Peak
4
Weeks
10
Score
2,077
Chart Year
1967
Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs delivers a passionate vocal on this song, urging his girl to stick with him and ignore the advances of other men. The song was written by the legendary Motown team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland), who wrote most of the hits for the Four Tops, including "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "Reach Out I'll Be There." So was there really a "Bernadette"? Yes, and more than one. Dozier explained to Hits magazine in 2003: "There were three Bernadettes, and they were all different girls. We sorta kept that to ourselves that we all had our own Bernadette. We always said, we'd never bring a girlfriend's name into the songs. We had this hidden thing when the name came up, so we didn't say anything. So at least two of us were thinking about the Bernadettes we knew." In Dozier's case, "Bernadette" was inspired by his unrequited love for a girl when he was 12; a "beautiful Italian girl with eyes for somebody else." Levi Stubbs stood out as one of the most exciting singers on the Motown roster, with a talent for putting his own stamp on a song. He thrived on songs that were difficult to sing, which made him a good fit for Holland-Dozier-Holland. In a Songfacts interview with Lamont Dozier, he said: "Levi was a good, dynamic type of singer and he had to stretch singing 'Bernadette' and 'Reach Out.' He had to develop his own feel because although we gave him a demo to practice from and show him the way the song should go, he had to deliver and he had to be dramatic. He took that upon himself, bringing out that dramatic feel of those songs." On a 2009 episode of the TV show The Big Bang Theory, the character Howard performs an altered version of this song for his girlfriend Bernadette to apologize for prematurely proposing to her. The song goes over quite well, as she finds it romantic. The song also appeared in a 1991 episode of Quantum Leap and in the 2007 movie Zodiac.
Bernadette, people are searchin' for the kind of love that we possess. Some go on searchin' their whole life through and never find the love I've found in you. And when I speak of you I see envy in other men's eyes, and I'm well aware of what's on their minds. They pretend to be my friend, when all the time they long to persuade you from my side. They'd give the world and all they own for just one moment we have known. Bernadette, they want you because of the pride that gives, But Bernadette, I want you because I need you to live. But while I live only to hold you some other men, they long to control you But how can they control you Bernadette, when they can not control themselves,Bernadette, from wanting you, needing you but darling, you belong to me. I'll tell the world you belong to me, I'll tell the world, you're the soul of me, I'll tell the world you're a part of me. In your arms I find the kind of peace of mind the world is searching for, But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine has always been longing for. In you I have what other men long for. All men need someone to worship and adore, that's why I treasure you and place you high above, for the only joy in life is to be loved. So whatever you do, Bernadette, keep on loving me, Bernadette, keep on needing me Bernadette. Bernadette you belong to me, I'll tell the world, you're the soul of me,
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 11, 1967 | 65 | 61 |
| 2 | Mar 18, 1967 | 23 | 103 |
| 3 | Mar 25, 1967 | 18 | 108 |
| 4 | Apr 1, 1967 | 5 | 121 |
| 5 | Apr 8, 1967 | 4 | 122 |
| 6 | Apr 15, 1967 | 4 | 122 |
| 7 | Apr 22, 1967 | 8 | 118 |
| 8 | Apr 29, 1967 | 9 | 117 |
| 9 | May 5, 1967 | 24 | 102 |
| 10 | May 12, 1967 | 50 | 76 |