It's a Love Thing (The Whispers song)

"It's a Love Thing" is a song by American R&B group The Whispers, released in January 1981 (and in March in the UK) as a single from their 1980 album Imagination.

"It's a Love Thing"
Single by The Whispers
from the album Imagination
B-side	"Girl I Need You"
Released	January 1981 (1981-01)
Genre	Boogie post-disco synth-funk
Length	3:44 (7" version) 5:09 (12"/Album version)
Label	SOLAR
Songwriter(s)	Dana Meyers William Shelby
Producer(s)	The Whispers Dick Griffey Leon Sylvers III
The Whispers singles chronology
"Out the Box" (1980) "It's a Love Thing" (1981) "I Can Make It Better" (1981)

Reception

Reviewing the song for Record Mirror, James Hamilton described it as "skippable, but distinctive synth tones intro this thunderously smacking 0-117-118-119 bpm 12in smash-bound chunderer with cheerful catchy vocals and, as has been proved beyond question, real grow-on-you appeal".^[1]

Music video

The music video features then-unknown actress Daphne Maxwell Reid as a correspondent in Hollywood waiting for the arrival of the group. As Scott gets out of the limousine, she asks him "how does it feel being platinum?", to which he replies "it feels great". She then asks another question and talks to the rest of the group before it cuts to the Whispers performing the song.^[2]

Track listings

7"

1. "It's a Love Thing" – 3:44
2. "Girl I Need You" – 4:17

12"

1. "It's a Love Thing" – 5:09
2. "Girl I Need You" – 4:17

Personnel

The Whispers

• Wallace "Scotty" Scott – lead vocals (tenor)
• Walter Scott – lead vocals (tenor)
• Leaveil Degree – backing vocals (falsetto)
• Marcus Hutson – backing vocals (baritone)
• Nicholas Caldwell – backing vocals (tenor)

Additional musicians

• Joey Gallo – keyboards
• Kevin Spencer – keyboards
• Rickey Smith – keyboards
• Earnest "Pepper" Reed – guitar
• Stephen Shockley – guitar
• Leon Sylvers III – bass
• Wardell Potts – drums
• Harvey Mason – percussion
• Gene Dozier – strings and horns arrangement

Charts

It peaked at number 2 on Billboard's R&B chart and number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their second and last UK top-ten hit.^[3]

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4]	9
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[5]	12
France (IFOP)[6]	10
Ireland (IRMA)[7]	17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8]	5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9]	11
UK Singles (OCC)[3]	9
US Billboard Hot 100[10]	28
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11]	2
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12]	4

Popular culture

• The song appeared in the 2005 film Diary of a Mad Black Woman, although didn't feature on the soundtrack.^[13]
• It appeared in the 2018 film The Front Runner.^[14]
• In 2016, it was used in an advert for L'Oréal.^[15]

References

1. "UK Newies". Record Mirror. 7 March 1981. p. 32. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
2. "The Whispers – "It's A Love Thing" (Official Video)". youtube.com. Solar Records. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
3. "Whispers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
4. "The Whispers – It's a Love Thing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
5. Timo (13 August 2015). "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit WET – WIK". Sisältää hitin. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
6. "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par W". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's a Love Thing". Irish Singles Chart.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Whispers" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
9. "The Whispers – It's a Love Thing" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
10. "The Whispers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "The Whispers Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
12. "The Whispers Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
13. Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) – IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-19
14. The Front Runner (2018) – IMDb, retrieved 2020-11-19
15. L'Oreal Paris Superior Preference TV Commercial, 'It's a Love Thing', retrieved 2020-11-19