"That's the Way Love Is" is a 1967 Tamla (Motown) single recorded by The Isley Brothers and produced by Norman Whitfield.
Marvin Gaye recording The single was later covered in a 1969 hit version by Marvin Gaye. It was his third consecutive million-selling solo hit after "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" written by Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Whitfield took the up-tempo Isley Brothers record, and turned it into a slowed-down psychedelic soul opus. Like "Grapevine", Gaye delivers the song in an emotionally wrought fashion, approaching a preacher-like tone through which he tells a woman to "forget" her lover now that the lover has gone off to someone else.
Chart performance The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard pop singles chart and held the #2 spot for five weeks on the soul singles chart in October 1969The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 9: 1969 [CD liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records (it was held off by The Temptations' "I Can't Get Next To You"), eventually selling a million copies.
Personnel Isley Brothers version Lead vocals by Ronald Isley Background vocals by O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
Marvin Gaye version Lead Vocals by Marvin Gaye Background Vocals by The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
Temptations version Lead vocals by Dennis Edwards and Paul Williams Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
The Commitments version Lead vocals by Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball) Background vocals by Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle) and Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher) Instrumentation by The Commitments
Charts Chart (1969)Peakposition
References