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All in Love Is Fair

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"All in Love Is Fair" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder recorded for his sixteenth studio album, Innervisions (1973). Written and produced by Wonder, it was released as a 7" single in Brazil in 1974.[3] The song is a pop ballad with lyrics that describe the end of a relationship through the use of clichés. Critical reaction to the song has been varied: Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic wrote that it was among Wonder's "finest ballad statements",[4] but Robert Christgau felt that the singer's performance was "immature".[5] Wonder has included it on several of his greatest hits albums, including the most recent, 2005's The Complete Stevie Wonder.

"All in Love Is Fair"
A white vinyl record of the single appears
1974 Brazil single (White label)
Song by Stevie Wonder
from the album Innervisions
A-side"Too High"
ReleasedAugust 3, 1973
RecordedNovember 10, 1972-April 4, 1973
Studio
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder

American vocalist Barbra Streisand released "All in Love Is Fair" as a single in 1974 for her fifteenth studio album, The Way We Were (1974). Tommy LiPuma handled the production for the 7" single release by Columbia Records. Among music critics, Greenwald called her version "unforgettable",[4] and Rolling Stone's Stephen Holden wrote that it was "almost as interesting" as Wonder's original.[6] Commercially, the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at number 63, and Canada's Top Singles chart at number 60. The song has been recorded by a number of other artists, including Brook Benton, Nancy Wilson and Cleo Laine.

Recording

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Recording began for "All in Love is Fair" on November 10, 1972 at 2:30 A.M., with Wonder on piano and Scott Edwards on guitar. Electric piano, vocals, and drums were recorded on April 3, 1973. However, the electric piano track was discarded in favor of a new take made the following day. The song was mixed on April 8, 1973.[7]

Release and composition

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"All in Love Is Fair" is taken from Stevie Wonder's sixteenth studio album, Innervisions, released on August 3, 1973, by Tamla Records.[8] Despite not being released as a commercial single in his native country of the United States, Tapecar Records and Tamla released it as a 7" single sometime in 1974, exclusively in Brazil.[citation needed] It was paired alongside the opener track for side one of Innervisions, "Too High", a song about drug abuse.[9]

The song is composed in the key of C-sharp minor and features vocals that range from B2 to G♯4.[10] The vocal is accompanied by Wonder himself on Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano and drums, and by Scott Edwards on electric bass.[citation needed] The lyrics of the composition describe two people who are nearing the end of their relationship; Wonder purposely uses "cliché lines" to get his point across and to prove the clichés true.[5]

A pop ballad,[1] "All in Love Is Fair" was compared to the works of Johnny Mathis by Lenny Kaye of Rolling Stone and the editors at Playboy.[11] Lawrence Gabriel, author of MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, described the track as a "classic" pop song.[12] Janine McAdams from Billboard found "dramatic intensity" within the lyrics, "I should have never left your side / The writer takes his pen / To write the words again / That all in love is fair".[13] Author Herb Jordan included the track's lyrics in his book Motown in Love: Lyrics from the Golden Era; they were placed under the section for songs in which the lyrics detail "lessons of love".[14]

Reception and further promotion

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AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald found "All in Love Is Fair" to be among Wonder's "finest ballad statements", which contained "one of the most graceful and memorable hooks from the era".[4] Brian Ives of radio.com described it as a "beautiful and sad piano ballad" that he thought could have come from the Broadway stage.[15] Robert Christgau disliked Wonder's balladry singing in "All in Love Is Fair", and considered his performance to be "immature".[5] In contrast, author James E. Perone wrote that there was "no better example" of a "pure, autobiographical-sounding vocal showpiece for Stevie Wonder".[5]

After its initial release in 1973, Wonder placed "All in Love Is Fair" on several of his later albums. It was included on the Motown compilation Baddest Love Jams, Vol. 2: Fire & Desire in 1995.[16] Wonder's fourth box set, At the Close of a Century (1999), also featured the song.[17] In that same year it was featured on Ballad Collection,[18] and in 2005 it was selected for inclusion on The Complete Stevie Wonder.[19]

