The Message Is Love
Studio album by
Barry White
ReleasedMarch 1979[1]
Recorded1979
GenreDisco, soul, R&B
Length35:53
LabelUnlimited Gold
ProducerBarry White
Barry White chronology
The Man
(1978)		 The Message Is Love
(1979)		 I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing
(1979)
Singles from The Message Is Love
  1. "Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant For Me)"
    Released: March 1979[1]
  2. "It Ain't Love Babe (Until You Give It)"
    Released: June 1979[2]
  3. "Love Ain't Easy"
    Released: January 1980[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul[4]

The Message Is Love is the self-produced tenth album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in March 1979.[1] It was White's first release on his own CBS-affiliated custom label, Unlimited Gold, following his departure from long-time label 20th Century-Fox Records, and advance interest was high. The album however proved a disappointment both critically and commercially. However, the album was still certified RIAA Gold. The Message Is Love stalled outside the R&B album top 10 (peaking at number 14)[5] and only reached number 67 on the Billboard 200.[6] The poor performance of the album set the pattern for White's career slump in the early 1980s, which saw him fail to place any other album on the Billboard Hot 100 during the decade.

Track listing

  • Tracks written by Barry White and Paul Politi unless stated
  1. "It Ain't Love, Babe (Until You Give It)" – 4:22
  2. "Hung Up in Your Love" – 4:11
  3. "You're the One I Need" (Barry White, Smead Hudman) – 4:23
  4. "Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant for Me)" – 4:45
  5. "Love Ain't Easy" – 5:36
  6. "I'm on Fire" (Robert Jason) – 5:39
  7. "I Found Love" – 6:57

Charts

Album

Chart performance for The Message Is Love
Chart (1979) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 67
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 14

Singles

Chart performance for singles from The Message Is Love
Year Single
US
R&B
[2]
1979 "Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant for Me)" 37
"It Ain't Love Babe (Until You Give It)" 58
1980 "Love Ain't Easy" 75

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for The Message Is Love
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The more he does it, the better he gets". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 12. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 24, 1979. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. 1 2 3 "Barry White Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Message Is Love Barry White". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 358.
  5. ↑ "Barry White Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Barry White Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Barry White Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Barry White Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ "American album certifications – Barry White – The Message Is Love". Recording Industry Association of America.
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