It's Only Love Doing Its Thing
1978 single by Barry White
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"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" is a song by soul singer Barry White, from his 1978 album The Man. It was released as the B-side to the album's lead single, "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness". 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" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| 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 | |||
| Songwriters | Jimmie Cameron, Vella Cameron | |||
| Producer | Barry White | |||
| Barry White singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| 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 | |||
| Songwriters | Jimmy Cameron, Vella Cameron | |||
| Producer | Stewart Levine | |||
| Simply Red singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 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
Weekly charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 31 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] | 11 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] | 30 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 24 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 7 |
| Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[9] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] | 10 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] | 31 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 12 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[14] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 57 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[16] | 19 |
| West Germany (GfK)[17] | 21 |
