Are You Ready for Love
| "Are You Ready for Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album The Thom Bell Sessions | ||||
| B-side | "Three Way Love Affair" | |||
| Released | 1979, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, disco | |||
| Label | Southern Fried, Universal Records, Ultra Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Thom Bell, LeRoy Bell, Casey James | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Are You Ready for Love" is a song recorded by Elton John in 1977, and was first released in the UK in 1979 on 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). Whilst 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).
In 2003, it was remixed by Ashley Beedle and released as a 12" vinyl single on 25 August 2003.[1] It gave John another No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart on its first week of its 2003 re-release,[2] following its feature in a television advertisement for Sky Sports promoting the new Premier League season of that year. It scored John his fifth UK No.1.[3]
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 Elton recording his vocals.
Various hit R&B vocalists of the late 1970s, including Bell & James, MFSB and The Spinners with lead singer John Edwards, contribute 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 #25 on the US Billboard R&B chart.
The music video, produced in a 1970s retro style, was directed by Kate Dawkins.
Contents
Track listing (2003 remix)
UK CD single
- 1979 radio edit
- Full length 1979 version
- "Three Way Love Affair"
- Music video
Covers
This song was covered by Nancy Wallace in the 2006 compilation double album "The Big Chill".
It was also covered by The Kooks along with the Buena Vista Social Club in 2007 on the album Rhythms del Mundo Classics.
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 in the UK Singles Chart.
A different song with the same title was released by French-Canadian singer/actress Patsy Gallant, coincidentally in 1977, and was a Top 20 hit in Canada.
In popular culture
"Are You Ready for Love" was featured on the PAL version of Donkey Konga 2.
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
See also
References
External links
| Preceded by | UK Singles Chart number-one single 31 August 2003 - 6 September 2003 |
Succeeded by "Where Is the Love?" by The Black Eyed Peas |
