Rescue Me (Fontella Bass song)

"Rescue Me"
Single by Fontella Bass
from the album The New Look
B-side"Soul of the Man"
ReleasedSeptember 25, 1965
RecordedAugust 1965
StudioChess (Chicago)
GenreChicago soul
Length2:51
LabelChess
Songwriter(s)
  • Raynard Miner
  • Carl Smith
  • Fontella Bass (disputed)
Producer(s)Billy Davis
Fontella Bass singles chronology
""You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" (with Bobby McClure)"
(1965) 		"Rescue Me"
(1965) 		"Recovery"
(1965)
Official audio
"Rescue Me" on YouTube

"Rescue Me" is a rhythm and blues song first recorded and released as a single by American soul singer-songwriter Fontella Bass in 1965.[1] The original versions of the record,[2] and BMI,[3] give the songwriting credit to Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith, although many other sources also credit Bass herself as a co-writer.[4][5][6][7][8] It would prove the biggest hit of Bass's career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9][1] "Rescue Me" also peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart.[10]

  1. ^ a b Ramsey, David (December 7, 2021). "Can't You See That I'm Lonely?: "Rescue Me," on repeat". Issue 115, Winter 2021. Oxford American. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ ""Rescue Me" label shot". 1.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "BMI Repertoire Search: "Rescue Me"". Repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. ^ Salter, Jim (December 27, 2012). "Obituaries". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ "Fontella Bass Dies At 72". Huffington Post. December 27, 2012.
  6. ^ "Fontella Bass, singer of 'Rescue Me,' dies". Chicago Sun-Times.
  7. ^ "Fontella Bass, US soul singer of Rescue Me, dies at 72". BBC News. December 27, 2012.
  8. ^ "'Rescue Me' soul singer Fontella Bass dead at 72". CBS News.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 48.
  10. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. August 12, 1965. Retrieved May 22, 2020.