"All in Love Is Fair" | |
---|---|
Song by Stevie Wonder | |
from the album Innervisions | |
A-side | "Too High" |
Released | August 3, 1973 |
Recorded | November 10, 1972-April 4, 1973 |
Studio |
|
Genre | |
Length | 3:41 |
Label |
|
Songwriter(s) | Stevie Wonder |
Producer(s) | Stevie Wonder |
"All in Love Is Fair" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder recorded for his sixteenth studio album, Innervisions (1973). Written and produced by Wonder, it was released as a 7" single in Brazil in 1974. [3] The song is a pop ballad with lyrics that describe the end of a relationship through the use of clichés. Critical reaction to the song has been varied: Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic wrote that it was among Wonder's "finest ballad statements", [4] but Robert Christgau felt that the singer's performance was "immature". [5] Wonder has included it on several of his greatest hits albums, including the most recent, 2005's The Complete Stevie Wonder .
American vocalist Barbra Streisand released "All in Love Is Fair" as a single in 1974 for her fifteenth studio album, The Way We Were (1974). Tommy LiPuma handled the production for the 7" single release by Columbia Records. Among music critics, Greenwald called her version "unforgettable", [4] and Rolling Stone 's Stephen Holden wrote that it was "almost as interesting" as Wonder's original. [6] Commercially, the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at number 63, and Canada's Top Singles chart at number 60. The song has been recorded by a number of other artists, including Brook Benton, Nancy Wilson and Cleo Laine.
Recording began for "All in Love is Fair" on November 10, 1972 at 2:30 A.M., with Wonder on piano and Scott Edwards on guitar. Electric piano, vocals, and drums were recorded on April 3, 1973. However, the electric piano track was discarded in favor of a new take made the following day. The song was mixed on April 8, 1973. [7]
"All in Love Is Fair" is taken from Stevie Wonder's sixteenth studio album, Innervisions , released on August 3, 1973, by Tamla Records. [8] Despite not being released as a commercial single in his native country of the United States, Tapecar Records and Tamla released it as a 7" single sometime in 1974, exclusively in Brazil.[ citation needed ] It was paired alongside the opener track for side one of Innervisions, "Too High", a song about drug abuse. [9]
The song is composed in the key of C-sharp minor and features vocals that range from B2 to G♯4. [10] The vocal is accompanied by Wonder himself on Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano and drums, and by Scott Edwards on electric bass.[ citation needed ] The lyrics of the composition describe two people who are nearing the end of their relationship; Wonder purposely uses "cliché lines" to get his point across and to prove the clichés true. [5]
A pop ballad, [1] "All in Love Is Fair" was compared to the works of Johnny Mathis by Lenny Kaye of Rolling Stone and the editors at Playboy . [11] Lawrence Gabriel, author of MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, described the track as a "classic" pop song. [12] Janine McAdams from Billboard found "dramatic intensity" within the lyrics, "I should have never left your side / The writer takes his pen / To write the words again / That all in love is fair". [13] Author Herb Jordan included the track's lyrics in his book Motown in Love: Lyrics from the Golden Era; they were placed under the section for songs in which the lyrics detail "lessons of love". [14]
AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald found "All in Love Is Fair" to be among Wonder's "finest ballad statements", which contained "one of the most graceful and memorable hooks from the era". [4] Brian Ives of radio.com described it as a "beautiful and sad piano ballad" that he thought could have come from the Broadway stage. [15] Robert Christgau disliked Wonder's balladry singing in "All in Love Is Fair", and considered his performance to be "immature". [5] In contrast, author James E. Perone wrote that there was "no better example" of a "pure, autobiographical-sounding vocal showpiece for Stevie Wonder". [5]
After its initial release in 1973, Wonder placed "All in Love Is Fair" on several of his later albums. It was included on the Motown compilation Baddest Love Jams, Vol. 2: Fire & Desire in 1995. [16] Wonder's fourth box set, At the Close of a Century (1999), also featured the song. [17] In that same year it was featured on Ballad Collection, [18] and in 2005 it was selected for inclusion on The Complete Stevie Wonder . [19]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "All in Love Is Fair" | 3:41 |
2. | "Too High" | 4:36 |
Total length: | 8:27 |
"All in Love Is Fair" | ||||
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Single by Barbra Streisand | ||||
from the album The Way We Were | ||||
