The original “When a Man Loves a Woman” is the 1966 soul ballad first recorded and made famous by Percy Sledge.

Who did the original?

  • The original hit version was recorded by Percy Sledge , an American R&B, soul, and gospel singer.
  • It was first released as a single in April 1966.
  • The recording was made at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama (often associated with the broader Muscle Shoals scene).

Songwriters and creation

  • “When a Man Loves a Woman” was written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright , members of a band called the Esquires that played with Percy Sledge.
  • Wright has recalled that the key organ riff came while he was “messing around on the organ” at a rehearsal, and Lewis went home to write lyrics.
  • Percy Sledge later said he originally sang a song called “Why Did You Leave Me Baby” and that it evolved into “When a Man Loves a Woman” after advice from DJ Quin Ivy to build a story around that new title.

Chart success of the original

  • The Percy Sledge original reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Billboard R &B singles chart in 1966.
  • It also hit the top 10 in the UK , initially reaching No. 4 and later peaking at No. 2 in 1987 after being used in a Levi’s commercial.
  • The recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and is ranked in Rolling Stone ’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Notable later versions (for context)

Even though you asked about the original, people often mix it up with later covers:

  • Michael Bolton’s 1991 cover was also a major hit and introduced the song to a new generation, but it is not the original.
  • Other artists and works (including Jody Watley’s different song titled “When a Man Loves a Woman”) share the title, but they’re separate songs.

HTML table: key facts about the original

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Aspect</th>
      <th>Details about the original "When a Man Loves a Woman"</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Original artist</td>
      <td>Percy Sledge [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Songwriters</td>
      <td>Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Release year</td>
      <td>1966 [web:1][web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Recording studio</td>
      <td>Norala Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Main genre</td>
      <td>R&B / soul ballad [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>US chart performance</td>
      <td>No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&amp;B singles chart [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>UK chart performance</td>
      <td>Top 10; No. 4 originally, later No. 2 on reissue [web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Awards & honors</td>
      <td>Inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame (1999); ranked in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time [web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Famous later cover</td>
      <td>Michael Bolton’s 1991 version (not the original) [web:8]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: The “when a man loves a woman original” you’re looking for is Percy Sledge’s 1966 soul ballad, written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, recorded in Alabama, and a No. 1 hit that became a classic.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.