That's The Way Love Is (album)
Encyclopedia
That's the Way Love Is is an album
by soul
musician Marvin Gaye
, released on January 8, 1970 on the Tamla (Motown) label. Built off the success of the title track (#7 Pop; #2 R&B in late 1969) originally taken from M.P.G.
, and much like Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine
" after its success, was released with intent to sell albums based on the success of one particular single (a Motown trademark). Gaye was showing signs of disillusionment from the label's powers-that-be mentality but it didn't affect the singer's performance as he gave a powerful vocal in the title track and was especially impressive with his version of The Beatles
' "Yesterday
". It also features the modest hits, "Gonna Give Her All the Love I Got" and "How Can I Forget". It also featured Gaye's classic rendition of the socially conscious tune, "Abraham, Martin & John" which became a huge hit on the other side of the Atlantic, peaking at #9 in the UK in June 1970. The single (and that of his duet single with Tammi Terrell
titled "The Onion Song
") is widely regarded as a hint of what would follow a year later with his epochal What's Going On
. He also covered The Temptations
' hits "I Wish It Would Rain
" and "Cloud Nine
".
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
musician Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, released on January 8, 1970 on the Tamla (Motown) label. Built off the success of the title track (#7 Pop; #2 R&B in late 1969) originally taken from M.P.G.
M.P.G.
M.P.G. is a 1969 album by Marvin Gaye for the Tamla label, his best-selling album of the 1960s. Released on April 30, 1969, the album became Gaye's first solo album to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, peaking at #33, and also became his first #1 album on the Soul Albums Chart...
, and much like Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I Heard It through the Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
" after its success, was released with intent to sell albums based on the success of one particular single (a Motown trademark). Gaye was showing signs of disillusionment from the label's powers-that-be mentality but it didn't affect the singer's performance as he gave a powerful vocal in the title track and was especially impressive with his version of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
". It also features the modest hits, "Gonna Give Her All the Love I Got" and "How Can I Forget". It also featured Gaye's classic rendition of the socially conscious tune, "Abraham, Martin & John" which became a huge hit on the other side of the Atlantic, peaking at #9 in the UK in June 1970. The single (and that of his duet single with Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
titled "The Onion Song
The Onion Song
"The Onion Song" was a hit for soul singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1969. It reached the top ten overseas, and was a more modest hit in the U.S....
") is widely regarded as a hint of what would follow a year later with his epochal What's Going On
What's Going On
What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records...
. He also covered The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
' hits "I Wish It Would Rain
I Wish It Would Rain
"I Wish It Would Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by the Temptations for the Motown label and produced by Norman Whitfield.-Background:...
" and "Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine (The Temptations song)
"Cloud Nine" is a 1968 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label. It was the first of their singles to feature Dennis Edwards instead of David Ruffin in the lineup, was the first of producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul tracks, and won Motown its first Grammy Award...
".
Track listing
- "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've GotGonna Give Her All the Love I've Got"Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" is a psychedelic soul song recorded by Motown singer Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label in 1970. Like Gaye's UK hit "Abraham, Martin & John", the song has a social context: it depicts a man anticipating his release from prison on the morrow, when he'll...
" (originally by Jimmy RuffinJimmy RuffinJimmy Ruffin is an American soul singer, and elder brother of the late David Ruffin of The Temptations. He had several hit records between the 1960s and 1980s, the most successful being "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted."-Life:...
) (Barrett StrongBarrett StrongBarrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
, Norman WhitfieldNorman WhitfieldNorman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
) - "YesterdayYesterday (song)"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" (originally by The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
) (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - "Groovin'Groovin'"Groovin" is a single released in 1967 by The Young Rascals that became a number-one hit and one of the group's signature songs.Written by group members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and with a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is indeed a slow, relaxed groove, based on Cavaliere's newfound...
" (originally by The Young Rascals) (Eddie BrigatiEddie BrigatiEddie Brigati is an American singer and songwriter.Most memorably, Brigati shared vocals, and played tambourine, in the pop group The Young Rascals from 1965 to 1970...
, Felix CavaliereFelix CavaliereFelix Cavaliere is an American songwriter, singer, music producer, and musician.Although he was a member of Joey Dee and His Starlighters best known for their hit "Peppermint Twist", he is best known for his association with The Young Rascals during the 1960s. The other members of The Rascals...
) - "I Wish It Would RainI Wish It Would Rain"I Wish It Would Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by the Temptations for the Motown label and produced by Norman Whitfield.-Background:...
" (originally by The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
) (Roger PenzabeneRoger PenzabeneRoger Penzabene was a songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most notable compositions are "The End of Our Road" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye, and a trilogy of hits for the Temptations: "You're My Everything", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "I Could Never Love Another ".The...
, Strong, Whitfield) - "That's the Way Love IsThat's The Way Love Is"That's the Way Love Is" is a 1967 Tamla single recorded by The Isley Brothers and produced by Norman Whitfield, later covered in a 1969 hit version by Marvin Gaye....
" (Strong, Whitfield) - "How Can I ForgetHow Can I Forget"How Can I Forget" was originally recorded as a love ballad by Motown group The Temptations in 1968 and was re-recorded in a psychedelic soul/funk styling by fellow Motown artist, Marvin Gaye in 1969...
" (originally by The Temptations) (Strong, Whitfield) - "Abraham, Martin & John" (Dick Holler)
- "Gonna Keep on Tryin' Till I Win Your Love" (Strong,Whitfield)
- "No Time for Tears" (Holland, Whitfield)
- "Cloud NineCloud Nine (The Temptations song)"Cloud Nine" is a 1968 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown label. It was the first of their singles to feature Dennis Edwards instead of David Ruffin in the lineup, was the first of producer Norman Whitfield's psychedelic soul tracks, and won Motown its first Grammy Award...
" (originally by The Temptations) (Strong, Whitfield) - "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" (Penzabene, Strong, Whitfield)
- "So Long" (Eddie Holland, Dean Taylor, Whitfield)
Credits
- Lead vocals by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
- Background vocals by The AndantesThe AndantesThe Andantes were a prolific female sessions group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie...
: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps; and The OriginalsThe OriginalsThe Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm For Real", "The Bells" and the disco classic, "Down to Love Town"...
: Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines, Henry Dixon and C.P. Spencer - InstrumentationInstrumentation (music)In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...