"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence Trent D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham, Human Nature, En Vogue, Michael Bublé and Giorgia Todrani and Jessica Mauboy. The most famous version is attributed to The Jackson 5. Shaheen Jafargholi, then twelve years old, performed the song at Michael Jackson's public memorial service in July 2009.
| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Miracles | ||||
| from the album Hi, We're the Miracles | ||||
| A-side | "Shop Around" | |||
| Released | September 27, 1960 | |||
| Recorded | 1960 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:06 | |||
| Label | Tamla T 54034 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| The Miracles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Miracles original version
The song was written by Smokey Robinson for his group The Miracles, who recorded the song in 1960 for their first Motown album, Hi... We're the Miracles.[1] The song is a lamentation about an ex-lover, reminiscing on how their relationship went sour and wondering who's loving them now. A showcase for vocal runs, "Who's Lovin' You" was issued as a b-side to their first Motown hit, "Shop Around" (the label's first million-selling hit single),[2] and remained one of their most popular songs (becoming a strong regional hit in many areas of the country).
During the 1960s, many Motown acts, from The Supremes to the Temptations to Brenda Holloway, recorded a remake of the song.
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers Robinson (on fade).
- Background vocals by Claudette Rogers Robinson. Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers.
- Guitar by Marv Tarplin
- Other Instrumentation performed by the Funk Brothers
Brenda & the Tabulations version
| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Brenda and The Tabulations | ||||
| from the album Dry Your Eyes | ||||
| A-side | "Stay Together Young Lovers" | |||
| Released | 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Dionn D 501 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Finiz | |||
| Brenda and The Tabulations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Though today this version is relatively obscure compared to others like those of The Miracles and The Jackson 5, it is to date the only one to place on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in 1967 on Dionn 501, Brenda & the Tabulations took this song to position #66. It was also a #19 hit on Billboard's R&B chart.[3] The gender of the lyrics was amended to fit the female vocalist.
Chart history
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart | 66 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Selling R&B Singles | 19 |
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Brenda Payton
- Background vocals by Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones
Jackson 5 version
| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1992 promo single | ||||
| Single by The Jackson 5 | ||||
| from the album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | ||||
| A-side | "I Want You Back" | |||
| Released | October 7, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | July 29 and August 7, 1969 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville USA (Studio A) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Motown M1157 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Bobby Taylor | |||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The most famous cover of "Who's Lovin' You", and the one most future covers were based upon, was recorded on August 7, 1969 by the Jackson 5. Michael Jackson was the lead singer on this recording, with his brothers Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie on background vocals; Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers served as producer. The Jackson 5 version of "Who's Lovin' You" was one of a number of early recordings the group made at the Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit, Michigan, with the Funk Brothers on instrumentation - including Earl Van Dyke on keyboards, Robert White, Eddie Willis and Joe Messina on guitar, James Jamerson on bass, Uriel Jones on drums and Jack Ashford on percussion - arranged by David Van De Pitte.[4] Just after recording this song, Berry Gordy moved the entire Jackson family to Los Angeles, California to record the hit pop songs he would co-write for the group with the Corporation.
The song was issued as the b-side to the Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back", which went to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts. A shortened version was included on the first Jackson 5 LP, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. The original single version was twenty seconds longer, with fewer backing vocals and sparser instrumentation than the album version. The mono single mix was released on Michael's Love Songs compilation release in 2002.
The Jackson 5 performed this on their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance.[5][better source needed]
When the group performed the song during their concerts and live performances, Michael usually gave an intro about being really young but knowing about the blues, usually stating how he met the girl during sandbox and sharing cookies, and ended in "I stepped up to her and i said..." the song started from there. In their first concert in Philadelphia, it (along with "I Want You Back") caused the show to be stopped for several minutes because of such a huge response from the audience. It was a regularly performed/popular song in their set-list from 1970 to early 1972, presumably dropped from the set because of more hits being released and Michael's voice beginning to change in 1972.
The song was remixed by No ID for the 2009 release The Remix Suite.
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
- Background vocals by Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson
- Bass by James Jamerson[6]
- Other Instrumentation performed by the Funk Brothers
Chart performance
On May 2, 2009, the song debuted at No. 54 in UK Official Singles Chart, and peaked at No.36 in July 2009.[7]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver | 250,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
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