(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Luther Ingram, whose original recording[1] topped the R&B chart for four weeks and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song for 1972.[3]

For the TV series, see If Loving You Is Wrong.

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
Single by Luther Ingram
from the album If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right
B-side"Puttin' Game Down"
ReleasedApril 1972
GenreSoul
Length3:32
LabelKoKo
Songwriter(s)Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, Raymond Jackson
Producer(s)John Baylor
Luther Ingram singles chronology
"You Were Made For Me"
(1972)		 "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
(1972)		 "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time of Storm)"
(1972)
"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
Song by Millie Jackson
from the album Caught Up
B-side"The Rap"
ReleasedDecember 1974
Recorded1974
GenreSoul
Length3:27 (single version)
3:56 (album version)
LabelSpring
Composer(s)Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, Raymond Jackson
Producer(s)Brad Shapiro
"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
Single by Barbara Mandrell
from the album Moods
B-side"I Feel the Hurt Coming On"
ReleasedFebruary 17, 1979
Recordedc. 1978
GenreCountry
Length3:05
LabelABC
Songwriter(s)Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, Raymond Jackson
Producer(s)Tom Collins
Barbara Mandrell singles chronology
"Sleeping Single in a Double Bed"
(1978)		 "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
(1979)		 "Fooled by a Feeling"
(1979)

In 1972–73, The Faces recorded the song as an outtake for Ooh La La (1973), their final studio album. In 1974, Millie Jackson released her version of the song which received two Grammy Award nominations.[4][5] In 1978, Barbara Mandrell's version topped the U.S. country chart, reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 (number 27 Cashbox), and was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1979 CMA (Country Music Association) Awards. Rod Stewart recorded the song for Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977), his eighth album; as a single it peaked at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart in 1980.

Content

The song is about an adulterous love affair, told from the point of view of either the mistress or the cheating spouse, depending on the gender of the performer. Regardless, both parties involved express their desire to maintain the affair, while at the same time acknowledging that the relationship is wrong according to conventional moral standards.

Millie Jackson, however, took a somewhat different approach. On both studio and live recordings, her version is typically divided into three parts: "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", "The Rap", and "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right (Reprise)", which together have a running time of over 11 minutes.[6] The first and third parts include the song more or less as originally written, while the second part was written by Jackson herself. Titled "The Rap", the middle segment is a monologue in which an unrepentant Jackson discusses her status as the "other woman" and why she loves it.[7]

Notable performers

It was first recorded by The Emotions but their version has never been released and by Veda Brown, whose version was finally released in 2008.[8] Other notable singers to cover it include: country singer Jackie Burns (whose version made Hot Country Songs in 1972),[9] Isaac Hayes, Millie Jackson, Rod Stewart, Percy Sledge, Bobby "Blue" Bland, David Ruffin, Barbara Mason, LeAnn Rimes, Renée Geyer, Ramsey Lewis, jazz chanteuse Della Reese, reggae singers Alton Ellis, George Faith and Glen Washington, Tom Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Nathan Cavaleri, Rania Zeriri, Barbara Mandrell and Johanne Desforges (French cover : Si je ne peux t'aimer a quoi bon exister).

In 2020, electronic musician Nicolas Jaar (under his moniker Against All Logic) released his own version called "If Loving You Is Wrong" from his second album 2017-2019, which heavily samples Ingram's version, notably the chorus.

Luther Ingram
Chart (1972) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 3
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 1

Jackie Burns
Chart (1972) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot Country Singles[9] 71

Millie Jackson
Chart (1975) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 42
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] 42

Barbara Mandrell
Chart (1979) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 31
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[16] 6

Rhonda Clark
Chart (1992) Peak
Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] 26

References
  1. "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)", SecondhandSongs.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 274.
  3. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
  4. "Millie Jackson". MTV Artists. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  5. Patrick Mondout. "Grammy Awards for 1974". Super70s.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  6. "MILLIE JACKSON: Caught Up / Still Caught Up". Amazon Music. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  7. "Catching Up with Soul Icon Millie Jackson". National Public Radio. May 19, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  8. The Stax Solo Recordings: Judy Clay & Veda Brown, Kent label Cd, Ace Records, London, (2008).
  9. Joel Whitburn, Top Country Singles 1944-1993, p.488
  10. "Luther Ingram Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. "Luther Ingram Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  12. "Millie Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "Millie Jackson Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  14. "Barbara Mandrell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "Barbara Mandrell Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  16. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 148.
  17. "Rhonda Clark Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
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