Since I Don't Have You

"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the US Billboard Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Since I Don't Have You"
One of pressings of the US single
Single by the Skyliners
B-side	"One Night, One Night"
Released	December 1958
Recorded	1958
Genre	Doo-wop
Length	2:40
Label	Calico
Songwriter(s)	Jackie Taylor James Beaumont Janet Vogel Joseph Rock Joe Verscharen Lennie Martin Wally Lester
Producer(s)	Joseph Rock
The Skyliners singles chronology
"Since I Don't Have You" (1958) "This I Swear" (1959)

The Skyliners version

Background

Taken from their self-titled album and released in late 1958, the single reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number seven on the Cash Box Top 100.^[1] It was also a top five hit on the 1959 R&B chart.

Charts

Weekly chart (1959) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100 12 US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[2] 3 US Cash Box Top 100 7

Year-end chart (1959) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[3] 65 US Cash Box Top 100[4] 41

Don McLean version

"Since I Don't Have You"
Single by Don McLean
from the album Chain Lightning
B-side	"Your Cheatin' Heart"
Released	April 1981
Genre	Easy listening
Length	2:32
Label	Millennium
Songwriter(s)	Jackie Taylor James Beaumont Janet Vogel Joseph Rock Joe Verscharen Lennie Martin Wally Lester
Producer(s)	Larry Butler
Don McLean singles chronology
"Crying" (1980) "Since I Don't Have You" (1981) "It's Just the Sun" (1981)

Don McLean's 1981 rendition reached number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[5] In Canada, it peaked at number two on its AC chart.^[6]

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	45
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7]	2
US Billboard Hot 100[8]	23
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	6
US Country (Billboard)	68
US Cash Box Top 100	28

Ronnie Milsap version

"Since I Don't Have You"
Single by Ronnie Milsap
from the album Back to the Grindstone
B-side	"I Ain't Gonna Cry No More"
Released	July 13, 1991
Genre	Country
Length	4:10
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Jackie Taylor James Beaumont Janet Vogel Joseph Rock Joe Verscharen Lennie Martin Wally Lester
Producer(s)	Ronnie Milsap Rob Galbraith Richard Landis
Ronnie Milsap singles chronology
"Are You Lovin' Me Like I'm Lovin' You" (1991) "Since I Don't Have You" (1991) "Turn That Radio On" (1991)

Background

Country music artist Ronnie Milsap's version was a number six hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1991.^[9] The single was taken from his album Back to the Grindstone, released on RCA Nashville. It was produced by Milsap, Rob Galbraith, and Richard Landis.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart (1991) Peak position Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[10] 7 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] 25 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] 6

Year-end charts Year-end chart (1991) Rank Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[13] 84 US Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 67

Guns N' Roses version

"Since I Don't Have You"
Standard artwork (commercial US/UK cassette single pictured)
Single by Guns N' Roses
from the album "The Spaghetti Incident?"
B-side	"You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" (LP version)
Released	February 1994
Length	4:20
Label	Geffen
Producer(s)	Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Estranged" (1993) "Since I Don't Have You" (1994) "Sympathy for the Devil" (1994)
Music video
"Since I Don't Have You" on YouTube

Background

The song was covered by rock band Guns N' Roses for their fifth studio album, "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993). This was Guns N' Roses' 18th single release overall, and the second single released from "The Spaghetti Incident?". The single was released in early 1994, reaching No. 69 on the US Hot 100 and the top ten in the UK. The music video features actor Gary Oldman – then a popular casting choice for Hollywood villains^[15] – as a smiling demon who is constantly mocking singer Axl Rose. The video was the last to feature original members Duff McKagan and Slash as well as drummer Matt Sorum and rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Here to compete with the successful "Estranged" (taken from the Use Your Illusion opus) is this swaying cover of the Skyliners' pop classic. Guns N' Roses, with its own inimitable slash'n'burn delivery, leaves its marks all over it. All would be fine if only Axl could just once refrain from launching his voice into earsplitting, upper-octave shrilling. But hey, that's what makes 'em Guns N' Roses, right?"^[16]

Personnel

• W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, keyboards
• Slash – lead guitar
• Duff McKagan – bass
• Matt Sorum – drums
• Dizzy Reed – piano
• Gilby Clarke – acoustic guitar

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993–1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[17] 47 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[18] 20 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[19] 35 France (SNEP)[20] 28 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[21] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[22] 16 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 48 Scotland (OCC)[24] 26 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 40 UK Singles (OCC)[26] 10 UK Airplay (Music Week)[27] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[28] 69

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[29] 20 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 136

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	February 1994	7-inch vinyl cassette	Geffen	[citation needed]
Europe	March 1994	CD		[31]
Japan	April 21, 1994	CD		[32]
United Kingdom	May 23, 1994	CD cassette		[33]

Other notable versions

• In 1964, Chuck Jackson went to No. 47 on the Hot 100 with his recording.^[34]
• Lou Christie reached No. 71 in Canada with his version, December 12, 1966.^[35]
• Jay and the Americans remade "Since I Don't Have You" for their April 1969 Sands of Time album release,^[36] their rendition serving as B-side for their Top Ten single "This Magic Moment" released November 1968.^[37]
• The Vogues remade "Since I Don't Have You" for their 1968 album release Memories: the track would also be included on the 1970 album release The Vogues Sing the Good Old Songs and Other Hits from which it was issued as a fourth single in December 1970 to reach #8 on the Billboard Easy Listening hit ranking, marking the Vogues last Top Ten appearance on a national chart.^[38]
• Patti LaBelle recorded an outstanding r&b/gospel-tinged version on her solo debut album, Patti LaBelle (1977), after leaving the group LaBelle.
• Released in 1978, the motion picture American Hot Wax, a biographical picture about one day in the life of legendary Rock and Roll DJ, Alan Freed, has a fictional character, named Teenaged Louise (a thinly veiled teenaged Carole King; played by Laraine Newman) who demonstrates at the piano one of “her” song-writing compositions, Since I Don’t Have You, to the astonishment of her parents.
• Art Garfunkel reached No. 38 on the UK singles chart in July 1979 with his cover, while peaking at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the adult contemporary chart in the US.^[39]
• Dorothy Moore's 1979 Definitely Dorothy album release included the medley "Since I Don't Have You"/"Since I Fell for You".^[40]
• Peter Weller sang the first part of the song to his future love interest in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984).
• Barbra Streisand recorded a version of the song for her 1974 album ButterFly.
• Taiwanese singer Fong Fei-fei recorded the Chinese version of the song in 1982.
• In 1965, The British rock group Manfred Mann recorded the song and was placed on their 2nd studio album Mann Made.
• In 2018 Joe Hawley of Tally Hall recorded the song as a single for his YouTube and Bandcamp pages
• it also made an appearance in the 1973 movie American Graffiti.