"Love Is a Wonderful Thing" | ||||
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Single by Michael Bolton | ||||
from the album Time, Love & Tenderness | ||||
Released | April 1, 1991 | |||
Genre | R&B [1] | |||
Length |
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Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Walter Afanasieff | |||
Michael Bolton singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Love Is a Wonderful Thing" on YouTube |
"Love Is a Wonderful Thing" is a song by American pop music singer Michael Bolton, written by Bolton and Andrew Goldmark and produced by Walter Afanasieff. The song, which peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, was included on Bolton's seventh album, Time, Love & Tenderness (1991), and released in April 1991 by Columbia. It was also successful in Canada, becoming Bolton's third number-two hit, and in Norway, where it reached number seven. The accompanying music video for "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" was directed by Dominic Sena and shot in Phoenix, Arizona. [2]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Yet more substantiation of his nickname the "soul provider". Hit material." [3]
The American R&B group the Isley Brothers wrote a song titled "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" and recorded it for United Artists Records in January 1964. The song was released as a single on a 45 rpm vinyl record on United Artists' Veep label in June 1966, and it reached number 110 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The song was not included on an album until it appeared on The Isley Brothers - The Complete UA Sessions, which was released in 1991.
On February 24, 1992, the Isley Brothers filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement against Bolton, Goldmark and Sony Music Publishing. "When I first heard his version of the song on the radio, I was really pleased," said Ronald Isley. "Then I went out to pick up the record and looked for my credit. I was upset because the credits weren't on there. So we got in touch with his people and then he went into the 'Oh, I didn't know you all had a song like this.' That type of thing." [4]
Bolton claimed he had never heard the Isley Brothers' version. "The song is an original song," said Louis Levin, Bolton's manager. "We view the claim to be without merit and are vigorously defending the matter." [5]
On April 25, 1994, a Los Angeles jury ruled in favor of the Isley Brothers. [6] The jury determined there were five instances in which the Bolton/Goldmark song plagiarized the Isleys' tune. They ruled that 66 percent of the song's profits came from copyright-infringed material and 28 percent of the profits from the album Time, Love & Tenderness were derived from the track. Bolton, Goldmark and Sony Publishing were ordered to turn over more than $5 million in profits from the sales of Bolton's version of the song to the Isley Brothers. It was the largest award in history for plagiarism in the music industry. [7]
Opinions on the verdict were divided. Some, such as Rolling Stone contributor Havelock Nelson, agreed with the jury. "Bolton’s song does bear a slight similarity to the Isleys’—enough to call it a knockoff," Nelson said. "Both titles have a bright, gospelly feel and a similar, repeated hook line." Others, like Michael Walsh of Time, disagreed with the ruling. "The verdict’s an utter travesty rendered by unmusical jurors," Walsh stated. "Aside from the fact that they have the same title, and the melody begins on the third note of the scale, the two songs bear no resemblance in any significant musical way." [8]
Bolton, Goldmark and Sony appealed the verdict, and the court fight continued for nearly seven more years. The case came to a close on January 22, 2001, when the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear the appeal of a May 2000 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals in San Francisco.
Bolton's attorneys, including Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz, had asked the Supreme Court to reject the findings, arguing a national standard should be created to help guide artists and the courts as to what classifies as copyright infringement. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) agreed, and filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting Bolton in his appeal. [9]
Under the Ninth Circuit ruling, the Isleys were to be paid $4.2 million from Sony Music; $932,924 from Bolton; $220,785 from Goldmark; and the balance from Bolton and Goldmark's music publishing company. [10] [11]
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Michael Bolotin, known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo albums and those he recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack. His early career also saw him as a successful songwriter, co-writing hits like "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" for Laura Branigan, which he later recorded as a solo single.
"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" is a Holland–Dozier–Holland song that was a hit for American musical group the Isley Brothers in January 1966 during their brief tenure on Motown's Tamla label. Featuring Ronald Isley on lead vocal, "This Old Heart of Mine" peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number six on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). The song was written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings and produced by Masser. Initially, Houston's cover version of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" was intended to be released as the second single from the album. However, the record label decided to release "Didn't We Almost Have It All" instead as all of Houston's singles had to be original material at this point of her career. The song was released in August 13, 1987 by Arista Records.
