1978 · Behind the Songs
A tale of two charts — and the B-side that became someone else’s hit.
It led off The Man, Barry White’s eighth self-produced studio album, released October 1978 on 20th Century-Fox Records after sessions in June–August of that year. White wrote the song himself; the album cut runs a luxurious 8:04. The single arrived in September 1978.
The charts told two stories. It climbed to No. 2 on the R&B chart — nearly the top — but stalled at No. 60 on the pop Hot 100, and reached No. 16 on the Dance chart. The Man itself was White’s sixth R&B chart-topper, reached No. 36 on pop, and went Platinum.
The B-side had its own destiny: “It’s Only Love Doing Its Thing” was later shortened to “It’s Only Love” and became a 1989 hit for Simply Red. The Man also carried a seven-minute cover of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” (No. 45 R&B, No. 12 UK).
Heard now, the track is the sound of an artist in complete command of his formula, even as pop radio looked the other way. Soul’s maestro kept the groove; the charts could catch up or not.