Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)
Encyclopedia
"Take Me in Your Arms" is a song written by the premier Motown songwriting/production team of the 1960's Holland–Dozier–Holland: the song had its highest profile via a 1975 recording by the Doobie Brothers.
record the song in 1965 her version being released that September to reach #5 on the R&B chart in Billboard
crossing-over to #50 on the Hot 100. In 1967 Holland-Dozier-Holland had the Isley Brothers
remake the song: their version released in March 1968 reached #22 R&B.
Jermaine Jackson
remade "Take Me in Your Arms" for his solo 1972 debut album Jermaine; the track, produced by Hal Davis
, served as B-side
for Jackson's career record "Daddy's Home".
remade "Take Me in Your Arms" for their 1975 Stampede album: Tom Johnston who was then the Doobies frontman would later recall: "I had been a fan of that song since it came out somewhere in the '60s. I just loved that song. So somewhere around '72 I started lobbying to get the band to do a cover of that. And I didn't get anywhere until '75. Then finally in 1975 we actually did it."
Doobies members Jeff Baxter
said of the Doobies recording of "Take Me in Your Arms": "That song was like a dream come true for us. Every musician I've ever known has at some point wanted to achieve Motown's technically slick soul sound - it's so dynamic. We sat down to try to duplicate it, and to see if our version could emerge as a successful single." According to Doobies member Patrick Simmons
: "At first the band sounded like the Grateful Dead
doing the Four Tops
, but gradually it came together quite accurately." Motown veteran Paul Riser
was enlisted to arrange the track.
Released as the lead single of Stampede on April 23 1975, "Take Me in Your Arms" reached a Hot 100 peak of #11 that June, signaling a downturn in the Doobie Brothers' popularity which would last until 1979 when the group - reinvented as a streamlined blue-eyed soul
outfit fronted by vocalist Michael McDonald
- would score their career record with "What a Fool Believes
". "Take Me in Your Arms" did give the Doobie Brothers their only chart hit in France at #37: the track also charted in the UK at #29 - matching the chart peak of the Doobie Brothers only other original release Top 30 hit "Listen to the Music"1 - and in Australia at #34.
"Take Me in Your Arms" was also remade in 1975 by Canadian singer Charity Brown
whose version, produced by Harry Hinde, was arranged by Motown veteran Tom Baird. The Charity Brown version of "Take Me in Your Arms" reached #5 in Canada in May 1975: as this version descended the Canadian charts the Doobie Brothers' version moved up to a #30 peak the success of Brown's version evidently undercutting that of the Doobies' version (although the two versions were quite dis-similar). Brown's "Take Me in Your Arms" single was given a May 1975 release in the UK where it failed to chart. The track was featured on Brown's eponymous 1975 album.
1975 also saw the release of a remake of "Take Me in Your Arms" by Motown veteran R. Dean Taylor
whose version appeared on his self-produced January 1975 Polydor
album release LA Sunset.
(Blood, Sweat & Tears 4
/ 1971), Claudja Barry
(The Girl Most Likely/ 1977), Marcia Hines
(Hinesight/ 2003) and Phil Collins
(Going Back
/ 2010).
Motown versions
Eddie Holland of Holland-Dozier-Holland made the original recording of "Take Me in Your Arms" in 1964: the version was not released commercially until 2005. Holland-Dozier-Holland had Kim WestonKim Weston
Kim Weston is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and "Take Me in Your Arms ".-Career:...
record the song in 1965 her version being released that September to reach #5 on the R&B chart in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
crossing-over to #50 on the Hot 100. In 1967 Holland-Dozier-Holland had the Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
remake the song: their version released in March 1968 reached #22 R&B.
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
remade "Take Me in Your Arms" for his solo 1972 debut album Jermaine; the track, produced by Hal Davis
Hal Davis
Harold Edward "Hal" Davis was an African American songwriter and record producer, best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5....
, served as B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for Jackson's career record "Daddy's Home".
