"Love Me for a Reason" is a song by

Johnny Bristol John William Bristol (February 3, 1939 – March 21, 2004) was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about which ...

. It was recorded most famously by

The Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

, and released in 1974. Twenty years later,

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...

covered the song. Both versions were successful, reaching the top ten of the charts in many countries.

Original song and covers

The original version by

, from his 1974 album ''Hang On In There Baby'', was released as a single on MGM in 1974, but "Love Me for a Reason" quickly became associated with another MGM act, The Osmonds. It was their last top ten hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, reaching #10; it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

it fared even better, spending three weeks at the top in August 1974. There was a lovers rock version of the song issued on

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

records in 1976, credited to the

Fabulous Five Inc Fabulous may refer to: *Fabulous (band), a 1990s British rock band * ''Fabulous'' (album), by Sheena Easton, 2000 *''Fabulous'', an album by the Tamperer featuring Maya, 1999 * "Fabulous" (Charlie Gracie song), 1957 * "Fabulous" (Jaheim song), 200 ...

(aka Fab Five Inc), that scored well in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom.

Track listings

; 7" single # "Love Me for a Reason" — 4:02 # "Fever" — 3:15

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Boyzone version

"Love Me for a Reason" was revived by Irish

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

in 1994, released as the second single from their debut album, ''

Said and Done ''Said and Done'' is the debut album by Irish boy band Boyzone. The album was released on 21 August 1995 by Polydor Records and went straight to No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album sold 1.2 million copies in the first year of its release. A ...

'' (1994). The song was released in Ireland in late 1994 and was issued in the United Kingdom several weeks later, on November 28, 1994. It also became their breakthrough single, reaching number one on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

and number two on the

. In the UK, it was the 19th-best-selling single of 1994 and received a gold sales status certification for shipping over 400,000 copies in the UK.

Critical reception

Peter Fawthrop from

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 ...

viewed the song as a "peppy tribute" to the

Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Be warned. This is just the first instalment of a cover battle over this song and could well be the start of a mini-Osmonds revival in the new year. For now, this cover of the Osmonds classic 1974 No.1 becomes the debut hit for the latest crop of lads to make a bid for teen stardom. The timing of the release is impeccable. I'm a sucker for a good pop record, well made and this ranks with the best of all of them, the harmonies are impeccable and the song has a proven track record. Now strongly in the running for the coveted seasonal No.1 slot, Boyzone are off and running." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' said that the band "enter the overcrowded teen heart-throbs staker, with a competent if uninspired rendition of the old Osmonds' hit, which should win them plenty of children's TV slots, and a place in the bottom half of the Top 40."

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was made to promote "Love Me for a Reason". It features the band performing the song in a basement, wearing black and white costumes. They are surrounded by large candelabras, curtains and pub height tables covered with candles. In between, a girl dressed in white appears.

Track listings

* UK CD1 (Jewel Case) # "Love Me for a Reason" — 3:41 # "Daydream Believer" — 3:06 * UK CD2 (Limited Edition Digipak w/Poster) # "Love Me for a Reason" — 3:41 # "Daydream Believer" — 3:06 * Japanese CD single # "Love Me for a Reason" — 3:39 # "Daydream Believer" — 3:07 # "Working My Way Back to You" (Original) — 3:41 # "

Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to: Literature * ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse *Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen * ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...

" (Original Demo) — 2:40

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1974 songs 1974 singles 1994 singles 1970s ballads Songs written by Johnny Bristol The Osmonds songs Boyzone songs Song recordings produced by Mike Curb Song recordings produced by Ray Hedges UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles MGM Records singles Number-one singles in Israel Polydor Records singles Trojan Records singles Pop ballads