The Message Is Love
The Message Is Love | ||||
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Studio album by Barry White | ||||
Released | March 1979[1] | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Genre | Disco, soul, R&B | |||
Length | 35:53 | |||
Label | Unlimited Gold | |||
Producer | Barry White | |||
Barry White chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Message Is Love | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Message Is Love is the self-produced tenth album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in March 1979.[1] It was White's first release on his own CBS-affiliated custom label, Unlimited Gold, following his departure from long-time label 20th Century-Fox Records, and advance interest was high. The album however proved a disappointment both critically and commercially. However, the album was still certified RIAA Gold. The Message Is Love stalled outside the R&B album top 10 (peaking at number 14)[5] and only reached number 67 on the Billboard 200.[6] The poor performance of the album set the pattern for White's career slump in the early 1980s, which saw him fail to place any other album on the Billboard Hot 100 during the decade.
Track listing
- Tracks written by Barry White and Paul Politi unless stated
- "It Ain't Love, Babe (Until You Give It)" – 4:22
- "Hung Up in Your Love" – 4:11
- "You're the One I Need" (Barry White, Smead Hudman) – 4:23
- "Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant for Me)" – 4:45
- "Love Ain't Easy" – 5:36
- "I'm on Fire" (Robert Jason) – 5:39
- "I Found Love" – 6:57
Charts
Album
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[7] | 67 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 14 |
Singles
Year | Single | |
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US R&B [2] | ||
1979 | "Any Fool Could See (You Were Meant for Me)" | 37 |
"It Ain't Love Babe (Until You Give It)" | 58 | |
1980 | "Love Ain't Easy" | 75 |
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c "The more he does it, the better he gets". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 12. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 24, 1979. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ a b c "Barry White Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "The Message Is Love Barry White". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 358.
- ^ "Barry White Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Barry White Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Barry White Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Barry White Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Barry White – The Message Is Love". Recording Industry Association of America.
- v
- t
- e
- I've Got So Much to Give (1973)
- Stone Gon' (1973)
- Can't Get Enough (1974)
- Just Another Way to Say I Love You (1975)
- Let the Music Play (1976)
- Is This Whatcha Wont? (1976)
- Barry White Sings for Someone You Love (1977)
- The Man (1978)
- The Message Is Love (1979)
- I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing (1979)
- Sheet Music (1980)
- Barry & Glodean (1981)
- Beware! (1981)
- Change (1982)
- Dedicated (1983)
- The Right Night & Barry White (1987)
- The Man Is Back! (1989)
- Put Me in Your Mix (1991)
- The Icon Is Love (1994)
- Staying Power (1999)
- Barry White's Greatest Hits (1975)
- The Collection (1988)
- All-Time Greatest Hits (1994)
- The Ultimate Collection (2000)
- White Gold: The Very Best of Barry White (2005)
- "In the Ghetto"
- "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"
- "I've Got So Much to Give"
- "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up"
- "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"
- "You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
- "What Am I Gonna Do with You"
- "You See the Trouble with Me"
- "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me"
- "Just the Way You Are"
- "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing"
- "Louie Louie"
- "Practice What You Preach"
- "The Longer We Make Love" (with Lisa Stansfield & Chaka Khan)
- "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" (with Quincy Jones, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, & El DeBarge)
- "Slow Jams" (with Quincy Jones, Babyface, Tamia, & Portrait)
- "In Your Wildest Dreams" (with Tina Turner)