Feel Like Makin' Love (Roberta Flack song) explained

Feel Like Makin' Love
Cover:Feel_Like_Makin'_Love_-_Roberta_Flack.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Roberta Flack
Album:Feel Like Makin' Love
B-Side:When You Smile
Released:June 10, 1974
Genre:
Length:2:55
Label:Atlantic
Producer:Rubina Flake
Prev Title:Jesse
Prev Year:1973
Next Title:Feelin' That Glow
Next Year:1975

"Feel Like Makin' Love" is a song composed by singer-songwriter and producer Eugene McDaniels, and recorded originally by soul singer-songwriter Roberta Flack. The song has been covered by R&B and jazz artists including D’Angelo, Roy Ayers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Lou Rawls, Isaac Hays, George Benson, Jeffrey Osborne, Larry Coryell, Johnny Mathis, and Marlena Shaw.

Reception

Released nine months before the album of the same title, the song became one of the greatest musical successes of 1974, as well as of Roberta Flack's recording career. Flack's version scored a week at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it Flack's third #1 single, making her the first female vocalist since 1940 to top the chart in three consecutive years.[3] "Feel Like Makin' Love" also had five weeks at #1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[4] and two weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts of both Canada[5] and the U.S. Flack co-produced the record under the pseudonym Rubina Flake, with Eugene McDaniels. It went on to receive three Grammy nominations for Flack: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Upon the single release, Record World said that it "isn't as poetic as 'Killing Me Softly,' but what Roberta brings to it will make this her biggest record since."[6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 13
Canadian Top Singles (RPM)1
Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM)[8] 1
France [9] 10
Netherlands 29
UK Singles Chart[10] 34
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 1
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles1
US Billboard Easy Listening[12] 1
US Cash Box Top 100[13] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1974)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] 94
Canada RPM Top Singles[15] 21
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 35
US Billboard Easy Listening[17] 21
US Cash Box [18] 33

George Benson version

Feel Like Makin' Love
Type:single
Artist:George Benson
Album:In Your Eyes
Released:July 1, 1983
Genre:
Length:4:22
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Arif Mardin
Prev Title:Lady Love Me (One More Time)
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:In Your Eyes
Next Year:1983

In 1983, George Benson recorded a cover version of Feel Like Makin' Love which appeared on the album In Your Eyes. Compared to the original, which is a ballad, this version is danceable and therefore very funk-heavy. In addition to the studio album, it is also included on the Original Album Series Vol. 2, The Ultimate Collection, and 1983 [2017] compilations.[19]

Track listing

7" Single

  1. Feel Like Makin' Love 4:22
  2. Use Me 4:23

Charts

Chart (1983)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 28
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 18

D'Angelo version

Feel Like Makin' Love
Type:single
Artist:D'Angelo
Album:Voodoo
Released:April 8, 2000
Recorded:1999
Studio:Electric Lady, New York City
Label:Virgin
Producer:J. Dilla, D'Angelo
Prev Title:Send It On
Prev Year:2000
Next Title:Be Here
Next Year:2002

American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo covered the song for his second studio album Voodoo (2000). It was released April 8, 2000, on Virgin Records as the album's fifth and last single. His cover version features a quiet storm radio-style sound and heavy use of multi-tracking for vocals.[22] It was initially planned as a duet with R&B singer Lauryn Hill.[23] Although tapes were sent via FedEx between the two, the collaboration between D'Angelo and Hill was aborted and the song was instead recorded solo. According to producer and drummer Questlove, the duet failed to materialize due to "too many middle men.... I don't think Lauryn and D ever talked face-to-face."[23] Mistakenly, some critics who later reviewed the album's track assumed that Lauryn Hill's vocals are present in the recording.[23]

According to Questlove's review of Voodoo at Okayplayer, the song's production was also managed by late hip hop producer J Dilla, as Questlove stated "Jay Dee did the Lauryn track".[24] Dilla, however, did not receive an official credit for the song.[25] As a single, "Feel Like Makin' Love" was Voodoos least successful, as it only reached #109 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

Charts

Other versions

The song has been covered by many artists. Among the most notable are:

See also

Notes

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Killing Me Softly Edition. Hit Parade Music History and Music Trivia. Slate. Molanphy. Chris. March 25, 2022. March 24, 2024.
  2. Book: Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. Don. Breithaupt. Jeff. Breithaupt. October 15, 1996. Walking in Rhythm: Seventies Soul. 64. St. Martin's Griffin. 031214704X.
  3. Sioux Falla Argus Leader 8 September 1974 "Music Beat" by Mike Donnelly p.C-13
  4. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 206.
  5. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3843a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3843a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3843a RPM, August 24, 1974
  6. Record World. June 15, 1974. 2023-03-16. Hits of the Week. 1.
  7. Web site: Steffen Hung . Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) . Australian-charts.com . 2016-10-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006134948/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40275 . 2014-10-06 .
  8. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 2016-03-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20160313200005/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3854&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=m8mvq495d838eoopqdag0bimr6. 2016-03-13. dead.
  9. Web site: Songs from the Year 1974.
  10. Web site: ROBERTA FLACK. Officialcharts.com. 2016-03-13.
  11. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 -
  12. Web site: Adult Contemporary Music Chart . Billboard . 1974-08-17 . 2016-10-06.
  13. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910041025/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19740817.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 17, 1974
  14. Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1974. . 29 . . December 30, 1974 . January 15, 2022 .
  15. Web site: Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada . Bac-lac.gc.ca . 17 July 2013 . 2016-10-06.
  16. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975. Musicoutfitters.com. 2016-03-13.
  17. http://www.45cat.com/45_list_view_record.php?li=2168 Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1974
  18. Web site: Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974 . September 9, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009212559/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1974YESP.html . October 9, 2016 . dead .
  19. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1688|pure_url=yes}} In Your Eyes overview]. AllMusic. 2016-03-13.
  20. https://www.chartsurfer.de/artist/gwen-guthrie/they-long-to-be-close-to-you-song_hvvnv.html Chartsurfer.de
  21. Web site: Jaclyn Ward . The Irish Charts - All there is to know . Irishcharts.ie . 2017-07-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement . 2009-06-02 .
  22. Neal, Mark Anthony. Review: Voodoo. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-08-09.
  23. Sinclair, Tom. Body & Soul: Voodoo. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-06-04.
  24. Thompson, Ahmir 'Questlove'. "Review: Voodoo". ?uestcorner/Okayplayer: 1999. Archived from the original on 2008-08-09.
  25. D'Angelo (2000), pp. 5 - 24.
  26. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&Ntt=Feel+Like+Makin%27+Love+D%27Angelo&Ntk=Keyword&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&nor=10&an=bbcom&N=37&Ns=FORMATTED_DATE |0 Billboard charts - Feel Like Makin' Love
  27. Web site: Bob James - One . . March 29, 2018 .