It's Only Love Doing Its Thing

"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" is a track featured on Barry White's album The Man. English soul band Simply Red later covered the song, under the shortened title "It's Only Love", as the lead single for their third studio album, A New Flame. The Simply Red cover had its greatest success by charting at number one in Italy. The song was later featured in several greatest-hits albums and a ballad collection of the same name, and it remains a live favorite.

"It's Only Love Doing Its Thing"
Single by Barry White
from the album The Man
A-side	"Your Sweetness is My Weakness"
Released	September 1978^[1]
Recorded	1978
Genre	Soul, funk
Length	4:04
Label	20th 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)

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.

Overview

The song is a ballad performed by Soul singer Barry White on his 1978 album The Man, 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
Released	January 16, 1989
Recorded	1988–1989
Genre	Blue-eyed soul
Length	4:58
Label	Elektra, 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, English soul band Simply Red released a cover as "It's Only Love" as the lead single of their third studio album, A New Flame. This version had its greatest success by charting at number-seven in Ireland. The cover was later featured in several greatest-hits albums and a ballad collection of the same name, and it remains a live favorite.

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]

Personnel

• Fritz McIntyre – keyboards and backing vocals
• Tim Kellett – trumpet and keyboards
• Chris Joyce – drums
• Tony Bowers – bass guitar

Chart performance

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

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[3]	31
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[4]	11
Canada (RPM)	30
Germany (Gfk Entertainment charts)^[5]	21
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	28

References

1. "Barry White".
2. Smith, Robin (January 21, 1989). "45". Record Mirror. p. 30. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
3. "australian-charts.com - Discography Simply Red". australian-charts.com. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
4. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
5. . December 29, 2014. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. 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.