"Love That Girl" is a song by American recording artist Raphael Saadiq, released as a single on August 5, 2008, by Columbia Records. It was the lead single for Saadiq's 2008 album The Way I See It. The song was written by Saadiq and co-producer Bobby Ozuna. "Love That Girl" is a Motown-inspired soul song with sweet-natured, innocent lyrics about affection.
| "Love That Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Raphael Saadiq | ||||
| from the album The Way I See It | ||||
| Released | August 5, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Ozuna, Raphael Saadiq | |||
| Producer(s) | Raphael Saadiq | |||
| Raphael Saadiq singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The single peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
Music and lyrics edit
"Love That Girl" is a Motown-inspired soul song with repetitive bass lines, echo chamber-like claps, and call and response choruses.[1] It also features Motown-styled instruments by Jack Ashford, including tambourine, vibraphone, bells, and shakers.[2] Gail Mitchell of Billboard characterizes it as "a swing tune that calls to mind the Temptations' signature brand of suave grooves".[3] Andy Gill of The Independent writes that the song has "the poise of the David Ruffin-era Temptations."[4] The song's lyrics are sweet, innocent, and expressing affection for a love interest.[5] They also feature rhyme schemes similar to those of classic soul songs and restrained falsetto vocals by Saadiq.[1] About.com's Mark Edward Nero finds its subject matter reminiscent of Mary Wells' 1964 song "My Guy".[5]
Release and reception edit
"Love That Girl" was released as the lead single from The Way I See It.[5] It was released as a digital download on August 5, 2008, by Columbia Records.[6] Its music video was released on August 27,[7] and featured Saadiq and his band in vintage attire, including matching suits and a flowing red dress worn by the backing vocalist.[1] "Love That Girl" was later used as the theme song for the sitcom of the same name,[8] on which Saadiq served as executive producer.[9]
"Love That Girl" charted for 20 weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number 45 on November 15, 2008.[10] It also charted for four weeks and peaked at number 15 in Belgium.[11] The song was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.[12]
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from liner notes for The Way I See It.[13]
- Jack Ashford – bells, shaker, tambourine, vibraphone
- Charles Brungardt – recording engineer
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Bobby Ozuna – co-producer, composer
- Raphael Saadiq – composer, instrumentalist, mixing, producer, recording engineer, vocals
Charts edit
| Chart (2008–09) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[14] | 15 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] | 45 |
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada[16] | August 5, 2008 | Columbia Records | digital download |
| United States[6] | |||
| United Kingdom[17] | February 10, 2010 |
References edit
- ^ a b c Finkel, Bari (November 16, 2010). "Tuesday Temptations: Raphael Saadiq, "Love That Girl"". WIUX Blog. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ Farinella, David John (January 1, 2009). "Music: Raphael Saadiq". Mix. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail (September 27, 2008). "The Way I See It". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 39. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ^ Gill, Andy (February 27, 2009). "Album: Raphael Saadiq, The Way I See It (Columbia)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
- ^ a b c Nero, Mark Edward (July 10, 2008). "Music: Raphael Saadiq - "Love That Girl"". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- ^ a b "Raphael Saadiq - Love That Girl MP3 Download". CD Universe. Archived from the original on 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "Video Premier: Saadiq's 'Love That Girl'". URB. West Hollywood. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (January 4, 2010). "TV One acquires 'Love That Girl'". Variety. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ Tunzi, Kristina, ed. (December 5, 2009). "Saadiq Preps New Set". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 48. New York. p. 50. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
- ^ "Raphael Saadiq Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ^ "Raphael Saadiq - Love That Girl" (in Dutch). ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ^ Gingerlynn (December 4, 2008). "'09 Grammy Award Nominations: Al Green, M.I.A., Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan and more!". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
- ^ The Way I See It (CD liner). Raphael Saadiq. New York City: Columbia Records. 2008. 88697 08585 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Raphael Saadiq – Love That Girl" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
- ^ "Raphael Saadiq Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Love That Girl by Raphael Saadiq". hmvdigital.ca. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "Love That Girl (Album Version) (2010)". 7digital. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
External links edit
- "Love That Girl" at MusicBrainz (information and list of recordings)