"The Lovers" is a song written by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

and recorded by American recording artist

Alexander O'Neal Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven top 40 singles on the US R&B char ...

. It is the fourth single from O'Neal's second solo studio album, ''

Hearsay Hearsay, in a legal forum, is an out-of-court statement which is being offered in court for the truth of what was asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is Inadmissible evidence, inadmissible (the "hearsay evidence rule") unless an exception ...

'' (1987). The song's distinctive backing vocals were performed by

Cherrelle Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include " I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Where Do I Run To", " ...

and

Lisa Keith Lisa Keith (born 1960), currently known as Lisa Bernard, is an American contemporary/ pop singer, probably best known for her work as a backing vocalist for other artists and lead vocalist on Herb Alpert's hit single from 1987, " Making Love in t ...

. Following the successful chart performances of the ''Hearsay'' singles "

Fake Fake or fakes may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * The Fake (1927 film), ''The Fake'' (1927 film), a silent British drama film * The Fake (1953 film), ''The Fake'' (1953 film), a British film * Fake (2003 film), ''Fake'' (20 ...

", " Criticize", and "

Never Knew Love Like This "Never Knew Love Like This" is a top ten US R&B hit song duetted by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal; released in 1988. The song peaked at #2 in the US R&B chart, #26 in the UK and #28 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was th ...

", "The Lovers" was released as the album's fourth single.

Release

's 10th hit single and it reached #28 in the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single reached #41 on Billboard's

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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 ...

Track listing

* 12" Maxi (Tabu 4Z9 07812) #"The Lovers (Extended Version)" – 7:02 #"The Lovers (A Cappella)" – 5:16 #"The Lovers (Radio Edit)" – 5:16 #"The Lovers (Instrumental)" – 7:02 * 7" Single (Tabu ZS4 07795) #"The Lovers" – 3:50 #"The Lovers (Instrumental)" – 3:50 * CD Single (Tabu 651595 2) #"The Lovers (Extended Version)" – 7:02 #"The Lovers (Bonus Beats)" – 5:00 #"The Lovers (Instrumental)" – 7:02

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. *

– lead vocals * Jimmy Jam – drum and keyboard programming, keyboards, percussion, handclaps * Terry Lewis – percussion, backing vocals * Steve Hodge – percussion *

, Randy Ran,

– backing vocals *

Jellybean Johnson Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Early life, family and education As a youth, Johnson relocated from Chi ...

, James 'Popeye' Greer, Kelli Anderson – handclaps

Charts

References

External links

* 1988 singles Alexander O'Neal songs 1986 songs Tabu Records singles Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis {{1980s-single-stub