It's Only Love Doing Its Thing
"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" is a ballad featured on soul singer Barry White's 1978 album The Man. The English soul band Simply Red covered the song in 1989, under the shortened title "It's Only Love".
| "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Barry White | ||||
| from the album The Man | ||||
| A-side | "Your Sweetness is My Weakness" | |||
| Released | September 1978[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 4:04 | |||
| Label | 20th Century | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jimmie Cameron, Vella Cameron | |||
| Producer(s) | Barry White | |||
| Barry White singles chronology | ||||
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Elements from the song were sampled in 21 Questions by 50 Cent. In 2008, the song was featured on Grand Theft Auto IV's fictional soul/R&B radio station The Vibe 98.8.
Simply Red version
| "It's Only Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Simply Red | ||||
| from the album A New Flame | ||||
| Released | January 16, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
| Genre | Blue-eyed soul | |||
| Length | 4:58 | |||
| Label | Elektra, WEA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Cameron, Vella Cameron | |||
| Producer(s) | Stewart Levine | |||
| Simply Red singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "It's Only Love" on YouTube | ||||
In 1989, the English soul and pop band Simply Red released a cover as "It's Only Love" as the lead single of their third studio album, A New Flame (1989). This version had its greatest success by charting at number-seven in Ireland. The song was later featured in Simply Red's several greatest-hits albums and a ballad collection of the same name.
Critical reception
Robin Smith from Record Mirror wrote, "Hell, sure has been a long time since we last heard Mick Hucknall crooning blissfully, but all good things are worth waiting for. 'It's Only Love' is a magnificent slow-burning track to cherish and savour, as Hucknall side-steps his vocals around some powerful instrumentation. It's nice to hear that Simply Red aren't merely regurgitating old ideas, and I can hardly wait for the album."[2] William Shaw from Smash Hits said, "It's a low key re-entry into the giddy world of pop, none of Mick's over-the-top wailing, just a simple, catchy piece of their old fashioned "soul" that swings along in a most acceptable manner."[3]
Personnel
- Fritz McIntyre – keyboards and backing vocals
- Tim Kellett – trumpet and keyboards
- Chris Joyce – drums
- Tony Bowers – bass guitar
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 31 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[5] | 11 |
| Canada (RPM) | 30 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 7 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 31 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 31 |
| Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)[9] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 57 |
| West Germany (Gfk Entertainment charts)[11] | 21 |
References
- "Barry White". Billboard.
- Smith, Robin (January 21, 1989). "45". Record Mirror. p. 30. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- Shaw, William (January 24, 1989). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 45. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- "australian-charts.com - Discography Simply Red". australian-charts.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- "The Irish Charts – Search for Simply Red". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- "Simply Red | Top 40 Hitdossier-artiesten".
- "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- "Simply Red | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- "officialcharts.de". December 29, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2022.

