"You Can't Hurry Love" is a 1966 song originally recorded by The Supremes on the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song topped the United States Billboard pop singles chart, made the UK top five, and made the top 10 in the Australian Singles Chart. It was released and peaked in late summer and early autumn in 1966. Sixteen years later, it would become a number-one hit in the UK when Phil Collins re-recorded the song. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks beginning in January 1983 and reached number 10 on the US Singles Chart that same month. Billboard named the song number 19 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
History
Overview
The song, a memory of a mother's words of encouragement telling her daughter that with patience she will find that special someone one day, is an example of the strong influence of gospel music present in much of R&B and soul music. "You Can't Hurry Love" was inspired by and partially based upon " He's Right on Time", a 1950s gospel song written by Dorothy Love Coates of The Original Gospel Harmonettes. The recorded version of "You Can't Hurry Love" showcases the developing sound of The Supremes, who were progressing from their earlier teen-pop into more mature themes and musical arrangements. This song and "You Keep Me Hangin' On" were finished together; when it came time to choose which single would be issued first, Motown's Quality Control department chose "You Can't Hurry Love." Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, "You Can't Hurry Love" is one of the signature Supremes songs, and also one of Motown's signature releases. The single became The Supremes' seventh number-one hit, topping the BillboardHot 100 singles chart for two weeks, from September 4, 1966 to September 17, 1966, and reaching number one on the soul chart for two weeks. The group performed the song on the CBSvariety programThe Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, September 25, 1966. "You Can't Hurry Love" was the second single from the Supremes' album The Supremes A' Go-Go. It reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in the United States, and number three in the United Kingdom. The Supremes' version of the song is honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent collection of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Supremes also released a version sung in Italian: "L'amore verrà".
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Phil Collins version
The most notable cover of the song was released in late 1982 as a single by Phil Collins from his second solo album, Hello, I Must Be Going! Collins's version reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number 10 in the United States. The single was certified gold in the UK.. The orchestral strings on this track was recorded in Studio 1 at CBS Recording Studios, London W1 by Recording Engineer Mike Ross-Trevor on the evening of Thursday 24 June 1982. Although Collins had previously done covers as album tracks, "You Can't Hurry Love" was the first cover he released as a single. Collins explained: Collins's version was the first track on the very first Now That's What I Call Music compilation CD. In the first verse, he changes "And I need to find, find / Someone to call mine" to "And I need to find time / Someone to call mine." On the second repeat of the chorus, he replaces the line "How much more can I take?" with "How much more must I take?", and likewise exchanges the words, "...trust, give it time..." to "...trust in a good time...". In 1983, the music video was released on the home videoPhil Collins available on Video Home System and LaserDisc which received a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form. The video itself was also the first track featured on the first VHS compilation of Now: That's What I Call Music.