1975
The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
remade "Take Me in Your Arms" for their 1975 Stampede album: Tom Johnston who was then the Doobies frontman would later recall: "I had been a fan of that song since it came out somewhere in the '60s. I just loved that song. So somewhere around '72 I started lobbying to get the band to do a cover of that. And I didn't get anywhere until '75. Then finally in 1975 we actually did it."
Doobies members Jeff Baxter
Jeff Baxter
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s...
said of the Doobies recording of "Take Me in Your Arms": "That song was like a dream come true for us. Every musician I've ever known has at some point wanted to achieve Motown's technically slick soul sound - it's so dynamic. We sat down to try to duplicate it, and to see if our version could emerge as a successful single." According to Doobies member Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons
Patrick Simmons is an American musician best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. His fingerstyle guitar playing complements the strumming style of Tom Johnston. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, he has been the band's only consistent member throughout their tenure...
: "At first the band sounded like the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
doing the Four Tops
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes...
, but gradually it came together quite accurately." Motown veteran Paul Riser
Paul Riser
Paul Riser is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the "Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of the other "Brothers", as his career has been overlooked and overshadowed by the...
was enlisted to arrange the track.
Released as the lead single of Stampede on April 23 1975, "Take Me in Your Arms" reached a Hot 100 peak of #11 that June, signaling a downturn in the Doobie Brothers' popularity which would last until 1979 when the group - reinvented as a streamlined blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
outfit fronted by vocalist Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
- would score their career record with "What a Fool Believes
What a Fool Believes
"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, remaining in that position for one week...
". "Take Me in Your Arms" did give the Doobie Brothers their only chart hit in France at #37: the track also charted in the UK at #29 - matching the chart peak of the Doobie Brothers only other original release Top 30 hit "Listen to the Music"1 - and in Australia at #34.
"Take Me in Your Arms" was also remade in 1975 by Canadian singer Charity Brown
Charity Brown
Charity Brown is a Canadian film actress, singer, and voice artist for television animation shorts. She is one of Eastwood Collegiate Institute's notable alumni.-Biography:...
whose version, produced by Harry Hinde, was arranged by Motown veteran Tom Baird. The Charity Brown version of "Take Me in Your Arms" reached #5 in Canada in May 1975: as this version descended the Canadian charts the Doobie Brothers' version moved up to a #30 peak the success of Brown's version evidently undercutting that of the Doobies' version (although the two versions were quite dis-similar). Brown's "Take Me in Your Arms" single was given a May 1975 release in the UK where it failed to chart. The track was featured on Brown's eponymous 1975 album.
1975 also saw the release of a remake of "Take Me in Your Arms" by Motown veteran R. Dean Taylor
R. Dean Taylor
R. Dean Taylor is a Canadian singer, most famous as a recording artist, songwriter and record producer for Motown Records company during the 1960s and 1970s...
whose version appeared on his self-produced January 1975 Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
album release LA Sunset.
- 1The Doobie Brothers would reach #7 UK in 1993 with a remixed version of their 1973 single "Long Train Runnin'".
Other versions
The song has also been recorded by Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
(Blood, Sweat & Tears 4
Blood, Sweat & Tears 4
BS&T 4 is the fourth album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1971. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart.David Clayton-Thomas left as lead vocalist to pursue a solo career after the release of BS&T 4, as did founding members Dick Halligan and Fred Lipsius...
/ 1971), Claudja Barry
Claudja Barry
Claudja Barry, is a singer and actress who has performed in the European versions of the stage musicals Hair and Catch My Soul.-Early music career:...
(The Girl Most Likely/ 1977), Marcia Hines
Marcia Hines
Marcia Elaine Hines, AM is a vocalist, actress and TV personality who achieved success in her adopted homeland of Australia. Hines made her debut, at the age of sixteen, in the Australian version of the stage musical Hair and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar...
(Hinesight/ 2003) and Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
(Going Back
Going Back (Phil Collins album)
Going Back is Phil Collins's eighth studio album. It was released on 13 September 2010 in the United Kingdom and 28 September 2010 in the United States. and features covers of 60s Motown & Soul standards...
/ 2010).