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If I Were Your Woman (Gladys Knight & the Pips album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If I Were Your Woman
Studio album by
Released1971
RecordedMarch 1970
StudioHitsville U.S.A., Detroit
GenreR&B
Length39:11
LabelSoul
Gladys Knight & the Pips chronology
Greatest Hits
(1970)
If I Were Your Woman
(1971)
Standing Ovation
(1971)
Singles from If I Were Your Woman
  1. "If I Were Your Woman"
    Released: November 1970
  2. "I Don't Want to Do Wrong"
    Released: May 6, 1971

If I Were Your Woman is the seventh studio album by American R&B quartet Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in 1971 on Soul Records.

History

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The song "If I Were Your Woman" was written by Gloria Jones and Pam Sawyer, who met during a barbecue lunch and gave the song to Clay McMurray. McMurray, a former associate of Norman Whitfield, the song was originally meant for Blinky to record, or the Supremes, but both did not record it, as Blinky was unavailable, and the Supremes were working with Frank Wilson at the time. Whitfield convinced McMurray to give the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, and McMurray convinced Berry Gordy to release it as a single.[1] Another single, "I Don't Want to Do Wrong", was written by three members and co-written by former Marvelette Katherine Anderson and Johnny Bristol.[2] It was also produced by Bristol. Both singles from the album became a hit. The first single, "If I Were Your Woman", peaked at No. 9 on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts at No. 1.[3] The second single, "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" peaked at No. 17 on the pop charts,[3][4] and on No. 2 on the R&B charts in July 1971.[5][6][7][8]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]

Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic stated "If I Were Your Woman" and "I Don't Want to Do Wrong," provided the juice to send this LP all the way to #35 on Billboard's album chart. The former has evolved into an R&B classic, with remakes too numerous to mention, the most famous by Stephanie Mills."[9]

Track listing

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Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Here I Am Again"McMurray, Foster3:20
2."How Can You Say That Ain't Love"Hinton, Sawyer2:28
3."Is There a Place (In His Heart For Me)"McMurray, Coleman3:25
4."Everybody Is a Star"Stewart3:30
5."Signed Gladys"McMurray, Sawyer2:59
6."Your Love's Been Good For Me"Bradford*, Hinton*3:25

Charts

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Chart (1971) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 (Billboard)[11] 35
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 4

Singles

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Year Song Title US Pop Charts[3][13] US R&B Charts[3][13] Canada
CHUM/RPM[14]
1970 "If I Were Your Woman" 9 1 23
1971 "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" 17 2 30

References

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  1. ^ Betts, Graham (2014-06-02). Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN 978-1-311-44154-6. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  2. ^ Ryan, Jack (2012). Recollections, the Detroit Years: The Motown Sound by the People who Made it. Glendower Media. ISBN 978-0-914303-04-6. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  3. ^ a b c d "Gladys Knight And The Pips". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010-10-05). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-0-8230-8554-5. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  5. ^ "Soul Brothers Top 20". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1971-08-05. p. 65. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Soul Brothers Top 20". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1971-07-29. p. 65. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Best Selling Soul Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 24, 1971. p. 34. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Best Selling Soul Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1971-07-03. p. 46. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b "If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight & the Pips | Album | A". Archived from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2024-03-13 – via www.allmusic.com.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 2003.
  11. ^ "Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Top R&B/Hip–Hop Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Gladys Knight & the Pips Songs". MusicVF. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  14. ^ "CAN Charts > Gladys Knight & the Pips". RPM. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2012-01-23.[failed verification]
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