Track listing

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Brazil 7" single[9]
No.TitleLength
1."All in Love Is Fair"3:41
2."Too High"4:36
Total length:8:27

Personnel

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  • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, piano, Fender Rhodes, drums
  • Scott Edwards – electric bass [20]

Barbra Streisand version

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"All in Love Is Fair"
 
Single by Barbra Streisand
from the album The Way We Were
B-sideMedley: "My Buddy"/"How About Me"
ReleasedMarch 1974
RecordedDecember 14, 1973; United Recorders
(Los Angeles, California)
Length3:50
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Tommy LiPuma
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"The Way We Were"
(1973) 		"All in Love Is Fair"
(1974) 		"Guava Jelly"
(1974)

Background and recording

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American vocalist Barbra Streisand recorded a version of "All in Love Is Fair" for her fifteenth studio album, The Way We Were (1974). Shortly following the commercial success of her previous single, "The Way We Were", Columbia Records began compiling tracks for the singer's then-upcoming fifteenth studio album (The Way We Were). Since time was limited, the majority of the tracks were taken from material recorded by Streisand as much as seven years previously.[21] According to the liner notes of her 1991 greatest hits album Just for the Record, the only tracks specifically created for the album were "All in Love Is Fair", "The Way We Were", "Being at War with Each Other", and "Something So Right".[22] "All in Love Is Fair" was recorded on December 14, 1973, at United Recorders Studios in Los Angeles.[23] It was released in March 1974 as a 7" single through Columbia Records,[24] and would later be paired alongside Streisand's previous single, "The Way We Were", on a 7" single released in 1975, also by Columbia, in the United States and Canada.[25][26]

Reception

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The staff at Billboard described Streisand's cover as a "musical gem",[27] while author Allison J. Waldman enjoyed Streisand's personal take on it.[28] Record World said that "the ballad beauty from Stevie Wonder's Innervisions album gets its definitive female reading from the superstar."[29] Greenwald from AllMusic liked the singer's cover and wrote of the song's hook, "Streisand's performance – particularly her phrasing of this line – is unforgettable".[4] Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone compared her rendition to Wonder's version and wrote that it was "almost as interesting as the original".[6]

Streisand's version of "All in Love Is Fair" achieved moderate commercial success in the United States and Canada. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 30, 1974, at number 81, becoming the week's "Hot Shot Debut", or the publication's highest entry position for that particular listing.[30] It climbed the chart for an additional three weeks before reaching its peak position on April 20 of the same year, at number 63.[31] The following week, Streisand's rendition dropped to number 75, after which it left the Hot 100.[32][33] On the Adult Contemporary chart, which was then titled the Easy Listening chart, "All in Love Is Fair" peaked at number 10.[34] On Canada's official chart, compiled by RPM, it debuted at number 99 for the week of April 6, 1974.[35] It soared twenty places the following week,[36] and two weeks later, on April 27, it reached its peak position at number 60.[37] It also lasted a total of five consecutive weeks in this country.[38]

Promotion

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"All in Love Is Fair" has been included on numerous albums released by Streisand. Its first appearance after The Way We Were was on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1978).[39] She also included it on Just for the Record (1991) and The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002).[22][40]

Charts

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Chart performance for "All in Love Is Fair"
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[37] 60
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 63
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[34] 10

Track listings and formats

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Other versions

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Cleo Laine recorded a cover of "All in Love Is Fair" in 1974

