"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 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".

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
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

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

Charts

Chart performance for "It's Only Love" by Simply Red
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

  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. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Discography Simply Red". australian-charts.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  5. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search for Simply Red". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Simply Red | Top 40 Hitdossier-artiesten".
  8. ↑ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Simply Red | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  11. ↑ "officialcharts.de". December 29, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
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