Thin Line Between Love and Hate explained
| Thin Line Between Love and Hate |
| Cover: | Thin Line Between Love and Hate by The Persuaders US vinyl A-side.jpg |
| Caption: | A-side label of U.S. vinyl single |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Persuaders |
| Album: | Thin Line Between Love and Hate |
| B-Side: | Thigh Spy |
| Released: | August 1971 |
| Genre: | R&B |
| Length: | 3:16 |
| Label: | Atco Records |
| Producer: | Richard Poindexter
Robert Poindexter |
"Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is the title of a 1971 song by the New York City-based R&B vocal group The Persuaders. The song was written and produced by the Poindexter brothers, Robert and Richard, and was also co-written by Robert's wife, Jackie Members.
Composition
The song tells a story about a man coming home early in the morning to his understanding wife one too many times; after the song's bridge, he finds himself lying in a hospital, bandaged from head to foot.[1]
Chart history
This was the group's biggest hit song, spending two weeks atop the Billboard R&B chart in late 1971. It also reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a certified Gold Record by the RIAA.[2]
Cover versions
The song has been covered or sampled by many musical acts.
- The rock band The Pretenders recorded a cover version of this song, included on their 1984 album Learning to Crawl. Featuring Paul Carrack on keyboards and backing vocals, it was released as a single, peaking at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #49 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] This version changed the lyric from first-person viewpoint to second-person.
- Jamaican reggae singer B.B. Seaton recorded a version as the title track of his 1973 album for Trojan Records.[5]
- A sample of "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" was featured in the song "Washed Away" by the hip-hop band Arrested Development. This song can be found on their 1992 album 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of....
- Also in 1992, rapper Kid Frost sampled this song on his track "Thin Line". This song is included on his album East Side Story and reached #82 on the Billboard R&B chart.
- In 1995, Annie Lennox recorded a cover with slightly modified lyrics, with a second-person viewpoint and additional final verses, featured on her second solo album Medusa.[6]
- In 1996, R&B vocal trio H-Town recorded the song, which was included in the film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate starring Martin Lawrence. Released as "A Thin Line Between Love & Hate", this version featured Roger Troutman, and Shirley Murdock on female vocals and reached #6 on the Billboard R&B chart and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]
See also
- R&B number-one hits of 1971 (USA)
External links
Notes and References
- News: Pareles. Jon. Chrissie Hynde Makes Peace with the Past and Moves On . en-US . The New York Times . January 22, 1984 . 23 December 2020. 0362-4331.
- [Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]
- Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn
. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 457.
- https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/What%20I%20Like%20Most%20About%20You%20Is%20Your%20Girlfriend Official Charts Company info
- Web site: BB Seaton – Thinline Between Love & Hate [1/1/1973]]. June 14, 2024.
- Web site: Behind the Song: Annie Lennox, "Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Rick. Moore. Americansongwriter.com. 2019. June 14, 2024.
