Marcia Hines - Something’s Missing (In My Life) (1979)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
Australia
#8 Sydney #11 Melbourne #8 Brisbane #12 Adelaide #23 Perth #5 NZ

Single on Miracle April 1979. Also on album Ooh Child (1979).

Sixteen-year-old singer Marcia Hines came to Australia from the US in 1970 for Hair, stayed for Jesus Christ Superstar, and became Australia’s most popular female pop star of the late 70s, voted ‘Queen of Pop‘ for three years. In the 2000s she was prominent on Australian TV as a judge on Australian Idol.

See also From The Inside, You, and Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees by Marcia Hines.

Further reading: Ian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop, pp. 285-286 [Internet Archive]

Suggested by Terry Stacey.

Freda Payne - Something’s Missing (In My Life) (1979)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
USA

On album Hot, on Capitol.

Versatile jazz-pop-r&b singer Freda Payne (b. 1942) studied music at college level and has wide experience in radio, television and theatre.

Her best known song is Band Of Gold (1973, #3 Billboard, #2 Cash Box; ♫ Listen at YouTube).

Further reading: 1. Freda Payne biography by Greg Prato at All Music. 2. The Wikipedia article on Freda Payne is detailed and well-footnoted.

Paul Jabara - Something’s Missing (In My Life) (1978)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
USA
Original version

On album Keeping Time, on Casablanca label.

Brooklyn-born Paul Jabara (1948-1992) was a prolific songwriter identified with the 70s disco movement, as well as a producer, actor, and composer for film and stage.

Paul Jabara’s compositions include:

Donna Summers – Last Dance (1978, #3 USA, from Thank God It’s Friday);
Barbra Streisand – The Main Event/Fight (1979, #3 USA, co-write with Bob Esty & Bruce Roberts, from The Main Event);
Barbra Streisand & Donna Summers – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (1979, #1 USA, co-write with Bruce Roberts);
The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men (1983, #46 USA, #3 UK, co-write with Paul Shaffer); also by Geri Halliwell (2001, #1 UK, from Bridget Jones’s Diary).

Paul Jabara is known for co-founding the Red Ribbon Project. This promoted the red ribbon as a symbol of AIDS awareness, an influential example of using a coloured ribbon in this way.

Further reading: 1. Paul Jabara at Wikipedia. 2. Paul Jabara filmography at IMDb. 3. JayAsher.com.

Karen Carpenter - Something’s Missing (In My Life) (1980)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
USA
Unreleased

This is one of the tracks recorded 1979-1980 for Karen Carpenter’s only solo album, Karen Carpenter, produced by Phil Ramone.

The album remained unreleased until 1996 but Something’s Missing (In My Life) was not included.

Discogs.com lists some releases of the song but they all appear to be on “unofficial” releases.

Co-writer Jay Asher has commented positively on this version, for example at the now-defunct fan site LeadSister.com. See also NedNickerson2010’s posting of the track at YouTube where he cites Jay Asher from personal correspondence.

Ahmad Jamal - Something’s Missing in My Life (1980)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
USA
Later version

On album Night Song by distinguished jazz pianist-composer (1930-2023).

♫ Listen at YouTube

References: 1. Ahmad Jamal discography by Jean Prince. NB link opens archived PDF file from defunct site AhmadJamal.net. 2. Ahmad Jamal entry at Wikipedia.

Paul Jabara & Donna Summer - Something’s Missing (In My Life) (1989)

(Paul Jabara - Jay Asher)
USA
Later version

On Paul Jabara’s album Greatest Hits … And Misses

Gospel-trained Donna Summer (1948-2012) was rightly known as The Queen of Disco. Her eleven Top 10 Billboard hits 1975-1982 included Love To Love You Baby (1975, #2 USA), Mac Arthur Park (1978, #1), Hot Stuff (1979, #1) and Bad Girls (1979, #1).

Source: Donna Summer Biography by Steve Huey at All Music.

The Five Stairsteps & Cubie - Something’s Missing (1967)

(Clarence Burke Jr and Clarence Newton Burke)
USA
Red herring

Similar title but not the same song as ‘Something’s Missing (In My Life)’ by Marcia Hines.

Single on Buddha November 1967 by Chicago soul group formed by four brothers and a sister from the Burke family, later joined by brother Cubie, the youngest member.