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{{multiple issues|
{{unsourced|date=October 2011}}
{{refimprove|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox song <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
{{unreliable sources|date=February 2023}}
⚫
| Name = Still Water (Love)
⚫
| Cover = Still Water (Love).jpg
⚫
| Border =
⚫
| Caption =
⚫
| Type = Single
⚫
| Artist = [[The Four Tops]]
⚫
| alt Artist =
⚫
| Album = ''[[Still Waters Run Deep (Four Tops album)|Still Waters Run Deep]]''
⚫
| Published =
⚫
| Released = 1970
| track_no =
| Recorded =
⚫
| Genre = [[Soul music|Soul]]/[[Pop music|pop]]
| Language =
⚫
| Length = 3:13
⚫
| Writer = [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]]
| Producer = [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]]
⚫
| Label = [[Motown Records]]
}}
}}
{{Infobox song
⚫
| name = Still Water (Love)
⚫
| cover = Still Water (Love).jpg
⚫
| alt =
⚫
| type = Single
⚫
| artist = [[The Four Tops]]
⚫
| album = [[Still Waters Run Deep (Four Tops album)|Still Waters Run Deep]]
| B-side = Still Water (Peace)
| released = 6 August 1970<ref>{{Cite web | title=45cat - Four Tops - Still Water (Love) / Still Water (Peace) - Motown - USA - M-1170 | url=https://www.45cat.com/record/m1170 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401085126/http://www.45cat.com/record/m1170 | access-date=2024-12-15 | archive-date=2016-04-01}}</ref>
⚫
| format =
| recorded =
⚫
| studio =
⚫
| venue =
⚫
| genre = [[Soul music|Soul]], [[Pop music|pop]]
⚫
| length = 3:13
⚫
| label = [[Motown Records|Motown]]
| writer = [[Smokey Robinson]], [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]]<ref>{{cite web|title=secondhandsongs.com|url=https://www.secondhandsongs.com/work/136897|website=secondhandsongs.com|accessdate=February 19, 2021}}</ref>{{unreliable source|date=March 2021}}
⚫
| producer = [[Smokey Robinson]], [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]]
| prev_title = [[It's All in the Game (song)|It's All in the Game]]
⚫
| prev_year = 1970
| next_title = [[River Deep – Mountain High]]
| next_year = 1970
}}

'''"Still Water (Love)"''' is a 1970 hit single written by [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]] (who also produced the track) for the [[Motown Records|Motown singing group]] [[Four Tops]]. The B-side was "Still Water (Peace)"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Four-Tops-Still-Water/release/6315887|title = Four Tops – Still Water (1970, Vinyl)|website = [[Discogs]]}}</ref> and both songs appear on the 1970 album ''[[Still Waters Run Deep (album)|Still Waters Run Deep]]''.

==Background==
{{Original research|section|date=February 2023}}
The socially conscious single was a departure from the group's past recordings and produced a smoother sound than the raucous [[Norman Whitfield]] productions that belayed on [[The Temptations]]. The single features [[The Miracles|Miracles]] member [[Marv Tarplin]] on guitar and [[The Andantes]] adding in additional background vocals shouting out "Still water!". Singers Brenda Joyce Evans and Billie Rae Calvin, brought to Motown by [[Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers|Bobby Taylor]] (and soon to be part of Norman Whitfield's group [[The Undisputed Truth]]), also add backing vocals. This song was noted for its repeated chord structure, beginning with E-Flat Major, shifting to C Minor, then to B-Flat Major over F, before starting again at E-Flat Major, over and over again, without any changes or alterations to the song's fade.{{cn|date=February 2023}}


