A Groovy Kind of Love
"A Groovy Kind of Love" is a pop song written by Toni Wine and Carole Bayer Sager and published by the Screen Gems music publishing company. It is heavily based on the Rondo movement of Sonatina in G major, op. 36 no. 5[1] by Muzio Clementi. The song was released first by Diane & Annita in 1965, and several covers have since appeared on worldwide music charts.
The song title was an early use of the then-new slang word "groovy". Wine, who was 17 years old when she wrote the song, said, "Carole came up with "Groovy kinda… groovy kinda… groovy…" and we're all just saying, 'Kinda groovy, kinda groovy, kinda…' and I don't exactly know who came up with "Love", but it was 'Groovy kind of love'. And we did it. We wrote it in 20 minutes. It was amazing. Just flew out of our mouths, and at the piano, it was a real quick and easy song to write."[2]
The Mindbenders version
| "A Groovy Kind of Love" | ||||
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| Single by The Mindbenders | ||||
| from the album The Mindbenders | ||||
| B-side | "Love Is Good" | |||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 1:59 | |||
| Label | Fontana | |||
| Writer(s) | Carole Bayer Sager, Toni Wine | |||
| The Mindbenders singles chronology | ||||
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Jack McGraw, who ran the London Screen Gems offices, thought the Wine/Bayer Sager song was a perfect match for the new group The Mindbenders, who recorded their version of "A Groovy Kind of Love" in 1965. They liked the result so much that they included the song on their first album The Mindbenders (US title "A Groovy Kind of Love") and released the song to radio as their debut single. It soon reached number two in the UK, and did the same in the United States when it was released there a year later. The song features a female backup chorus, who sings the words "You and me", and the repeated title towards the end of each verse of the song.
Chart performance
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland[3] | 9 |
| United Kingdom[4] | 2 |
| United States | 2 |
Phil Collins version
| "A Groovy Kind of Love" | ||||
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| Single by Phil Collins | ||||
| from the album Buster: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "Big Noise" | |||
| Released | 27 August 1988[5] | |||
| Format | 7", 12", CD single | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 3:30 | |||
| Writer(s) | Carole Bayer Sager, Toni Wine | |||
| Producer | Phil Collins, Anne Dudley | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Phil Collins singles chronology | ||||
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Phil Collins recorded a new version of "A Groovy Kind of Love" in 1988. He had originally suggested the song as a good one for collaborator Stephen Bishop to record, with Collins producing, but decided to record it himself when he took a starring role in the film Buster, which had a 1960s setting.[6] The song was originally released on Buster: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and also appeared on his Serious Hits... Live! album, as well as several Phil Collins compilation albums.
Unlike the Mindbenders' version, which was an upbeat guitar-based pop song, Collins' version was a slow ballad with a prominent keyboard and strings. This version went the Mindbenders release one better, hitting #1 in both the US and UK charts, and it remains the only Collins single to top the charts in both countries and it was his last #1 single in the UK.[7] It also reached #1 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. The song earned Collins a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male in 1989.
Personnel
- Phil Collins - keyboards, vocals, drums
- Orchestra conducted by Anne Dudley
Chart performance
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart[8] | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[8] | 6 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40[9] | 1 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 4 |
| French Singles Chart[8] | 15 |
| German Singles Chart | 3 |
| Irish Singles Chart[11] | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart[12] | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[8] | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[8] | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[8] | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles | 1 |
Other covers
Other covers include:
- the 1965 B-side of "All or Nothing", by Patti Labelle & The Blue Belles
- a 1966 cover by Petula Clark
- a 1966 cover with Italian lyrics ("Non c'è più nessuno") by I Camaleonti
- a 1967 cover by Gene Pitney
- a 1967 cover by Sonny & Cher
- a 1970 recording by author Toni Wine
- a 1970 cover by Elkie & Owen and The Rim Ram Band
- a 1970 cover with Italian lyrics ("Ora che sei qui") by Remo Germani
- a 1977 cover by Les Gray formerly of Mud which made #32 in the UK[4]
- a 1983 cover by Doenja
- a 1991 cover by Argentinian singer Pablo Ruiz with Spanish lyrics, titled Espejos Azules
- a 1993 cover by Neil Diamond
- "Look at Us", a 2000 re-recording by Sarina Paris
- "Like a Butterfly", a 2000 re-recording by Aba 7
- a 2000 instrumental by Hank Marvin on the album Marvin at the Movies
- a 2001 cover by Dan Finnerty, for the film The Wedding Planner
- Richard Clayderman made a cover of this song for his 2002 compilation album 'The Ultimate Collection'
- The seventh track on David Garrett's 2012 album Music, is titled "Clementi - Sonatina" and presented as an adaption of Clementi's Rondo, but it is actually a violin-led instrumental cover of Phil Collins' ballad version of "A Groovy Kind of Love".
In 1979 Italian artist Ivan Graziani recorded "Agnese", his own adaptation of Clementi's Rondo, which has the same song structure.[13]
The song is played on violins in the Friends television episode "The One with the Wedding Part 2".[14]
| Preceded by "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz and the Plastic Population |
UK number one single 4 September 1988 |
Succeeded by "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies |
| Preceded by "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man" by Rick Astley |
Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single 8 October 1988 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston |
| Preceded by "Red Red Wine" by UB40 |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single 22 October 1988 – 29 October 1988 |
Succeeded by "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys |
References
- ^ op.36 from Muzio Clementi - Public domain scores in the IMSLP
- ^ Songfacts Interviews:Toni Wine
- ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for "A Groovy Kind of Love"". Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ a b c "everyhit.com search results for "A Groovy Kind of Love"". Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Allmusic: A Groovy Kind of Love (Phil Collins)
- ^ Maury Dean (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 60. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- ^ a b c d e f "lescharts.com entry". Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 41, 1988". Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for "A Groovey Kind of Love"". Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ "A Groovy Kind of Love". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ Arnold Rypens (2000). The Originals. Vox. ISBN 90-76695-02-4.
- ^ "IMDb: Soundtracks for "Friends", "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding: Part 2"". Retrieved 2008-03-21.
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