I Love Music (The O'Jays song)

"I Love Music" is a song by American R&B group The O'Jays. It was written by production team Gamble and Huff. The song appeared on The O'Jays 1975 album Family Reunion. The single reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the soul singles chart.[1] In the UK, the song peaked at number 13 in the Top 40 singles charts in March 1976. The single spent eight weeks at number 1 on the US Disco File Top 20 chart.[2]

"I Love Music (Part I)"
Single by The O'Jays
from the album Family Reunion
B-side	"I Love Music (Part II)"
Released	October 1975
Recorded	1975
Studio	Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre	R&B, Philadelphia soul, disco
Length	3:37 (radio edit) 6:51 (full version)
Label	Philadelphia International
Songwriter(s)	Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff
Producer(s)	Gamble and Huff
The O'Jays singles chronology
"Let Me Make Love to You" (1975) "I Love Music (Part I)" (1975) "Livin' for the Weekend" (1976)

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1975–76) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles[3] 9 UK 13 US Billboard Hot 100[4] 5 US Billboard R&B 1 US Billboard Disco 1 US Cash Box Top 100[5] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Rank Canada [6] 104 US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 52 US Cash Box [8] 73

Other cover versions

In 1976, a live cover version appears on the album LIVE performed by 3M Productions, also known as Major Harris, Blue Magic and Margie Joseph, recorded at the Latin Casino. In 1990, Chicago House music vocalist Darryl Pandy released a version of the song on Warner Bros. Records which remained faithful to the original version. The track featured a prominent keyboard riff, brass, and a driving House beat.

Rozalla version

In 1993, the Zambian-born singer Rozalla covered "I Love Music" on her album, Look No Further. Her version of the song also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Carlito's Way. The single was the first of a series of cover versions Rozalla was to record over the years. It was also her first "new" song to be released on Sony Records, as her earlier releases had all been first put out by British indie label Pulse 8. Rozalla's recording of "I Love Music" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. It also dented the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 76. In Europe, the song got to number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in 1994, marking something of a comeback after various earlier singles had failed to crack the top 40 (this was still 5 places lower than the original version by The O'Jays had reached however). The song also peaked at number 5 in Iceland, number 6 in Finland and number 9 in Zimbabwe.

"I Love Music"
Single by Rozalla
from the album Look No Further
Released	November 1993
Recorded	1993
Genre	Dance-pop dance
Length	4:02
Label	Sony Records
Songwriter(s)	Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff
Producer(s)	Jellybean
Rozalla singles chronology
"Are You Ready to Fly" (1992) "I Love Music" (1993) "This Time I Found Love" (1994)
Music video
"I Love Music" on YouTube

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from most music critics. Barry Walters from The Advocate called it a "respectful rendering".[9] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "spirited reading of the O'Jays classic". He noted that Rozalla "has developed a smoother, more soulful vocal quality".[10] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote, "International sensation Rozalla and producer Jellybean extract every ounce of excitement out of this 1976 O'Jays hit."[11] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty called it "a fabulous remake".[12]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1993–94) Peak position Australia (ARIA) 90 Canada Dance (RPM)[13] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 36 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 6 Germany (Media Control Charts) 69 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 39 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 18 US Billboard Hot 100 76 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1 Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[17] 9

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Canada Dance (RPM)[18] 13 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[19] 59

Usage in film

The song appears in the 1993 film Carlito's Way and in the 2007 film Pride.

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 438.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 193.
3. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-01-31. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
5. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 24, 1976
6. "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
7. Musicoutfitters.com
8. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December ##, 1976". Archived from the original on 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
9. Walters, Barry (1994-09-20). "Reviews: Music". The Advocate. p. 68. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
10. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 1993-11-20. p. 61. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
11. Sholin, Dave. "Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
12. "Crossover: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 1993-11-12. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
13. "RPM Dance". RPM (feb 21, 1994). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
15. "Top 10 Finland" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.03.1994 - 16.03.1994)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
17. • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
18. "Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1994". RPM. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
19. "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 1995-01-02. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-07-14.

• Billboard, Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & artist website

External links

• Song review on Allmusic