B-side | Medley: "My Buddy"/"How About Me" | |||
Released | March 1974 | |||
Recorded | December 14, 1973; United Recorders (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Stevie Wonder | |||
Producer(s) | Tommy LiPuma | |||
Barbra Streisand singles chronology | ||||
|
American vocalist Barbra Streisand recorded a version of "All in Love Is Fair" for her fifteenth studio album, The Way We Were (1974). Shortly following the commercial success of her previous single, "The Way We Were", Columbia Records began compiling tracks for the singer's then-upcoming fifteenth studio album (The Way We Were). Since time was limited, the majority of the tracks were taken from material recorded by Streisand as much as seven years previously. [21] According to the liner notes of her 1991 greatest hits album Just for the Record , the only tracks specifically created for the album were "All in Love Is Fair", "The Way We Were", "Being at War with Each Other", and "Something So Right". [22] "All in Love Is Fair" was recorded on December 14, 1973, at United Recorders Studios in Los Angeles. [23] It was released in March 1974 as a 7" single through Columbia Records, [24] and would later be paired alongside Streisand's previous single, "The Way We Were", on a 7" single released in 1975, also by Columbia, in the United States and Canada. [25] [26]
The staff at Billboard described Streisand's cover as a "musical gem", [27] while author Allison J. Waldman enjoyed Streisand's personal take on it. [28] Record World said that "the ballad beauty from Stevie Wonder's Innervisions album gets its definitive female reading from the superstar." [29] Greenwald from AllMusic liked the singer's cover and wrote of the song's hook, "Streisand's performance – particularly her phrasing of this line – is unforgettable". [4] Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone compared her rendition to Wonder's version and wrote that it was "almost as interesting as the original". [6]
Streisand's version of "All in Love Is Fair" achieved moderate commercial success in the United States and Canada. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 30, 1974, at number 81, becoming the week's "Hot Shot Debut", or the publication's highest entry position for that particular listing. [30] It climbed the chart for an additional three weeks before reaching its peak position on April 20 of the same year, at number 63. [31] The following week, Streisand's rendition dropped to number 75, after which it left the Hot 100. [32] [33] On the Adult Contemporary chart, which was then titled the Easy Listening chart, "All in Love Is Fair" peaked at number 10. [34] On Canada's official chart, compiled by RPM , it debuted at number 99 for the week of April 6, 1974. [35] It soared twenty places the following week, [36] and two weeks later, on April 27, it reached its peak position at number 60. [37] It also lasted a total of five consecutive weeks in this country. [38]
"All in Love Is Fair" has been included on numerous albums released by Streisand. Its first appearance after The Way We Were was on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1978). [39] She also included it on Just for the Record (1991) and The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002). [22] [40]
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [37] | 60 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [41] | 63 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [34] | 10 |
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A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More is the fourth greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 3, 1989, by Columbia Records. The compilation features ten songs from Streisand's career, dating from 1975 to 1988, plus two previously unreleased songs: "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" was released as the album's lead single on September 14, 1989, and "Someone That I Used to Love" was distributed as the second and final one in 1989. Both singles charted on several record charts internationally.
"Shake Me, Wake Me " is a song recorded by the American quartet Four Tops for their third studio album, On Top (1966). It was released in February 1966 as a 7" vinyl single through Motown records. It was written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. A gospel rock track, its lyrics detail a relationship that has ended. It has since been regarded as one of Four Tops' most successful singles ever. It charted moderately well in both the United States and Canada, and became the group's fifth consecutive entry to chart within the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Four Tops has performed "Shake Me, Wake Me " on various occasions throughout their careers and have included it on several greatest hits albums, including on The Four Tops Greatest Hits (1967) and The Ultimate Collection (1997).
