The Love I Lost

Album: Greatest Hits (1973)
Charted: 21 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was originally a slow, painful ballad. It was sped up as an experiment, and a major hit ensued. Co-writer Kenny Gamble recalled to Mojo magazine March 2012: "It was a ballad when we wrote it. We got in the studio and said, This is dragging, it's too slow. We told Karl (Chambers, drummer) to put that 'tsh-up, tsh-up,' that sock cymbal in there and that was the beginning of that whole Philly disco sound."
  • Karl Chambers was used solely on the sock cymbal. Philadelphia-based drummer Earl Young played the full kit. He is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps, who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno."
  • American R&B/pop singer Sybil had a #3 hit in the UK with her 1993 cover of this song. It was billed as West End featuring Sybil.

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 26, 1974, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes performed "The Love I Lost" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program, 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time the song was at position #75 on Billboard's Top 100, and that was also it's eighteenth and last week on the chart, seven weeks earlier it had peaked at #7 {for 1 week}...
    And on November 18th, 1973 it reached #1 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart...
    Between 1960 and 1984 the Philadelphia soul group had twenty-three records on the Hot R&B Singles chart, ten made the Top 10 with four reaching #1...
    Besides "The Lost I Lost", their other three #1 records were "If You Don't Know Me By Now" for 2 weeks in 1972, "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon"* for 1 week in 1975, and "Wake Up Everybody" for 2 weeks in 1975...
    Harold Melvin passed away at the young age of 57 on March 24th, 1997...
    May he R.I.P.
    * "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon" was a duet with Sharon Paige.
  • Dave from Cardiff, WalesIn 1993, dance act West End reached number 3 in the UK charts with a cover of this song, featuring soul singer Sybil (who was herself quite big in the late 80s/early 90s) on vocals
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.