"I'm Ready for Love" is a 1966 single by

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

girl group

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind ...

. The song, produced and written by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During ...

, and was written in a similar style to

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

' smash hit, "

You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is a 1966 song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25 of 1966 as the second single from their studio album '' The Supremes A' Go-Go'' ( 1966). Written and produced by Motown p ...

Background

The song, which has the narrator longing to be in love with her object of affectionThe Vandellas' version was issued as the first official release off the group's 1966 album, '' Watchout!'', though the album's actual first single, the emotive ballad "What Am I Going to Do Without Your Love" bombed on the chart. This song renewed the Vandellas' popularity among mainstream audiences with its top ten showing. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it is a "hard driving rocker has the girls spilling out a potent, effective romance lyric in a mood that should have every dancer who spins the disk on the floor."

Personnel

* Lead vocals by

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

* Background vocals by

the Andantes The Andantes were an American female session 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 Ma ...

: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps * Instrumental track recorded in Los Angeles on August 12, 1966 * Produced by

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hit ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

* Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and

Edward Holland, Jr. Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...

Chart performance

Scoring their biggest hit since " Nowhere to Run", rose to #9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #2 on ''Billboard''s Hot R&B singles chart. "I'm Ready For Love" was also was a chart hit for the group in the UK where the song peaked at number twenty-two on the chart.

Other recordings

*Other than the Vandellas,

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

also recorded a version of this song that was released on their 1967 album '' In A Mellow Mood''.

References

External links

Martha and the Vandellas - "I'm Ready for Love" song review by Richard Gilliam, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Martha and the Vandellas - "I'm Ready for Love" single releases & credits
at

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 ...

Martha and the Vandellas - "I'm Ready for Love" song to be listened
on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Martha and the Vandellas - "I'm Ready for Love" song to be listened
on

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1966 singles Martha and the Vandellas songs The Temptations songs Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Gordy Records singles 1966 songs Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Jeffrey Bowen {{1960s-single-stub