"Who's Lovin' You" is a

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 ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

, who recorded the 1960 original version,

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 ...

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 successf ...

, Terence Trent D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations,

John Farnham John Peter Farnham AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

and Giorgia Todrani and Jessica Mauboy. The most famous version is attributed to

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

. Shaheen Jafargholi, then twelve years old, performed the song at

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

's public memorial service in July 2009.

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...
original version

The song was written by Smokey Robinson for his group

, who recorded the song in 1960 for their first Motown album, '' Hi... We're the Miracles''. The song is a lamentation about an ex-lover, reminiscing on how their relationship went sour and wondering who's loving them now. A showcase for vocal runs, "Who's Lovin' You" was issued as a

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their first Motown hit, " Shop Around" (the label's first million-selling hit single), and remained one of their most popular songs (becoming a strong regional hit in many areas of the country). During the 1960s, virtually every major Motown act, from

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 ...

to Brenda Holloway, recorded a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of the song.

Brenda & the Tabulations version

Though today this version is relatively obscure compared to others like those of

and

, it is to date the only one to place on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Released in 1967 on Dionn 501, Brenda & the Tabulations took this song to position #66. It was also a #19 hit on Billboard's R&B chart. The gender of the lyrics was amended to fit the female vocalist.

Chart history

Jackson 5 version

The most famous cover of "Who's Lovin' You", and the one most future covers were based upon, was recorded on August 7, 1969 by

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

was the lead singer on this recording, with his brothers Marlon,

Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms *Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman *Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journal ...

, Jermaine, and Jackie on background vocals; Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers served as producer. The Jackson 5 version of "Who's Lovin' You" was one of a number of early recordings the group made at the Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, with the Funk Brothers on instrumentation. Just after recording this song, Berry Gordy moved the entire Jackson family to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to record the hit pop songs he would co-write for the group with the Corporation. The song was issued as the b-side to the Jackson 5's first single, "

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...

", which went to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts. A shortened version was included on the first Jackson 5 LP, ''

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 ''Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5'' is the debut studio album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band the Jackson 5, released on the Motown label on December 12, 1969. The Jackson 5's lead singer, a preteenage boy named Michael (who later be ...

''. The original single version was twenty seconds longer, with fewer backing vocals and sparser instrumentation than the album version. The mono single mix was released on Michael's '' Love Songs'' compilation release in 2002. The Jackson 5 performed this on their first

Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

appearance. When the group performed the song during their concerts and live performances, Michael usually gave an intro about being really young but knowing about the blues, usually stating how he met the girl during sandbox and sharing cookies, and ended in "I stepped up to her and i said..." the song started from there. In their first concert in Philadelphia, it (along with "

") caused the show to be stopped for several minutes because of such a huge response from the audience. It was a regularly performed/popular song in their set-list from 1970 to early 1972, presumably dropped from the set because of more hits being released and Michael's voice beginning to change in 1972. The song was remixed by No ID for the 2009 release ''

The Remix Suite ''The Remix Suite'' (digital title: ''Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite'') is a compilation of remixed hits by singer Michael Jackson. Although labeled as a Michael Jackson release, the majority of remixes are of hits during his tenure with The J ...

''.

Chart performance

On May 2, 2009, the song debuted at No. 54 in

UK Official 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 ...

, and peaked at No.36 in July 2009.

Certifications

Lauryn Hill version

In 1988, 13-year-old Lauryn Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on ''

It's Showtime at the Apollo English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal verbs and a few others. Although definitions vary, as generally conceived an auxiliary lacks inherent semantic meaning but instead modifies the meaning of an ...

''. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". As she began the song, the crowd began to boo at Hill. A nervous Hill sang with the microphone far away from her mouth and was heckled at first, but she persisted and finished her song to standing applause, though she did not win.

En Vogue version

En Vogue's cover of "Who's Lovin' You" was attached to the beginning of their first single, " Hold On" (1990), which was written as an answer song to Robinson's composition. The idea was born when, while the ladies were practicing the song in producer Denzil Foster's car, when he accidentally turned on a drum machine, creating an interesting juxtaposition of old school hip hop and

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing wa ...

. The opening section of "Hold On", released as the group's first single, was an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

version of the song's first verse. Once the ladies reach the line "and I wonder/who's lovin' you", a drum machine kicks in and starts a new jack swing beat, over which "Hold On" is delivered. "Hold On" was the anchor of En Vogue's first album, ''Born to Sing'', which eventually went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

Terence Trent D'Arby version

Terence Trent D'Arby ended his 1987 debut album ''

Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby ''Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'' is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby. It was released in July 1987 on Columbia Records, and debuted at number one in the UK, spending a total of nine weeks (non-consecut ...

'' with a cover of "Who's Lovin' You". The album earned D'Arby a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

the following year.

Teodora Sava version

The song was performed live by

Teodora Sava Teodora Sava (, born November 27, 2001, Piatra Neamț) is a singer, former Antena 1 television channel star, and former contestant on the international music talent competition '' X Factor Romania''. Biography Teodora Sava was born on Novembe ...

(15 years old at that time) in the auditions of X Factor Romania 2017. Her performance got a standing ovation from the judges and audience, and 4 Yes, making the judges say that they haven't heard such a rendition for years, and that she was a serious candidate for winning the song contest that year. Her performance triggered positive reactions online, with several hundred thousands views on YouTube.

Performing personnel

The Miracles version*

* Lead vocals by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

and

Claudette Rogers Robinson Claudette Annette Rogers Robinson ( Rogers; born June 20, 1938) is an American singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was a founding member of the group, which befor ...

(''on fade''). * Background vocals by

. Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers. * Guitar by Marv Tarplin

The Supremes version*

* Lead vocals by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

* Background vocals by Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Barbara Martin

The Temptations version*

* Lead vocals by David Ruffin * Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams

Brenda & the Tabulations version

* Lead vocals by Brenda Payton * Background vocals by Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones

The Jackson 5 version*

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and

Marlon Jackson Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American entertainer, singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity wor ...

* Bass by James Jamerson

En Vogue version (intro to ''Hold On'')

* Lead vocals by Terry Ellis * Background vocals by Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson

A Tribute to Michael Jackson version*

* Lead vocals by Dawn Robinson * Background vocals by Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson,

, and

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing ba ...

(*) Instrumentation on these versions performed by

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

References

{{Authority control 1960 songs 1960 singles 1961 singles 1967 singles 1969 singles The Miracles songs Motown singles The Supremes songs The Jackson 5 songs Terence Trent D'Arby songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson Song recordings produced by Berry Gordy Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson Tamla Records singles Jamie Records singles

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ... original version

Brenda & the Tabulations version

Chart history

Jackson 5 version

Chart performance

Certifications

Lauryn Hill version

En Vogue version

Terence Trent D'Arby version

Teodora Sava version

Performing personnel

The Miracles version*

The Supremes version*

The Temptations version*

Brenda & the Tabulations version

The Jackson 5 version*

En Vogue version (intro to ''Hold On'')

A Tribute to Michael Jackson version*

See also

References

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...
original version