Writers: Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald
Producer: Ted Templeman
Recorded: Summer 1978 at Warner Bros. Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California
Released: December 1978
| Players: | Patrick Simmons — vocals, guitar Michael McDonald — keyboards, vocals Jeff “Skunk” Baxter — guitar Tiran Porter — bass, vocals John Hartman — drums Keith Knudsen — drums, vocals Bobby LaKind — congas, vocals Rosemary Butler and Nicolette Larson — backing vocals |
| Album: | Minute By Minute (Warner Bros., 1978) |
A straightforward rocker and love song, “Dependin' On You” was the third hit from the Doobie Brothers' successful album Minute By Minute, reaching Number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On writing the song with keyboardist Michael McDonald, guitarist Patrick Simmons recalls, “We were running through some ideas at Mike's house in L.A., and I had this riff that we started off with. Mike came up with the changes in the chorus, and then we all kind of worked on the breakdown. Both of us wrote some lyrics, and we kind of put them all together.”
Minute By Minute was the Doobies' most successful studio recording, selling more than three million copies and spending five weeks at Number One on the Billboard 200–the only chart-topping album of the group's career.
The album also helped the group snare four Grammy Awards in 1979, including best pop vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus.