Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)
| "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Frank Wilson | |
| B-side | "Sweeter As the Days Go By" |
| Released | 1965 |
| Genre | Soul, northern soul |
| Length | 2:31 |
| Label | Motown |
| Songwriter(s) | Frank Wilson |
| Producer(s) | Hal Davis and Marc Gordon |
"Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" is a song and single by American soul singer Frank Wilson first pressed in 1965 on the Motown subsidiary label Soul.[1] It is Wilson's only Motown single and is a prized item among collectors.[2]
Record history
Approximately 250 demo 45s of the song were pressed in 1965 and scheduled for release on 23 December 1965. Owing to a combination of Wilson deciding that he would rather focus on producing and Motown's Berry Gordy's lukewarm reception of the vocals and wish to prevent his producers from having a successful recording career, the demos were destroyed.[3] At least two, and maybe as many as five,[3] copies survived, one of which fetched £25,742 in April 2009.[4] One is rumoured to be owned by Berry Gordy.[3] Due to its scarcity it remains one of the most collectable discs especially by followers of Northern soul.[5][6] Owing to the demand caused by it being played at the famous English Northern soul nightclub, Wigan Casino, it was first officially released in the UK in 1979 on the Tamla-Motown label,[3][7] and again in 2004 with a version of the same song by Chris Clark on the B-side.
On CD, the mono Frank Wilson version was issued on The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 5: 1965 (Hip-O Select), while the stereo version appears on the British compilation This Is Northern Soul: The Motown Sound Volume 1 (Motown). The Chris Clark version (in an alternate mono mix) was issued on the British "A Cellarful of Motown!", the first volume of four double discs documenting unreleased Motown songs.[8]
Cover versions
- Bruce Springsteen, on his 2022 studio album Only the Strong Survive. It was also released as a single.[9]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Popular culture
- The song has featured in an commercials for KFC,[6] and The Happy Egg Company.[11]
References
- ^ "Frank Wilson– Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) / Sweeter As The Days Go By". Discogs.com. 1965. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "Frank Wilson". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c d Nowell, David (1999). Too Darn Soulful. London: Robson Books Ltd. pp. 249–250. ISBN 1-86105-270-7.
- ^ "Record price for rare Motown disc". BBC. May 1, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ "40 most collectable records". Djhistory.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ a b Stanley, Bob (August 31, 2011). "Britain's got talcum: Northern Soul, the film". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ "Frank Wilson– Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)". Discogs.com. 9 November 1979. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "Frank Wilson / Chris Clark (2)– Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)". Discogs.com. 6 September 2004. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (September 29, 2022). "Bruce Springsteen to Release 'Only the Strong Survive,' New Album of Classic Soul Covers". MSN. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – Frank Wilson – Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "The Happy Egg Co – Where happy hens lay tasty eggs – TV Advert Songs". Tvadsongs.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
External links
Bruce Springsteen cover reignites row over lost northern soul classic, Guardian, 9 April 2023.