References

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  1. ^ a b c Anderson & Campbell 2011, p. 62
  2. ^ Molanphy, Chris (February 10, 2024). "The Hello Gorgeous Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Stevie Wonder - All in Love is Fair". Discogs. 1974.
  4. ^ a b c d Greenwald, Matthew. "Barbra Streisand – All in Love Is Fair". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Perone 2006, p. 53
  6. ^ a b "The Way We Were – Barbra Streisand: Columbia PC 32801". The Super Seventies. April 11, 1974. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "Expanding Soul". wax-poetics. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  8. ^ Innervisions (Liner notes). Stevie Wonder. Tamla. 1973. T 326L.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b "All in Love Is Fair" / "Too High" (Liner notes). Stevie Wonder. Tapecar. 1974. CS-829.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Wonder, Stevie (1973). "Stevie Wonder 'All in Love Is Fair' Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "Innversions – Stevie Wonder". The Super Seventies. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  12. ^ Graff 1996, p. 837
  13. ^ McAdams, Janine (May 13, 1995). "A Songbook in the Key of Life". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 19. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 30, 38. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  14. ^ Jordan 2006, p. 2
  15. ^ Ives, Brian (August 2, 2013). "Not Fade Away: Stevie Wonder Innervisions". radio.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  16. ^ Baddest Love Jams, Vol. 2: Fire & Desire (Liner notes). Various artists. Motown. 1995. 530573.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ At the Close of a Century (Liner notes). Stevie Wonder. Motown. 1999. 1539922.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Ballad Collection (Liner notes). Stevie Wonder. Motown. 1999. 1539282.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ The Complete Stevie Wonder (Liner notes). Stevie Wonder. Motown. 2005. B00006JSS8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973) album cover and CD booklet
  21. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Barbra Streisand – The Way We Were". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Just for the Record (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 1991. C4K-44111.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ The Way We Were (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand (CD release ed.). Columbia. 1974. C4K 44111.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Popoff 2010, p. 1136
  25. ^ "The Way We Were" / "All in Love Is Fair" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand (United States release ed.). Columbia. 1975. 13-33262.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ "The Way We Were" / "All in Love Is Fair" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand (Canada release ed.). Columbia. 1975. 13-33262.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 9, 1974. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  28. ^ Waldman 2001, p. 54
  29. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 23, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  30. ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week Of March 30, 1974". Billboard. March 30, 1974. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  31. ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week Of April 20, 1974". Billboard. April 20, 1974. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  32. ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week Of April 27, 1974". Billboard. April 27, 1974. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  33. ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week Of May 4, 1974". Billboard. May 4, 1974. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  34. ^ a b "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  35. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5000b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  36. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5006b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  37. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5024b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  38. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5017b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  39. ^ Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 1978. FCA 35679.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  40. ^ The Essential Barbra Streisand (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 2002. C2K 86123.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  42. ^ "All in Love Is Fair" / "My Buddy"/"How About Me" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 1974. 4-46024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ "All in Love Is Fair" / "All in Love Is Fair" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand (Promotional ed.). Columbia. 1974. 4-46024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Nancy Wilson – All in Love Is Fair". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  45. ^ "All in Love Is Fair" / "All in Love Is Fair" (Liner notes). Cleo Laine (Promotional ed.). RCA. 1974. JH-10068.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  46. ^ "Cleo Laine - At Her Finest (2001) album credits & releases | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  47. ^ If She Walked Into My Life (Liner notes). Billy Eckstine. Enterprise. 1974. ENS-7503.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  48. ^ Dionne Warwick - Live in Cabaret July 18th 1975 (released 2008) DVD credits & releases at AllMusic
  49. ^ This Is Brook Benton (Liner notes). Brook Benton. All Platinum. 1976. AP-3015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  50. ^ Cal Tjader / Carmen McRae - Heatwave (1982) album review by Scott Yanow, credits & releases at AllMusic
  51. ^ "Cal Tjader / Carmen McRae - Heatwave (1982) - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  52. ^ "The Barrio Boyzz - How We Roll Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  53. ^ Slide Hampton - Spirit of the Horn (2002) album review by Richard S. Ginell, credits & releases at AllMusic
  54. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Michael McDonald - Motown (2003) album review, credits & releases | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  55. ^ "McDonald Recharges with 'Motown' Set". Billboard. December 5, 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  56. ^ Michael McDonald - "All in Love Is Fair" (2003) on YouTube
  57. ^ Walters, John L. (13 May 2003). "Michael McDonald, Royal Albert Hall, London". The Guardian.

Works cited

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