Jump to content

It's Only Love Doing Its Thing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing"
Single by Barry White
from the album The Man
A-side"Your Sweetness Is My Weakness"
ReleasedSeptember 1978[1]
Recorded1978
GenreSoul, funk
Length4:04
Label20th Century
Songwriter(s)Jimmie Cameron, Vella Cameron
Producer(s)Barry White
Barry White singles chronology
"Just the Way You Are"
(1978) 		"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing"
(1978) 		"Any Fool Can See (You Were Meant for Me)"
(1979)

"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".

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

[edit]
"It's Only Love"
Single by Simply Red
from the album A New Flame
ReleasedJanuary 16, 1989
Recorded1988–1989
GenreBlue-eyed soul
Length4:58
LabelElektra, WEA
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Cameron, Vella Cameron
Producer(s)Stewart Levine
Simply Red singles chronology
"I Won't Feel Bad"
(1988) 		"It's Only Love"
(1989) 		"If You Don't Know Me by Now"
(1989)
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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "It's Only Love" by Simply Red
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
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 31
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 57
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 19
West Germany (GfK)[16] 21

Weekly charts

[edit]
Year-end chart performance for "It's Only Love" by Simply Red
Chart (1989) Position
Belgium (Ultratop)[17] 97
West Germany (Media Control)[18] 86

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Barry White". Billboard.
  2. ^ Smith, Robin (January 21, 1989). "45". Record Mirror. p. 30. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Shaw, William (January 24, 1989). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 45. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  5. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6330." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  7. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  8. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Only Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  9. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 8, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  10. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  11. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  12. ^ "Simply Red – It's Only Love". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  13. ^ "Simply Red: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. March 25, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  15. ^ "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. April 8, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Simply Red – It's Only Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  17. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1989" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1989" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 30, 2025.


Stub icon

This 1970s song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This 1980s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=It%27s_Only_Love_Doing_Its_Thing&oldid=1288182120"