"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including the Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, the Temptations, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Brenda and the Tabulations, Terence Trent D'arby, John Farnham, Human Nature, En Vogue, Michael Bublé, Giorgia Todrani, and Jessica Mauboy. Shaheen Jafargholi performed the song at Michael Jackson's public memorial service in July 2009.
| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Miracles recording as side B of the US single | ||||
| Single by the Miracles | ||||
| from the album Hi, We're the Miracles | ||||
| A-side | "Shop Around" | |||
| Released | September 27, 1960 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:06 | |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Songwriter | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| The Miracles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Who's Lovin' You" by the Miracles on YouTube | ||||
The Miracles original version
editThe song was written by Smokey Robinson for his group the Miracles, who recorded the song in 1960 for their first Motown album, Hi... We're the Miracles.[1] The song is a lamentation about an ex-lover, reminiscing on how their relationship went sour and wondering who's loving them now. A showcase for vocal runs, "Who's Lovin' You" was issued as a b-side to their first Motown hit, "Shop Around" (the label's first million-selling hit single),[2] and remained one of their most popular songs (becoming a strong regional hit in many areas of the country).
During the 1960s, many Motown acts, including the Supremes, the Temptations, and Brenda Holloway, recorded a remake of the song.
Personnel
edit- Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson and Claudette Rogers Robinson (on fade).
- Background vocals by Claudette Rogers Robinson, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers.
- Guitar by Marv Tarplin
- Other Instrumentation performed by the Funk Brothers
Brenda & the Tabulations version
edit| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of the Brenda & the Tabulations recording | ||||
| Single by Brenda and the Tabulations | ||||
| from the album Dry Your Eyes | ||||
| A-side | "Stay Together Young Lovers" | |||
| Released | 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Dionn D 501 | |||
| Songwriter | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producer | Bob Finiz | |||
| Brenda and the Tabulations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Though today this version is relatively obscure compared to others like those of the Miracles and the Jackson 5, it is to date the only one to place on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in 1967 on Dionn 501, Brenda & the Tabulations took this song to position #66. It was also a #19 hit on Billboard's R&B chart.[3] The gender of the lyrics was amended to fit the female vocalist.
Chart history
edit| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart | 66 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Selling R&B Singles | 19 |
Personnel
edit- Lead vocals by Brenda Payton
- Background vocals by Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones
Jackson 5 version
edit| "Who's Lovin' You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 CD variant of standard artwork; US CD edition was promo-only | ||||
| Single by the Jackson 5 | ||||
| from the album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | ||||
| A-side | "I Want You Back" | |||
| Released | October 7, 1969 | |||
| Recorded | July 29 and August 7, 1969 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville USA (Studio A) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Motown M1157 | |||
| Songwriter | William "Smokey" Robinson | |||
| Producer | Bobby Taylor | |||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Performance video | ||||
| "Who's Lovin' You" by the Jackson 5 at The Ed Sullivan Show (December 14, 1969) on YouTube | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Who's Lovin' You" by the Jackson 5 on YouTube | ||||
The most famous cover of "Who's Lovin' You", and the one most future covers were based upon, was recorded on August 7, 1969 by the Jackson 5. Michael Jackson was the lead singer on this recording, with his brothers Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie on background vocals; Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers served as producer. The Jackson 5 version of "Who's Lovin' You" was one of a number of early recordings the group made at the Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit, Michigan, with the Funk Brothers on instrumentation - including Earl Van Dyke on keyboards, Robert White, Eddie Willis and Joe Messina on guitar, James Jamerson on bass, Uriel Jones on drums and Jack Ashford on percussion - arranged by David Van De Pitte.[4] Just after recording this song, Berry Gordy moved the entire Jackson family to Los Angeles, California to record the hit pop songs he would co-write for the group with the Corporation.
The song was issued as the b-side to the Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back", which went to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts. A shortened version was included on the first Jackson 5 LP, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. The original single version was twenty seconds longer, with fewer backing vocals and sparser instrumentation than the album version. The mono single mix was released on Michael Jackson's Love Songs compilation release in 2002.
Personnel
edit- Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
- Background vocals by Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson
- Bass by James Jamerson[5]
- Other Instrumentation performed by the Funk Brothers
Chart performance
editOn May 2, 2009, the song debuted at No. 54 in UK Official Singles Chart, and peaked at No.36 in July 2009.[6]
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[7] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver | 250,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Eder, Bruce. Hi... We're The Miracles at AllMusic
- ↑ The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 1: 1959–1961 [CD liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 77.
- ↑ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, Francois (2018). Michael Jackson All The Songs. London: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
- ↑ Jamerson, James (1989). Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson. Winona: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-88188-882-9.
- ↑ "Jackson 5 UK Singles Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – The Jackson Five – Who's Lovin' You?". Radioscope. Retrieved June 19, 2026. Type Who's Lovin' You? in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Jackson 5 – Who's Lovin' You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 10, 2020. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Who's Lovin' You Jackson 5 in the "Search:" field.