You Can't Hurry Love

For other uses, see You Can't Hurry Love (disambiguation).

"You Can't Hurry Love"
Single by The Supremes
from the album The Supremes A' Go-Go
B-side	"Put Yourself in My Place"
Released	July 25, 1966
Format	Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded	Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); June 11 and July 5, 1966
Genre	Pop, soul, R&B
Length	2:47
Label	Motown M 1097
Writer(s)	Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer	Brian Holland Lamont Dozier
The Supremes singles chronology
"Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" (1966) "You Can't Hurry Love" (1966) "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (1966)
Music sample "You Can't Hurry Love"

"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, in the UK in the top 5, and in the Australian Singles Chart in the top 10, released and peaking late summer/early autumn in 1966. Sixteen years later, it would again become a number-one hit when Phil Collins rerecorded the song. It reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks beginning in January 1983.

History

Overview

The song itself, a memory of a mother's words of encouragement ("My mama said 'you can't hurry love/No you just have to wait'") 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" also 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 Billboard Hot 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 CBS variety program The 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 #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in the United States, and #3 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 their own Italian cover of the song: L'amore verrà (Love will come).

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Diana Ross
• Background vocals by Mary Wilson and Marlene Barrow
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Charts

Chart (1966)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart	1
U.S. Billboard R&B Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart	3

Preceded by "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (The Supremes version) September 10, 1966 (two weeks)	Succeeded by "Cherish" by The Association
Preceded by "Blowin' in the Wind" by Stevie Wonder	Billboard Hot R&B Singles number-one single (The Supremes version) September 3, 1966 – September 10, 1966 (two weeks)	Succeeded by "Land of 1000 Dances" by Wilson Pickett

Phil Collins version

"You Can't Hurry Love"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album Hello, I Must Be Going!
B-side	"I Cannot Believe It's True" (International) / "Do You Know, Do You Care?" (North America)
Released	27 November 1982
Format	7" single / 12"
Recorded	1982
Genre	Pop Rock, blue-eyed soul, New Wave
Length	2:56
Label	Virgin Records (UK) Atlantic Records (International)
Producer	Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham
Phil Collins singles chronology
"Thru These Walls" (1982) "You Can't Hurry Love" (1982) "I Don't Care Anymore" (1983)

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' version reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart (becoming his first number-one solo hit in the UK and peaking two positions higher than the original song did in that country), and reached number 10 in the United States. Although Collins had previously done covers as album tracks (of Genesis' "Behind the Lines" and The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" on Face Value), "You Can't Hurry Love" was the first cover he released as a single. Collins' version was the first track on the very first Now That's What I Call Music CD. On the second repeat of the chorus, he replaces the line "How much more can I take?" with "How much more must I take?".

Personnel

• Phil Collins - drums, vocals, tambourine
• Daryl Stuermer - guitars
• John Giblin - bass
• Peter Robinson - piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone
• Strings arranged by Martyn Ford

Charts

Chart (1982/1983)	Peak position
Dutch Singles Chart	1
German Singles Chart	3
UK Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	10
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	9
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	24

Preceded by "Save Your Love" by Renée and Renato

UK number one single (Phil Collins version) January 9, 1983 - January 16, 1983

Succeeded by "Down Under" by Men at Work

Other cover versions

Other notable recordings of "You Can't Hurry Love" include versions by Stray Cats, who released their cover as the flipside of their "Rock This Town" single and the Dixie Chicks (on the soundtrack of the film Runaway Bride). In 1967 has been recorded an Italian language version, entitled L'amore verrà (Love will come). Five years later (1972) it was recorded in French by Claude François, entitled "Une Fille et des Fleurs" ("A girl and flowers").

The song's hook has been sampled in Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life", Hall & Oates' "Maneater", The Strokes' "Last Nite", The Jam's "Town Called Malice", Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", S Club's "Reach", and Hanson's "Lost Without Each Other".

In an episode of Sister, Sister, Tia, Tamera and their friends dress up like the Supremes, and sing the song at their favorite hang out.

See also

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1966 (U.S.)