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Are You Ready for Love
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Are You Ready for Love
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Elton John
| album = The Thom Bell Sessions
| B-side = Are You Ready for Love Part 2
| released = 31 May 1979
| recorded = October 1977
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Soft rock, soul
| length =
* 5:05 (Part 1)
* 3:26 (Part 2)
| label = The Rocket Record Company
| writer = Thom Bell, LeRoy Bell, Casey James
| producer = Thom Bell
| prev_title = Return to Paradise
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Mama Can't Buy You Love
| next_year = 1979
| misc =
}}
"'Are You Ready for Love'" is a song recorded by English musician Elton John in 1977 and first released in the UK in 1979 as the first single from the EP 'The Thom Bell Sessions'. It was written by Leroy Bell, Thom Bell and Casey James, and was originally produced in Philadelphia by Thom Bell (who had already produced a series of hits for the Spinners, the Delfonics and the Stylistics). While the song "Mama Can't Buy You Love" from the EP charted in 1979, this song and the other track on the three-track 12-inch vinyl disc, "Three Way Love Affair", were only minor footnotes at the time.
In 1989, MCA released a 6-track CD, 'The Complete Thom Bell Sessions', which contained a different mix of "Are You Ready for Love" in place of the one that appeared on the original 1979 EP. (The original 'Thom Bell Sessions' EP mix did, however, surface along with the EP's other two original tracks as a B-side to a UK CD-single of "The Last Song" in 1992, issued as Rocket/Phonogram EJSCB-30).
2003 version
{{Infobox song
| name = Are You Ready for Love
| cover = Elton_John_-_Are_You_Ready_For_Love.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Elton John
| album =
| B-side = Three Way Love Affair
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
| label = Southern Fried, Mercury, Ultra
| writer = Thom Bell, LeRoy Bell, Casey James
| producer = Thom Bell
| prev_title = Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
| prev_year = 2002
| next_title = The Heart of Every Girl
| next_year = 2003
| misc =
}}
In 2003, "Are You Ready for Love" was remixed by Ashley Beedle and released as a 12-inch vinyl single on 25 August 2003. It gave John another No. 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart in its first week of its 2003 re-release, following his performance of the song in a television advertisement promoting the new 20032004 football season for Sky Sports. It scored John his fifth UK number one. The 2003 single's B-side is "Three Way Love Affair" (from the original EP) and also the full-length 1979 version of "Are You Ready for Love". On some CD versions, the CD also contains a QuickTime version of a video for the song, with recording studio footage from 1977 with John recording his vocals.
Various hit R&B vocalists of the late 1970s, including Bell and James, MFSB and the Spinners with lead singer John Edwards, contributed backing and accompanying lead vocals, most prominent on the Thom Bell Sessions mixes of the song. In 1979, the Spinners also recorded a version of the song which charted at number 25 on the US 'Billboard' R&B chart.
The music video, produced in a 1970s retro style, was directed by Kate Dawkins.
Track listings
'UK, US, and Australian CD single'# "Are You Ready for Love" ('79 radio edit)
# "Are You Ready for Love" (full length 1979 version)
# "Three Way Love Affair"
# "Are You Ready for Love" (CD-ROM video)
'UK 12-inch single 1'
:A. "Are You Ready for Love" (full length '79 version)
:B. "Are You Ready for Love" (Freeform Reform remix)
'UK 12-inch single 2'
:A. "Are You Ready for Love" ('79 original)
:B. "Are You Ready for Love" (Ashley Beedle Love and Protection mono edit)
'UK cassette single'
# "Are You Ready for Love" ('79 radio edit)
# "Are You Ready for Love" (full length 1979 version)
# "Three Way Love Affair"
'European CD single'
# "Are You Ready for Love" ('79 radio edit)
# "Are You Ready for Love" (full length 1979 version)
'US 12-inch single'
:A1. "Are You Ready for Love" (Linus Loves Strobelight mix)
:A2. "Are You Ready for Love" (79 full length)
:B1. "Are You Ready for Love" (Mylo's Road Map to Peace remix)
:B2. "Are You Ready for Love" (Ashley Beedle Love and Protection mono re-edit)
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Cover versions
In 2003, the Spinners reissued "Are You Ready for Love", featuring them on backing vocals. In 1977, the Spinners had recorded two versions of the track. One had all of the Spinners, the other with only lead singer John Edwards on vocals. Finally in 1979, the John Edwards version was released making it to number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.
In popular culture
"Are You Ready for Love" was featured on the European version of 'Donkey Konga 2'.
See also
* List of number-one dance singles of 2004 (U.S.)
References
Category:1977 songs
Category:1979 singles
Category:2003 singles
Category:Elton John songs
Category:The Spinners (American R&B group) songs
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Songs written by Thom Bell
Category:Songs written by LeRoy Bell
Category:The Rocket Record Company singles
Category:Mercury Records singles
Category:Ultra Records singles
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