==Chart performance==
'''"Still Water (Love)"''' is a 1970 hit single written by [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]], who also produced the track for [[Motown Records|Motown singing group]] [[The Four Tops]], who took the song to the top ten of the UK pop charts and the top twenty of the US pop chart. The socially conscious single was a departure from the group's past recordings and produced a smoother sound than the raucous [[Norman Whitfield]] productions that belayed on [[The Temptations]]. The single features [[The Miracles|Miracles]] member [[Marv Tarplin]] on guitar and [[The Andantes]] adding in additional background vocals shouting out ''Still water!'' The single became The Tops' first top ten R&B single since 1967's "[[Bernadette (Four Tops song)|Bernadette]]".
"Still Water (Love)" went to #4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart,<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=212}}</ref> and to #11 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop Chart]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Bvm2rnwUDIC&q=shake+me+wake+me+18+billboard&pg=PA250 | title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information | publisher=Billboard Books | author=Whitburn, Joel | year=2010 | isbn=9780307985125}}</ref> Outside the US, the song peaked at #10 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{cite web|title=officialcharts.com|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11856/four-tops/|website=officialcharts.com|accessdate=February 19, 2021}}</ref>


==Personnel==
==Cover versions==
{{cleanup|section|reason=version may not meet [[WP:SONGCOVER]]|date=March 2021}}
*Lead vocal by [[Levi Stubbs]]
*1979: [[Terry Callier]], ''[[Turn to Love]]''.
*Background vocals by [[Abdul "Duke" Fakir]], [[Lawrence Payton]] and [[Renaldo "Obie" Benson]]
*In 1982, [[O'Bryan]] covered the song for his album, ''[[Doin' Alright]]''.
*Additional background vocals by [[The Andantes]]: Louvain Demps, Marlene Barrow, and Jackie Hicks
*Produced by [[Frank Wilson (musician)|Frank Wilson]]
*Instrumentation by [[The Funk Brothers]]:
**[[Uriel Jones]]: drums
**[[James Jamerson]]: bass
**[[Robert White (guitarist)|Robert White]]: guitar
**[[Eddie "Chank" Willis]]: guitar
**[[Joe Messina]]: guitar
**[[Marv Tarplin]] (of [[The Miracles]]): guitar
**[[Jack Ashford]]: vibes
**[[Earl Van Dyke]]: keyboards


==External links==
==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{MetroLyrics song|the-four-tops|still-water-love}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->


{{Four Tops}}
{{Four Tops}}
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[[Category:Songs written by Smokey Robinson]]
[[Category:Songs written by Smokey Robinson]]
[[Category:Four Tops songs]]
[[Category:Four Tops songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Frank Wilson]]
[[Category:Songs written by Frank Wilson (musician)]]
[[Category:Motown singles]]
[[Category:Motown singles]]
[[Category:1970 songs]]
[[Category:1970 songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Frank Wilson (musician)]]

Latest revision as of 21:50, 15 December 2024

"Still Water (Love)"
Single by The Four Tops
from the album Still Waters Run Deep
B-side"Still Water (Peace)"
Released6 August 1970[1]
GenreSoul, pop
Length3:13
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Smokey Robinson, Frank Wilson[2][unreliable source?]
Producer(s)Smokey Robinson, Frank Wilson
The Four Tops singles chronology
"It's All in the Game"
(1970) 		"Still Water (Love)"
(1970) 		"River Deep – Mountain High"
(1970)

"Still Water (Love)" is a 1970 hit single written by Smokey Robinson and Frank Wilson (who also produced the track) for the Motown singing group Four Tops. The B-side was "Still Water (Peace)"[3] and both songs appear on the 1970 album Still Waters Run Deep.

Background

[edit]

The socially conscious single was a departure from the group's past recordings and produced a smoother sound than the raucous Norman Whitfield productions that belayed on The Temptations. The single features Miracles member Marv Tarplin on guitar and The Andantes adding in additional background vocals shouting out "Still water!". Singers Brenda Joyce Evans and Billie Rae Calvin, brought to Motown by Bobby Taylor (and soon to be part of Norman Whitfield's group The Undisputed Truth), also add backing vocals. This song was noted for its repeated chord structure, beginning with E-Flat Major, shifting to C Minor, then to B-Flat Major over F, before starting again at E-Flat Major, over and over again, without any changes or alterations to the song's fade.[citation needed]

Chart performance

[edit]

"Still Water (Love)" went to #4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart,[4] and to #11 in the US Pop Chart.[5] Outside the US, the song peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

Cover versions

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "45cat - Four Tops - Still Water (Love) / Still Water (Peace) - Motown - USA - M-1170". Archived from the original on 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  2. ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Four Tops – Still Water (1970, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 212.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information. Billboard Books. ISBN 9780307985125.
  6. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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