History
Original release
Berry Gordy wrote "Do You Love Me" with the intention that The Temptations, who had no Top 40 hits to their name yet, would record it. However, when Gordy wanted to locate the group and record the song, they were nowhere to be found (the Temptations hadn't been made aware of Gordy's intentions, and had departed Motown's Hitsville USA studio for a local Detroit gospel music showcase). After spending some time looking for the Temptations, Gordy ran into the Contours (Billy Gordon, Hubert Johnson, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Sylvester Potts, and guitarist Hugh Davis) in the hallway. Wanting to record and release "Do You Love Me" as soon as possible, Gordy decided to let them record his "sure-fire hit" instead of the Temptations. The Contours, who were in danger of being dropped from the label after their first two singles ("Whole Lotta' Woman" and "The Stretch") failed to chart, were so elated at Gordy's offer that they immediately began hugging and thanking him."Do You Love Me", the fifth release on Gordy Records, became a notably successful dance record, built around lead singer Billy Gordon's screaming vocals. Selling over a million copies, "Do You Love Me" peaked at number-three on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. An album featuring the single, Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance), was also released. None of the Contours' future singles lived up to the success of "Do You Love Me", although its success won the group a headlining position on Motown's very first Motor Town Revue tour.
Dirty Dancing
"Do You Love Me? was featured prominently in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, reviving the record's popularity. Re-issued as a single for the More Dirty Dancing soundtrack album, "Do You Love Me" became a hit for the second time, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Contours, by then comprised of Joe Billingslea and three new members, joined Ronnie Spector and Bill Medley, among others, on a "Dirty Dancing Tour" which resulted from the film.British Invasion cover versions
Like many American R&B songs of the 1960s, "Do You Love Me?" was covered by a number of British Invasion groups. Two British groups who recorded their own versions of the song were Brian Poole and the Tremeloes (who hit number one with it in the UK) and the Dave Clark Five.The song has also been covered by The Sonics, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.
Other notable cover versions
The song was one of the highlights of The Blues Brothers live set.Bruce Springsteen frequently ended his shows in the mid-80's with the song, as part of a medley with Twist And Shout.
Johnny Thunders covered it in his live concerts.
Indie band Steadman has a well known cover the song. They play it in the style of Dave Clark Five.
Dance Fever
The song was heard on an episode of the 2003 version of Dance Fever with Tarah Paige dancing to the song.Credits
- Lead vocal by Billy Gordon
- Background vocals by Hubert Johnson, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, and Sylvester Potts
- Guitar by Huey Davis
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday July 05, 2008 at 20:32:55 PDT (GMT -0700)
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Do You Love Me may also refer to:
- Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance), an album by The Contours
- "Do You Love Me", a Chuck Berry song, first released on the compilation album Chuck Berry's Golden Decade Volume 3
- "Do You Love Me", a song by the glam rock band Kiss on their fourth studio album Destroyer
- "Do you love me?", the 25th episode of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Do You Love Me (film), a 1946 film starring Maureen O'Hara
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday June 29, 2008 at 07:36:55 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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