in the U.S. and #3 in Canada.

 “While You See a Chance” is a soulful, mid-tempo rock song, with a great hook, that gets in your head and has you unconsciously tapping your foot along with it. Its jaunty arrangement hides the deeper meaning of the song. The song revolves around the idea that romance makes life more interesting and fulfilling, even if you are not fully committed to it. It explains the opportunistic attitude of the lyrics. 

“While you see a chance, take it, to find romance” seems like normal words of love for many songs, but “While you see a chance, fake it, to find romance” is a different story, telling the listener that any love is good love, and taking the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” to a new extreme.  

 During recording sessions for the song, Winwood accidentally deleted the drum pattern from the backing track. After months of trying to replicate it, Winwood gave up and reworked the song without drums. Will Jennings’ track record as a songwriter was second to none. Songs from his pen include “Street Life” (The Crusaders), “One Day I’ll Fly Away (Randy Crawford), “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes), “Tears in Heaven” (Eric Clapton), “Higher Love” (Winwood) and “My Heart Will Go On” (Celine Dion). Jennings died on September 6th this year, after a long illness. He was 80.

Steve Winwood is a legend of the British music scene. He was a teenage prodigy in the 1960s as a member of three important acts, Spencer Davis Group (’64-’67), Traffic (’67-’74) and Blind Faith (1969). His self-titled debut album was released in 1977, but it was his 1980s output that made him a solo star, with the albums “Arc of a Diver” (1980), “Talking Back to the Night” (1982), “Back in the High Life” (1986) and “Roll With it” (1988) all major successes. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall Fame as a member of Traffic, and a multiple Grammy winner. Winwood has released nine solo albums to date, with his last album, “Nine Lives” released in 2008. He still tours and sells out stadium nowadays, aged 76.