“Give a Little Bit” by Supertramp

"Give a Little Bit" opens Supertramp's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments..., riding on the bright strum of Roger Hodgson's 12-string guitar. The credit reads Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, but it was Hodgson's song: he wrote it at 19 or 20 and sat on it for five or six years before the band recorded it, and he sings it too. The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" was the spark, and you can hear it, a flower-power plea for kindness polished up for FM.

Supertramp produced it themselves, Geoff Emerick mixed it, and Davies' keyboards, Dougie Thomson's bass and Bob Siebenberg's drums and percussion keep it bouncing like a singalong at closing time. It became an international hit, reaching 15 on the Billboard pop chart and 29 in Britain.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.