Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1964


When You're Young and in Love

Buy When You're Young and in Love now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




'"When You're Young and in Love"' is a song composed by Van McCoy which first became a Top 40 hit single for the Marvelettes in 1967: a remake by the Flying Pickets would reach the UK Top Ten in 1984.

Original version: Ruby & the Romantics



Background

The first recording of the song was by 'Ruby & the Romantics'; like all the group's singles on Kapp Records the track was produced by label a&r head Allen Stanton. Released in September 1964, "When You're Young..." reached the Top Five in Honolulu but otherwise failed to register strongly in any US market reaching #48 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 in November 1964. Ruby & the Romantics scored one subsequent Hot 100 placing, with "Does He Really Care For Me" (#87). However, "When You're Young..." was a bigger hit in Canada, peaking at #25 on the RPM "Top Tracks".

Personnel

*Lead vocal by Ruby Nash

*Background vocals by Ed Roberts, George Lee, Ronald Mosley, and Leroy Fann

*Instrumentation by Unknown

The Marvelettes version



Background

The song was covered in 1967 by the Marvelettes with the track - produced by James Dean and William Weatherspoon - reaching #23 on the Hot 100 that June; its R&B peak was #9. Although not one of the Marvelettes' very biggest US hits, "When You're Young and in Love" became the only record by the group to achieve hit status in the UK with a #13 peak in July 1967. The track is also one of the last Marvelettes' singles to feature Gladys Horton although the lead is by Wanda Young; Horton would only appear, and lead, on the following two B-Sides. Besides Horton and veteran Marvelette Katherine Anderson, Rogers' vocal backing on "When You're Young..." features Motown's premier session singers the Andantes while the original instrumental backing on the track by the Funk Brothers was augmented by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Personnel

*Lead vocal by Wanda Young Rogers

*Background vocals by Gladys Horton and Katherine Anderson and The Andantes: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps

*Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Charts



Flying Pickets version



The song had its strongest chart impact via a 1984 cover version by the Flying Pickets, produced by John Sherry. It reached number 7 in the UK. This version of the song was featured in Netflix's Sex Education (TV series).

Other versions



*In the autumn of 1975 competing versions of "When You're Young and in Love" by Ralph Carter and the Choice Four charted R&B with the Carter version reaching #37 on the R&B charts where the Choice Four peaked at #45; both versions were also minor Hot 100 crossovers with respective peaks of #95 (Carter) and #91 (Choice Four). Ralph Carter would promote his version with a performance on the April 3, 1976 episode of his 'Good Times' sitcom; his recording was produced by Norman Bergen and Reid Whitelaw. The Choice Four version was produced by the song's composer Van McCoy.

*A 1979 remake of "When You're Young and in Love" is notable as the debut single for Stacy Lattisaw and also for being produced by composer Van McCoy; however the McCoy produced album 'Young and in Love' proved neither a critical or commercial success upon release in July 1979 - the month of McCoy's death - with the "When You're Young..." single barely registering on the R&B charts at #91.

*Gitte made a recording of "When You're Young and in Love" on 23 October 1964.

*The song has also been recorded by Donny and Marie - as "(When You're) Young and in Love"

*The Jets recorded it, for their 1987 album 'Magic'.

References



Category:1964 singles

Category:1967 singles

Category:The Marvelettes songs

Category:Songs written by Van McCoy

Category:1984 singles

Category:The Flying Pickets songs

Category:1979 debut singles

Category:Stacy Lattisaw songs

Category:Ruby & the Romantics songs

Category:Tamla Records singles

Category:1964 songs

Buy When You're Young and in Love now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 1964



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1068451649.