"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 ''A New Flame'' is the third album by British pop and soul group Simply Red, released in February 1989. It was a huge success worldwide, becoming the band's first UK number one album and certified 7× Platinum by the BPI for sales of 2,100,000 ...

'' (1989). 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. Elements from the song were sampled in "

21 Questions "21 Questions" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent featuring fellow American rapper and singer Nate Dogg. It was released in March 2003 through Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's own G- ...

" by

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

. In 2008, the song was featured on '' Grand Theft Auto IVs fictional soul/R&B radio station

The Vibe 98.8 ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...

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

. 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

In 1989, English soul and pop band Simply Red released a cover as "It's Only Love" as the lead single of their third studio album, ''

'' (1989). 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." William Shaw from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' said, "It's a low key re-entry into the giddy world of pop, none of Mick's over-the-top wailing, just a simple, catchy piece of their old fashioned " soul" that swings along in a most acceptable manner."

Personnel

* Fritz McIntyre – keyboards and backing vocals * Tim Kellett – trumpet and keyboards *

Chris Joyce Chris Joyce (born 11 October 1957, Manchester, England) is known for being drummer with various groups, and with Simply Red in the 1980s. Coming from Chorlton, Manchester, he adopted the hippie lifestyle. His most remote band was Fast Breeder, ...

– drums * Tony Bowers – bass guitar

Charts

References

1978 songs 1989 singles Barry White songs Simply Red songs Pop ballads Number-one singles in Italy {{1980s-single-stub