"All I Ask of You" is a song from the 1986 English musical The Phantom of the Opera, between characters Christine Daaé and Raoul, originally played on stage by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, respectively. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and solely produced by Lloyd Webber. An operatic pop piece, its lyrics serve as dialogue between the two characters and discuss themes such as commitment and romance. Like Lloyd Webber's song "The Music of the Night", "All I Ask of You" was compared to the music found in Giacomo Puccini's 1910 opera La fanciulla del West.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released in January 1970, by Columbia Records. The record is a compilation consisting of 11 commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1960s, with a majority of them being cover songs. The songs on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits originally appeared on one of the singer's eight previous albums and span in release from 1963 to 1968. It contains her most commercially successful tracks, including her first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single "People" and top 40 entry "Second Hand Rose". The album was distributed on compact disc in 1986 and rereleased under the title The Hits in 2006.
The Way We Were is the fifteenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released in January 1974, preceded by the commercial success of its lead single "The Way We Were" first released in September 1973.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Columbia Records. The album is a compilation consisting of ten commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1970s, with a majority of them being cover songs. It also features a new version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was released as the collection's only single on October 7, 1978. Originating on Streisand's previous album, Songbird, the new rendition is a duet with Neil Diamond who had also recorded the song for his 1978 album of the same name. The idea for the duet originated from DJ Gary Guthrie who sold the idea to the record label for $5 million.
Lazy Afternoon is the seventeenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 14, 1975, by Columbia Records. Following a mixed critical response to her previous studio album, ButterFly (1974), the singer began working with new musicians for the project. Recorded in April 1975 in Los Angeles, Lazy Afternoon contains pop standards. Producer Rupert Holmes wrote three songs on the album and co-wrote a fourth, "By the Way", with Streisand. She also included a few cover songs, such as the Four Tops' "Shake Me, Wake Me ", Stevie Wonder's "You and I", and Libby Holman's "Moanin' Low".
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and twenty-ninth studio release by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 30, 2001, by Columbia. Streisand recorded the album during July, August, and September 2001 in various recording studios throughout California and in North Vancouver. It was executive-produced by Streisand and Jay Landers, while William Ross and David Foster served as additional producers. The album contains several cover versions of various holiday songs. To promote Christmas Memories, Columbia Records released an advance sampler version of the album titled A Voice for All Seasons.
Live Concert at the Forum is the second live album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released physically on October 1, 1972, by Columbia Records. Produced by long-time collaborator Richard Perry, it was recorded at The Forum in Inglewood, part of Greater Los Angeles, on April 15, 1972, during Four for McGovern, a concert held in benefit for George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign. A CD version of Live Concert at the Forum was released on September 6, 1989.
ButterFly is the sixteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released on October 1, 1974, by Columbia Records, it marked Streisand's first album of entirely new material in over three years. Primarily a contemporary pop record recorded throughout 1974, it also incorporates music from the reggae and R&B genres. All of the tracks on ButterFly are cover songs produced by Streisand's then-boyfriend Jon Peters, originating from artists like Bob Marley, David Bowie, Evie Sands, and Graham Nash.
Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 2, 1973, by Columbia Records. The album was made available following a 1973 live television special promoted to improve Streisand's image and sound. With world music as the primary genre, the album's instrumentation varies greatly; even items such as kitchen utensils were used to create melodies and beats. With a majority of the songs on the album being cover songs, Streisand also re-recorded various tracks that originated earlier in her career. Her manager, Martin Erlichman, was credited as the album's sole and executive producer.
The Owl and the Pussycat is the soundtrack album to the 1970 American film of the same name. Released by Columbia Records, it features film dialogue by Barbra Streisand and George Segal recorded over music performed by American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The album's five tracks were all written by Buck Henry, produced by Thomas Z. Shepard.
