Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart
"Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" | ||||
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![]() Side A of the Canadian single | ||||
Single by The Supremes | ||||
from the album The Supremes A' Go-Go | ||||
B-side | "He's All I Got" | |||
Released | April 8, 1966 | |||
Recorded | 1966 | |||
Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) | |||
Genre | R&B, pop, soul | |||
Length | 2:53 | |||
Label | Motown M 1094 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Holland–Dozier–Holland | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Holland Lamont Dozier | |||
The Supremes singles chronology | ||||
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The Supremes A' Go-Go track listing | ||||
"Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" is a 1966 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label.
Written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was recorded in June 1965 and not released until April 1966. It was one of the few singles written by the team for the Supremes that didn't reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in the United States. Nevertheless, the song was a Top 10 hit, peaking at number nine for one week in May 1966.[1] Billboard named the song #90 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[2]
Overview
One of the group's most powerful singles, this uptempo and brassy dance single was somewhat of a departure from the group's much lighter, pop-oriented sound, with a production set for an uptempo soul sound similar to that of material by fellow Motown groups Martha and the Vandellas and the Four Tops. The lyrics tell of how the narrator has been "bitten by the love bug" and no matter what she does, she can't "scratch it" (the itch created by the bite of the love bug). Lead singer Diana Ross' bandmates Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson accompany Ross, as she sings about her lover's grasp on her heart. The girl group performed the hit live on CBS variety program The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, May 1, 1966.[3]
Reception
Billboard said of the song "more exciting sounds from the girls in this slow rhythm rocker with solid back beat."[4] Cash Box described the song as a "throbbing, rhythmic, pop-blues romancer all about a real lucky gal who has finally found the guy that she’s always dreamed about."[5] Record World called it "the new pearl in the string of Supreme hits" and said that it "has all their beloved tricks."[6]
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Diana Ross
- Background vocals by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson
- Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers
- Baritone saxophone by Andrew "Mike" Terry
Charts
Chart (1966) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 100 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] | 3 |
UK R&B (Record Mirror)[9] | 11 |
US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 9 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] | 7 |
US Cashbox Top 100[12] | 9 |
US Cashbox R&B[13] | 6 |
US Record World 100 Top Pops[14] | 10 |
US Record World Top 40 R&B[15] | 9 |
References
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 28. Nielsen Company. 1966. p. 24. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "James Brown, The Supremes, Nancy Ames, London Lee". The Ed Sullivan Show. Season 19. Episode 33. New York City. 1 May 1966. CBS. WCBS.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 23, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 23, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 23, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
- ^ "Every Unique AMR Top 100 Single of the 1966". Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5765." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror. May 28, 1966. p. 11. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ "The Supremes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Supremes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. June 4, 1966. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "The CASH BOX Top 50 In R&B Locations". Cashbox. June 4, 1966. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "100 TOP POPS: Week of June 18, 1966" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. June 18, 1966. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "TOP 40 R&B: Week of May 21, 1966" (PDF). Record World. worldradiohistory.com. May 21, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 29 January 2021.