"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a single released by American R&B/

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

duo

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

and Tammi Terrell, on the

Tamla Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''motor'' ...

label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's ''United'' LP. The first release off the duo's second album: '' You're All I Need'', the song—written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

—became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart, the first of the duo's two number-one R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "a potent ballad", saying that "Detroit backing puts a beat into the session" and praising the "splendid vocals." "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" was ranked as the 57th-biggest US hit of 1968.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

* All lead vocals by

and Tammi Terrell * Background vocals by

Nickolas Ashford Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

and

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

* Produced by

* Instrumentation 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 ...

Donny & Marie version

American singers

Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...

and

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and businesswoman. She is known for her girl next door, girl-next-door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. Her musi ...

, billed as Donny & Marie, remade "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" for their November 1976 album release ''New Season'', with the track having a concurrent single release to reach number 21 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1977, also charting

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

at number 17. It was also a chart hit in Canada, peaking at number 26 on the pop chart and number 11 on the AC chart. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that it "is their finest performance yet."

Charts

Elton John and Marcella Detroit version

English musician

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and American singer Marcella Detroit recorded "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing" for John's 1993 album '' Duets''. After its inclusion on Detroit's album '' Jewel'', the song was released as a single under

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in May 1994, as the fourth and final song from ''Duets'', and the second single from ''Jewel'', with all B-sides, "Break the Chain" and "I Feel Free", performed solo by Detroit. Detroit and John's version was produced by Chris Thomas and peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending May 21, 1994 as well as number 29 in Iceland. 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 We ...

'' gave this version three out of five, writing, "Comparing with the original Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell pairing, this is a rather wan remake, but it will still make a dent in the Top 40." Leesa Daniels 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 ...

'' complimented Detroit as "a stylish chick who has a lovely voice that could crack glass."

Charts

Other notable versions

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

remade the song for her 1974 album '' Let Me in Your Life''. It was issued as the album's third hit single that August. Franklin's version radically re-invents the upbeat Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell original as a deep soul ballad which Jon Landau of ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' dismissed as "misconceived (done too slowly)". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described it as being highlighted by "extremely powerful vocals." "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number six on the

Soul chart, as well as number 44 in ''

'' and number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It won Franklin the

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

Grammy for 1974 marking Franklin's eighth total and consecutive win in that category and her last such win until the Grammys for 1981.

Chris Christian Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951) is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Ea ...

remade the song in

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

with another Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit " You're All I Need to Get By" for his

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the ban ...

-produced 1981 album: a duet with

Amy Holland Amy Celeste Boersma (born August 15, 1953), known professionally as Amy Holland, is an American pop and rock singer. Her career spans more than 40 years. She received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 1981, following her Amy Holla ...

, the track "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing/ You're All I Need to Get By" had a single release in the summer of 1982 to reach number 88 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 also charting

at number 21. (Amy Holland's husband Michael McDonald would remake "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" for his 2003 album ''

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

''.) Christian's 1986 live album release ''Live At Six Flags'' features "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" in

with "

Don't Worry Baby "Don't Worry Baby" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their March 1964 album '' Shut Down Volume 2''. Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, Wilson's lead vocal is considered one of his defining performances, and he late ...

" and " I Go to Pieces". Music critic David McGee of ''

'' named

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

and

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

's recording of the song one of a couple "outright failures" of the 1994 ensemble album '' Rhythm, Country and Blues'', criticizing Gill for "sound nglike a wimp ndhis soft, airy readings blown away by Knight's fierce delivery." Music critic John J. Moser of ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...

'' praised Michael McDonald and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

's duet performance of "Ain't Nothing like the Real Thing" at McDonald's June 25, 2019, live concert at Sands Bethlehem Event Center as "better" than their performance of "

Ain't No Mountain High Enough "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and ...

" (also originally sung by Gaye and Terell), which Moser criticized as "an underwhelming mess of missed lyrics and timing."

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1967 songs 1968 singles 1969 singles 1970 singles 1972 singles 1974 singles 1976 singles 1994 singles 2003 singles 2007 singles 2008 singles Aretha Franklin songs Donny Osmond songs Elton John songs London Records singles Male–female vocal duets Marcella Detroit songs Marie Osmond songs Marvin Gaye songs Polydor Records singles Song recordings produced by Ashford & Simpson Song recordings produced by Michael Lloyd Song recordings produced by Mike Curb Songs written by Nickolas Ashford Songs written by Valerie Simpson Tamla Records singles Tammi Terrell songs Vince Gill songs