"Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the 1960s. A direct follow-up to the #1 hit " Reach Out I'll Be There" (even featuring a similar musical arrangement), "Standing in the Shadows of Love" reached #2 on the soul chart and #6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1967. It also reached #6 in the UK. Though the song was well-received, it has received some criticism. Author Martin Charles Strong notes that it rehashed the formula of "Reach Out I'll Be There" and achieved similar success by reaching the Top 10 in both the US and UK. It is ranked #470 on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010 and #464 in 2004.

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

critic John Bush calls "Standing in the Shadows of Love" "dramatic" and "impassioned." '' Billboard'' described the song as a "solid rhythm rocker headed fast for the top." '' Cash Box'' said the single is a "driving ode hatis filled with a solid romance lyric in the quartet’s usual powerful style." Critic Andrew Hamilton calls it a "memorable, unforgettable, timeless blast" which would have made Motown "notable" even if it was the only song Motown ever produced. Hamilton remarks on the song's power to conjure up "mournful" emotions, and particularly highlights the coldness of lyrics such as "standing in the shadows of love getting ready for the heartaches to come." Hamilton praises the intensity of Levi Stubbs' lead vocal and how it can make the listener believe that he is about to have a nervous breakdown. Music critic

Maury Dean Maury Dean is an American musician, author and professor at Suffolk County Community College, whose book "The Rock Revolution" is in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian. Music Dean taught a "History of Rock N' Roll" course as well ...

describes the singer as waiting for his girlfriend to dump him and psyching himself for the blow and for getting ready for a new girlfriend. He uses the

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, ...

to describe the singer's emotions as he waits for the "anvil to drop on his fervent love." According to author Peter Benjaminson, "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a reworked version of The Supremes' 1963 song "Standing at the Crossroads of Love", which was released as the B-side of their single " When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes".

Personnel

* Lead vocals by Levi Stubbs * Background vocals by

Abdul "Duke" Fakir Abdul Kareem Fakir (born December 26, 1935), professionally known as Duke Fakir, is an American singer. He is a founding member of the Motown quartet the Four Tops, from 1953 to the present day. A first tenor, Fakir is the group's lone survivin ...

, Renaldo "Obie" Benson,

Lawrence Payton Lawrence Albert Payton (March 2, 1938 – June 20, 1997) was an American tenor, songwriter, vocal arranger, musician, and record producer for the popular Motown quartet, the Four Tops. In 1997, at 59 years old, Payton died of liver cancer. Biogra ...

, and The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps * Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

References

External links

Craig David interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' March 2010

List of cover versions of "Standing in the Shadows of Love"
at SecondHandSongs.com 1966 singles 1967 singles Four Tops songs Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Motown singles 1966 songs Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier {{1960s-single-stub