Today’s classic soft rock song of the day is “Just When I Needed You Most” by Randy VanWarmer. This gentle little lost love song was released as a single in February of 1979 and went all the way to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
Randy VanWarmer was inspired to write “Just When I Needed You Most” when he broke up with his girlfriend and his beloved old car broke down. Two totally unrelated incidents, and I have no idea which was most upsetting. The result, anyway, was a popular tune about what a guy trying to cope with his girl leaving him. As the lyrics tell it:
Now most every morning, I stare out the window
And I think about where you might be
I’ve written you letters that I’d like to send
If you would just send one to me
‘Cause I need you more than I needed before
And now where I’ll find comfort, God knows
‘Cause you left me just when I needed you most
You left me just when I needed you most
VanWarmer was already making a reputation for himself as a songwriter and his record label, Bearsville Records, had more confidence in the song for other artists than they did for VanWarmer himself. As Mr. V explained it:
“Nobody thought my version was an especially good version of the song [which] a few other people were thinking of cutting… Everybody just assumed mine was a demo for people to listen to who’d [then] cut the definitive version.”
Well, it turns out that Randy’s version was the way to go, and its immediate and long-term success bear that out. By the way, while “Just When I Needed You Most” was Mr. VanWarmer’s only Top 40 solo single, he wrote several hits for others, including “I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes,” a #1 country hit for the Oak Ridge Boys, and “I’m In a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” a #1 country hit for Alabama.
Unfortunately, Randy VanWarmer’s career was cut short when he contracted leukemia. He passed away in 2004, just 48 years old.
