Song of the Week – You’ve Been In Love Too Long, Bonnie Raitt, and Martha & the Vandellas

Ignored           Obscured            Restored

One of my favorite Bonnie Raitt cuts is the opener on her third album, 1973’s Takin’ My Time – “You’ve Been In Love Too Long.”

The album was produced by John Hall of Orleans, and Raitt was backed by an A-list of musician friends.  “You’ve Been in Love Too Long” features Hall (lead guitar), the late Paul Barrere (rhythm guitar) and Bill Payne (keys) of Little Feat, the great Jim Keltner (drums), and longtime collaborator Freebo (bass).  No wonder the song has such snap, crackle and pop!

“You’ve Been in Love Too Long” is a cover of a 1965 Motown release by Martha and the Vandellas.  The original cracked the Billboard 100 top forty at #36 but wasn’t a “success” by Motown standards – especially as the follow up to “Nowhere to Run” that reached #8 and stayed on the charts for 11 weeks.

I’m usually partial to originals over covers, but not in this case.  Compared to Raitt, Martha Reeves track feels sluggish.  That isn’t an adjective that’s often used to describe a Motown song.  So the credit here goes to Raitt and Co.

Enjoy… until next week.

2 thoughts on “Song of the Week – You’ve Been In Love Too Long, Bonnie Raitt, and Martha & the Vandellas

  1. I’ve been a Bonne Raitt fan from her beginnings. You’ve Been In Love Too Long has always been my favorite Bonnie tune. I’ve seen her live more times that I can count, but I’ve never heard her do this song live. I’m from Detroit and didn’t realize that it was Motown song, but after listening to the original, I agree that Bonnie’s rendition tops the original. She’s a national treasure.

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