"Do It in the Name of Love" is a song written by

Bobby Bloom Robert Bloom (January 15, 1946 – February 28, 1974) was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry. Biography Bloom was bo ...

and Neil Brian Goldberg.

The Monkees

Producer Jeff Barry tapped Bloom and Goldberg to write songs for what would be the Monkees' final album for

Colgems Records Colgems Records was a record label that existed from 1966 to 1971. History Colgems was a joint venture between Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures, and RCA Victor to issue records by The Monkees and other artists affiliated ...

.Sandoval, Andrew. ''Changes'' (liner notes). 24 September 1994. In McCutcheon, J. D
"Compact Discs: Rhino Wave 1"
''Monkee45s.net.'' Retrieved 24 January 2019. Barry had recently produced songs for The Archies with both songwriters. Following the release of '' Changes'' in May 1970, their collaboration with the Monkees continued for a final single. The remaining Monkees,

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

and Davy Jones, recorded "Do It in the Name of Love" and its B-side "Lady Jane" during a single session on 22 September 1970.Sandoval, Andrew. ''The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation.'' London: Backbeat Books (2005) p. 276. ( Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith both left the group in a musical capacity before recording sessions for ''Changes'' began.) Both sides were produced and arranged by Jeff Barry and written by Bloom and Goldberg. Before the single could be released, Colgems Records folded and its catalogue was transferred to

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

. Bell decided to release the single on its label, crediting "Mickey Dolenz & Davy Jones" as the artists, with the misspelling of Micky Dolenz's name going unnoticed at the time. "Do It in the Name of Love" failed to chart, and the Monkees officially disbanded. The song first re-emerged on the Monkees'

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

box set '' Listen to the Band'' in 1991. It also appeared on the 2001 box set '' Music Box''. Both sides of the single were bonus tracks on the 1994 CD reissue of ''Changes'' and the ''Classic Album Collection'' from 2016.

Candi Staton

Neil Goldberg submitted "Do It in the Name of Love" to

FAME Studios FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the ...

producer Rick Hall, who selected the song for soul artist

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

. Staton's recording became the lead track on her 1972 album ''Candi Staton'', and was issued as a single in December of that year backed with her own composition "The Thanks I Get for Loving You". Her version of the song peaked at #63 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and at #17 on the R&B charts. "Do It in the Name of Love" appeared on the 1973 compilation ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

Hits That Made It Happen'' and a 2006 German CD ''Top 20 Greatest Hits''. A 2004 collection by British label Honest Jon's included the B-side "The Thanks I Get for Loving You". Both sides were collected on a 1994 French CD ''The Ultimate Fame Years Collection'' and again in 2011 in a more complete UK collection on the

Kent Soul Ace Records Ltd. is a British record label founded in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the similarly named label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their r ...

label titled ''Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters''.

Other versions

Soul singer Betty Padgett's 1988 album ''Sweet Feeling'' on Pip Records included several Candi Staton covers, including "Do It in the Name of Love"."Sweet Feeling"

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

. Retrieved 24 January 2019.

References

{{authority control The Monkees songs Davy Jones songs 1971 singles 1972 singles Songs written by Bobby Bloom 1971 songs