Someone That I Used To Love

This is a sad song about a woman whose boyfriend was never satisfied with the love she gave him, but rather than hold on and keep trying, she decides to walk away and stop throwing her heart away on him.

This was written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. After divorcing his wife and songwriting partner Carole King, with whom he wrote a number of big pop hits in the '60s, Goffin teamed up with various composers, including Masser (the song's producer). They wrote the #1 hits "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" and "Saving All My Love For You."

Bette Midler was the first artist to record this, but her version was shelved at the insistence of her manager, Aaron Russo. Goffin and Masser first pitched the ballad to Brooks Arthur, who was producing Midler's 1977 album, Broken Blossom. Arthur was sure it would be a big hit for the singer, and they rushed her to the studio to record the song before anyone else could snag it. But Midler called him a couple days later and said she didn't want to release it because Russo thought the album needed more energy, not another "gushy ballad." They argued about it for days until Russo got Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun involved. He agreed the album opener should be replaced with a high-spirited number, which ended up being a cover of Sarah Vaughan's 1954 hit "Make Yourself Comfortable." Three years later, Cole debuted the ballad on her Don't Look Back album.