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| “When Will I See You Again” | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Three Degrees | |
| from the album The Three Degrees | |
| B-side | “I Didn’t Know” |
| Released | June 21, 1974 (UK) September 1974 (U.S.) |
| Recorded | 1973 |
| Genre | Soul, R&B |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Philadelphia International Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Gamble and Huff |
| Producer(s) | Gamble and Huff |
| The Three Degrees singles chronology | |
| “Love Is the Message” (1974)”When Will I See You Again“ (1974)”Get Your Love Back” (1974) |
“When Will I See You Again” is a song released in 1974 by American soul group The Three Degrees, from their third album The Three Degrees. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The strings were arranged by Belford “Sinky” Hendricks, who also arranged songs for many top-flight groups and recording artists. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, accompanied by Fayette Pinkney and Valerie Holiday. Billboard named the song #67 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
Sheila Ferguson recalled that “the song was played to me by Kenny Gamble at the piano in 1973 and I threw a tantrum. I screamed and yelled and said I would never sing it. I thought it was ridiculously insulting to be given such a simple song and that it took no talent to sing it. We did do it and several million copies later, I realized that he knew more than me.” She would later have a #60 hit with a solo remake of the track in 1994. The song is unique in that every sentence is a question, heightening the overall effect and emotion. In the film Kill Bill: Volume 2, Bill cites this song as his “favorite soul song of the 70s”. The Three Degrees performed the song at Prince Charles‘ 30th birthday party at Buckingham Palace in 1978.
It was one of the most successful recordings of the “Philly Soul” era. In the U.S., “When Will I See You Again” peaked at #2 on the pop singles chart, “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas kept it from the #1 spot.
On other US charts, the song reached #1 on the adult contemporary chart, and #4 on the R&B chart in the autumn of 1974. In the UK, it fared even better, spending two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in August 1974.
Brother Beyond version
| “When Will I See You Again” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Brother Beyond | |
| from the album Trust | |
| Released | December 8, 1989 |
| Format | 7″ single, CD maxi |
| Recorded | 1989 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:34 |
| Label | Parlophone |
| Songwriter(s) | Gamble and Huff |
| Brother Beyond singles chronology | |
| “Drive On“ (1989)”When Will I See You Again“ (1989)”Trust“ (1990) |
British boy band Brother Beyond covered the song on their 1989 album Trust, that was also released in the Compilation Ronny’s Pop Show [1990/1] – Hochfeine Pop-Musik-Schallplatte.
Thomas Anders version
| “When Will I See You Again” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Thomas Anders feat. The Three Degrees | |
| from the album When Will I See You Again | |
| Released | July 18, 1993 |
| Format | 7″ single, CD maxi |
| Recorded | 1992 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:30 |
| Label | Polydor |
| Songwriter(s) | Gamble and Huff |
| Producer(s) | Christian De Walden, Ralf Stemmann |
| Thomas Anders feat. The Three Degrees singles chronology | |
| “Standing Alone” (1992)”When Will I See You Again“ (1993)”I’ll Love You Forever” (1993) |
In 1993, Thomas Anders released his version of the song with The Three Degrees, which appeared on the same-named album. The success of the cover version was modest. The following year, Anders released a Spanish-language version of the song titled Una mañana de sol.
Other cover versions
- Geoffrey Chung arranged a reggae version released as a 7″ on the Antrim label in 1974 with vocals by Marcia Griffiths (A) and Onika (B).
- Magda Layna released the song as a single on Megatone Records in 1983.
- Japanese Singer CINDY covered the song on her 1997 compilation album Surprise.
- Guitarist Peter White remade the song for his 2016 album Groovin’, with Amber DiLena providing vocals.
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