Just When I Needed You Most – Randy Vanwarmer | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & Adult Contemporary (#1); 1979
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
June, 1979 found the Top 10 occupied by the last remnants of disco-flavored singles; among them Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff and Bad Girls, and Anita Ward’s Ring My Bell.
Several ballads were also winning fans, including Reunited by Peaches & Herb and a tune by one Randy Vanwarmer. As a boy, Randy’s small town fundamentalist upbringing kept him away from such potentially bad influences as rock ‘n’ roll.
Following his father’s death in a car crash, 12 year old Randy moved with his mom to England. And it was while attending St. Austell College, that Randy started singing pop songs in clubs. By the late 1970’s, Randy was back in the U.S., living in Woodstock, N.Y., and recording for the local Bearsville label.
Although Just When I Needed You Most was a huge hit, Randy was unable to find a successful follow-up. He did, however, reach #1: as co-writer of Alabama’s I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why).
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Del Newman
Lyrics Written by:
- Randy VanWarmer
- Tony Wilson
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).