(At Your Best) You Are Love

Last updated
"(At Your Best) You Are Love"
Song by the Isley Brothers
from the album Harvest for the World [1]
Released1976
Recorded1975
Genre R&B, quiet storm
Length5:23
Songwriter(s)
  • Ernie Isley
  • Marvin Isley
  • Chris Jasper
  • Rudolph Isley
  • O'Kelly Isley
  • Ronald Isley
  • Chris Jasper

"(At Your Best) You Are Love" is a song by R&B group the Isley Brothers. It was originally released on their album Harvest for the World . [2] The song was dedicated to their mother, Sally. [3] Although not a single, the song was a radio hit in 1976, and later became a hit for R&B singer Aaliyah in 1994. [4]

Contents

Background

"(At Your Best) You Are Love" was written by Ernie Isley and it was originally "dedicated to the Isley Brothers' mother, Sally". [3] It was featured on the groups fourteenth studio album "Harvest for the World" (1976). [2] According to Isley: "The first time I played it after I had initially written the song was for my brother Rudolph, just voice and guitar. When he heard me say, “You’re a positive motivating force within my life,” he got this quizzical smile on his face, like how? The syllables and the notes — he goes, say that again? Then he sort of nodded his head like, yeah, that’s pretty good. And that’s one of the things that I think captures the emotion in the song". [5] While discussing the song's message he stated, "That song was expressing the way I felt towards someone. And sometimes you can feel a certain way towards someone and they don’t always get it. So it was both like an affirmation and kind of a frustration too because it does say, “You may not be in the mood to learn what you think you know". [5]

Personnel

Aaliyah version

"At Your Best (You Are Love)"
Aaliyah-AtYourBest.jpg
Single by Aaliyah
from the album Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
B-side "Back & Forth"
ReleasedAugust 22, 1994
Recorded1993
Studio Chicago Recording Company (Chicago)
Genre
Length
  • 4:52 (album version)
  • 4:30 (remix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) R. Kelly
Aaliyah singles chronology
"Back & Forth"
(1994)		"At Your Best (You Are Love)"
(1994)		"Age Ain't Nothing but a Number"
(1994)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. [43]

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "At Your Best (You Are Love)"
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesAugust 22, 1994
United KingdomOctober 10, 1994Jive
JapanOctober 21, 1994 Mini CD BMG

Notes

  1. ↑ R. Kelly co-wrote only the remix of "At Your Best (You Are Love)".

Other versions

Samples

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References

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