The Classic Christmas Album is a compilation album of holiday music by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was initially released on September 27, 2013, through Legacy Recordings and Sony Music Entertainment, with a revised version released digitally a few months later and physically on October 7, 2014. The collection was produced by Didier C. Deutsch, Jeffrey James, and Tim Sturges. All of the material on the record is taken from Streisand's previous two Christmas albums, A Christmas Album (1967) and Christmas Memories (2001).
"Didn't We" is a song recorded by Irish singer and actor Richard Harris for his debut studio album, A Tramp Shining (1968). It was written and produced by Jimmy Webb and originally served as the B-side to Harris' 1968 single "MacArthur Park". "Didn't We" was then distributed as the record's single by Dunhill Records, also in 1968. A traditional pop song, Harris sings about his life in the past. Commercially, it charted at lower positions of both the United States and Canada, and in the higher ranks of their Adult Contemporary component charts. Harris featured "Didn't We" on several of his greatest hits albums, including The Richard Harris Collection: His Greatest Performances from 1973. That same year, the song was reissued as a promotional single paired alongside his 1971 single "My Boy".
"Guava Jelly" is a song recorded by the Jamaican group Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released as a 7" vinyl single through Tuff Gong and Green Door Records. It was issued commercially with B-side track "Redder Then Red", which was misspelled on its initial printing, in 1971. It was written and produced by Marley and features uncredited lyrical contributions from Bunny Livingston. A reggae composition like the majority of Marley's works, "Guava Jelly" contains a rocksteady and island-like production with lyrics loosely based around sexual intercourse. His use of the term "guava jelly" was likely referring to a specific type of sexual lubricant. It was favorably viewed by several reviewers, with many of them finding the composition to be sexual and about love. The group placed "Guava Jelly" on several compilation albums, including Africa Unite: The Singles Collection in 2005, and Owen Gray and Herbie Mann created their own versions in 1974 and 1975, respectively.
"Jubilation" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka for his 1972 studio album of the same name. Anka wrote the song with Johnny Harris, who also produced the track. It was released in 1972 as a 7" single by Buddah Records. A gospel song, the lyrics of "Jubilation" find the protagonist preaching about religious themes. Making a moderate commercial impact, it appeared on the record charts in both Canada and the United States. It has since been included on several of Anka's greatest hits albums and covered by The Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1973.
"My Father's Song" is a song recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand for her seventeenth studio album, Lazy Afternoon (1975). It was released as a 7" single in August 1975 through Columbia Records. Rupert Holmes wrote the song in collaboration with its producer Jeffrey Lesser. A sentimental ballad, "My Father's Song" was about Streisand's childhood with her father; Holmes' lyrics involve a protagonist, presumably a daughter, asking for her father's approval in life and love.
"We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" is a song recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand for her fourth greatest hits album, A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More (1989). It was released on September 14, 1989 by Columbia Records on 7-inch, 12-inch, cassette, and CD. It was written by Michael Bolton and Diane Warren and produced by Narada Michael Walden. Bolton's inspiration for the song was derived from his divorce; he and Warren debated what singer would be able to sing their work well and ultimately decided that Streisand would be the right fit. The song is a ballad that is similar in sound to Streisand's "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" (1981).
"Stranger in a Strange Land" is a song recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand for her 31st studio album, Guilty Pleasures (2005). It was released as the album's lead single on August 16, 2005, by Columbia Records. The track was written by Ashley Gibb, Barry Gibb and Stephen Gibb while production was handled by Barry Gibb and John Merchant. It serves as the first of 11 reunion collaborations with Barry Gibb, who Streisand had last collaborated with on Guilty (1980). The single was released digitally and physically distributed on CD and DVD, with some editions including the song's official music video.
"Night of My Life" is a song recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand for her 31st studio album, Guilty Pleasures (2005). It was released as the album's second single on September 27, 2005, by Columbia Records. The track was written by Ashley Gibb and Barry Gibb while production was handled by Barry Gibb and John Merchant. It serves as one of Streisand's first of 11 reunion collaborations with Barry Gibb since their work on her album Guilty in 1980. It was released digitally and on 12" and CD in five different formats, each including various remixes of the single.
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