(You're My One and Only) True Love

Album: Nothing Matters Without Love (1989)
Charted: 23
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This freestyle dance song is all about finding true love. The passion is burning bright, and the rest of the world seems to disappear when the singer is with this special person.
  • Seduction was created by the New York City producers David Cole and Robert Clivilles. It was just a studio act at this point. In 1988 they released a single called "Seduction" with a house music beat and a spoken-word vocal by Carol Cooper. For "(You're My One and Only) True Love" they used Martha Wash as the vocalist but didn't credit her when they released the single. Wash was a member of the '80s group The Weather Girls, who had a big hit with "It's Raining Men." David Cole did some work with them and stayed in touch with Wash when she started doing session work later in the decade.

    When "(You're My One and Only) True Love" was released as a single, Wash's name wasn't on it, which wasn't uncommon for studio act singles targeted to dance clubs. The song became a surprise hit, so Cole and Clivilles assembled an actual group that didn't include Wash. The three girls that became Seduction recorded a full album that was released with the song "Seduction" renamed "Seduction's Theme," and the original version of "(You're My One and Only) True Love." Wash was credited, but as a backup singer. She wasn't part of the video either, which showed the new girls lip-synching her vocals.

    Wash didn't make a stink, but then it kept happening. She did vocals for an Italian act called Black Box that hired a French model (who didn't speak English) to be the visual. They had some huge hits with Wash's vocals but her name nowhere to be found on the credits: "Everybody Everybody," "I Don't Know Anybody Else," and "Strike It Up."

    Then Cole and Clivilles hired her for another of their acts: C+C Music Factory. She blasted out the vocals to "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," which became a #1 hit, again with Wash uncredited and replaced in the video. But around this time, the Milli Vanilli scandal was breaking and suddenly it wasn't cool to fake a singer. Wash took legal action and won some concessions, including credits as vocalist and a disclaimer on the video stating that she's the real singer.
  • Robert Clivilles and David Cole wrote this song with Freedom Williams, whom they used as a rapper in C+C Music Factory.
  • Like many late '80s dance songs, the bridge is a rap interlude. It starts with the line, "We're two great tastes that taste great together," a reference to the tagline for Reese's peanut butter cups.
  • A "rap version" was also released with the female vocals replaced by rap verses by Freedom Williams.
  • Seduction released just one album (at least until 2004 when a new version of the group put one out) but landed four more chart hits: "Two To Make It Right," "Heartbeat" (a cover of a song originally recorded by Taana Gardner), "Could This Be Love" and "Breakdown."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.