♫ You Can’t Hurry Love ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

Another stressful night here in da ‘hood — a drunken party on the patio of the next-door neighbors, two calls to the police after what sounded like someone being murdered, and then … a gunshot … definitely NOT a firework.  Nobody dead or injured, at least as far as I know, but my stress level is … HIGH!  I need me some Motown to calm the jangled nerves.

This was written by the prolific songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland (those guys were so prolific they must have written songs in their sleep at night!)  Eddie Holland came up with the title to Brian Holland’s melody for this song.  According to Lamont Dozier …

“We were trying to reconstruct ‘Come See About Me’ and somehow it turned into ‘You Can’t Hurry Love.’ It was basically a gospel feel we were after.”

This was the first of a second string of consecutive #1 American hits for the Supremes. At the end of 1964 and into 1965, they charted five consecutive #1s. In 1966, starting with You Can’t Hurry Love, they charted four more.

Now, what I did not know is that Phil Collins also recorded this in late 1982.  As much as I adore Phil Collins — he is one of my all-time top ten — he can’t hold a candle to The Supremes on this one.  In fact, his version is almost comical in some way that I cannot quite put a finger on.  Nonetheless, I found myself watching it twice thrice because … well, it’s Phil Collins and I could watch him all day long.  He’s swoon-worthy, even at my age!  And so, I will include it here, because … well, it’s Phil Collins!  💖

The best sound quality was actually on a different video, but it wasn’t ‘in person’, and with the Supremes, you just want to watch them, feel the energy they bring to their music.  So, I listened to no less than 10 different versions and settled on this one.  Hope you like it!

You Can’t Hurry Love
The Supremes/Phil Collins

I need love, love to ease my mind
I need to find, find someone to call mine
But mama said you can’t hurry love
No you just have to wait
She said love don’t come easy
It’s a game of give and take
You can’t hurry love
No, you just have to wait
You gotta trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes
But how many heartaches must I stand
Before I find a love to let me live again
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on
When I feel my strength, yeah, it’s almost gone
I remember mama said

You can’t hurry love
No you just have to wait
She said love don’t come easy
It’s a game of give and take
How long must I wait how much more can I take
Before loneliness will ’cause my heart, heart to break?
No, I can’t bear to live my life alone
I grow impatient for a love to call my own
But when I feel that I, I can’t go on
These precious words keeps me hanging on
I remember mama said

Can’t hurry love
No you just have to wait
She said love don’t come easy
It’s a game of give and take

You can’t hurry love
No you just have to wait
She said trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes

No love, love don’t come easy
But I keep on waiting, anticipating for that
Soft voice to talk to me at night
For some tender arms to hold me tight
I keep waiting; I keep on waiting
But it ain’t easy, it ain’t easy when mama said

You can’t hurry love no
You just have to wait
She said trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes

You can’t hurry love
No, you just have to wait
She said love don’t come easy
It’s a game of give and take
You can’t hurry love
No, you can’t

Songwriters: Brian Holland / Lamont Dozier / Edward Jr. Holland
You Can’t Hurry Love lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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46 thoughts on “♫ You Can’t Hurry Love ♫ (Redux)”

  1. Jill, what has always amazed me is these three terrific songwriters who write such tender words do not look like what they do. If they came on the old TV show “What’s my line?” the fact they are one of the most prolific songwriting groups ever would likely go un-guessed. They are big guys, but also have big hearts and clever writing skills. Keith

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Was there ever a bad Holland-Dozier-Holland song? Did the Supremes ever make a hash of one?
    I would find both concepts difficult to accept. One of the magic parts of the 1960s.
    Never did like the Phil Collins version, it came out at a tough time for us; the video just looked like a big self-indulgent cash grab, and he couldn’t carry the song.
    Sorry to hear your neighbour is attracting a/holes Jill. Take care.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. fOR Heaven’s sake …Move. Thgere must be a location where people sleep at night without the need to serenade themselves with the sound of Guns. Phil Collins loved Motown so I think all his copies were just tributes to the originals and I enjoy them as such. Hugs

    Liked by 2 people

    • Easier said than done, sweetie. But yes, we are definitely going to start looking for a better place. I love the diversity of this neighborhood … we have people from the Middle East, from Mexico, and about 50% Blacks … and until recently it was a decent neighborhood. Sure, a shooting every now and then, but … the last 5-6 years it has gone way downhill. I blame the management, but that’s not likely to change, so maybe it’s time to start thinking about a move. Phil didn’t do it badly … the Supremes just did it better! But I do love Phil Collins, too! Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I got to know the song by the Supremes only after I knew the version of Phil Collins. I love both. The one of the Supremes is just so “original” and so cute. However, I still love the one by Phil Collins a lot to since I knew it before and is part of my early teenager memories.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. They stole part of a line for this song from one of their earlier hits:

    Personally I prefer the Vanilla Fudge version, but since you had such a bad couple of nights I will spare you the psychedelic version.

    Liked by 3 people

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