American singer Michael Jackson released 67 singles as a lead artist, and 10 as a featured artist. One of the best-selling artists of all time, Michael Jackson has sold over 500 million records worldwide. In the United States, Jackson amassed 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2012, Jackson was ranked the fifth best selling singles artist in the United Kingdom with 15.3 million singles sold.
Time, Love & Tenderness is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Michael Bolton. The album was released on April 23, 1991, by Columbia Records; it was produced by Walter Afanasieff and Michael Bolton. To date, the record has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album of his career.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. Country singer John Wesley Ryles had a minor hit with his version of the song in 1976. Singer and actress Bette Midler recorded the song and had a Top 40 hit with her version in 1980. In 1991, Michael Bolton recorded the song and his version peaked at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart.
"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song co-written in 1982 by Doug James and Michael Bolton. The track was originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983, charting at number one in both the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Bolton later recorded his own version of the song that topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a worldwide hit.
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"The Power of Love" is a pop song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released in December 1984 by CBS Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.
"Hello, I Love You" is a song recorded by American rock band the Doors for their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. Elektra Records released it as a single that same year, which topped the charts in the U.S. and Canada. Although the Doors are credited as the songwriters, songs by other artists have been identified as likely sources.
"That's What Love Is For" is a song by Christian music/pop music-crossover singer Amy Grant. It was written by three-time Grammy-Award winner Michael Omartian, Mark Mueller and Amy Grant and produced by Omartian. It was the third Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 pop single from her 5× platinum-selling album Heart in Motion and the only one from the album to be released to both Pop and Christian radio.
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing "Clair").
"Feelings" is a song by the Brazilian singer Morris Albert, who also wrote the lyrics. Albert released "Feelings" in 1974 as a single and later included it as the title track of his 1975 debut album. The song's lyrics, recognizable by the "whoa whoa whoa" chorus, concern the singer's inability to "forget my feelings of love". Albert's original recording of the song was hugely successful, performing well internationally.
"To Love Somebody" is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Produced by Robert Stigwood, it was the second single released by the Bee Gees from their international debut album, Bee Gees 1st, in 1967. The single reached No. 17 in the United States and No. 41 in the United Kingdom. The song's B-side was "Close Another Door". The single was reissued in 1980 on RSO Records with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" as its flipside. The song ranked at number 94 on NME magazine's "100 Best Tracks of the Sixties". It was a minor hit in the UK and France. It reached the top 20 in the US. It reached the top 10 in Canada.
"Can't Stop This Thing We Started" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. The song was written by Adams and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and was released in September 1991 by A&M Records as the second single from Adams' sixth studio album, Waking Up the Neighbours (1991). The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 while topping the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart for three non-consecutive weeks. The track received two nominations at the Grammy Awards of 1992 for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance, Solo, winning neither. It served as the 2009 British Columbia Liberal Party campaign theme song.
"She's Not Cryin' Anymore" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus. It was released in January 1993 as the fourth and last single from his debut album, Some Gave All. It debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks. The song was written by Cyrus, Buddy Cannon and Terry Shelton and fourth consecutive Top 40, and his third Top 10.
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"Said I Loved You...But I Lied" is a song by American pop music singer Michael Bolton. The song was co-written and co-produced by Bolton and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Released in October 1993 by Columbia Records as the first single from his ninth album, The One Thing (1993), the single topped the American and Canadian adult contemporary charts, reached the top 10 in the United States and in three other countries, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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"Time, Love and Tenderness" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by American recording artist Michael Bolton. Released by Columbia as a single from his seventh album of the same title (1991), the song reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Bolton's fifth top-ten single in the United States. It was also the singer's fourth song to top the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. Worldwide the song reached number four in Canada, number 27 in Sweden and number 28 in the United Kingdom.