"Is This What I Get for Loving You?" is a pop song written by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, Carole King and Gerry Goffin and recorded by 1960s girl group

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

. The song featured Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector on lead vocals (credited as Veronica), and Ronettes

Nedra Talley Nedra Talley, now known as Nedra Talley-Ross (born January 27, 1946), is a retired American singer. She is best known as a former member of the girl group the Ronettes, in which she performed with her cousins Ronnie and Estelle Bennett. As of 2 ...

and

Estelle Bennett Estelle Bennett (July 22, 1941 – February 11, 2009) was an American singer. Bennett was a member of the girl group the Ronettes, along with her sister Ronnie and cousin Nedra Talley. Early life Bennett and her sister, Veronica (later known ...

on backing vocals. Released on

Philles Records Philles Records was an American record label formed in 1961 by Phil Spector and Lester Sill, the label taking its name from a hybrid of their first names. Initially, the label was distributed by Jamie/Guyden in Philadelphia. In 1962, Spector pu ...

, reaching No. 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1965.

Original recording

By 1965, the popularity of The Ronettes had seriously begun to decline. 1964 had proven to be the group's most successful year, as they placed three songs "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" (US, #39), "Do I Love You?" (US #34), and "Walking in the Rain" (US #23) in the top forty on the Billboard charts. Their first released single in 1965 was "Born To Be Together," which peaked only at number fifty-two. While achieving only a moderate success, "Born To Be Together" is notable for being the first single by The Ronettes to be issued as "The Ronettes featuring Veronica." "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" was subsequently credited to "The Ronettes featuring Veronica" on the 45 label. Moving in a different direction from the typical love songs usually recorded by the Ronettes, "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" was the only Ronettes single to revolve around the depression which sets in after the ending of a relationship. Their other singles, such as "

Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...

", "

Baby, I Love You "Baby, I Love You" is a song originally recorded by the Ronettes in 1963 and released on their debut album '' Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes'' (1964). The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and produced by Spec ...

", and " Do I Love You?", had featured a more up-beat, positive attitude towards love, while "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" moved The Ronettes into a different, more mature direction. Unfortunately, this attempt to bring a more mature image of the group proved to be unsuccessful. "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" became one of The Ronettes most unsuccessful singles, peaking only at a disappointing seventy-five. '' Cash Box'' described it as "a medium-paced pop-blues romantic tear-jerker which effectively builds to an exciting dramatic pitch then interestingly changes pace and slows down once again." '' Record World'' described it as "nifty blues rock."

Chart position

Marianne Faithfull version

In 1966, "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" was recorded by

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

with

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

producing: released February 1967, the single reached #43 in United Kingdom, #42 in Australia and #125 in US. It was her last charting single of the sixties.

Other versions

The song has also been recorded by

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

on his 1982 concert album '' Live It Up'' and - in Dutch as "Ik was zo graag bij jou gebleven" - by Yasmine on her 1995 album ''Portfolio''. On January 20, 2021, a few days after the death of Spector, an unreleased 1995 cassette worktape version by

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, and produced by Spector, was placed on sale on eBay for $10K with a 1-minute and 8 second sample from it.

References

{{authority control 1965 singles 1967 singles The Ronettes songs Songs written by Phil Spector Songs written by Carole King Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Philles Records singles 1965 songs