Released 1973 Recorded January 1973 | Format 7" Length 4:46 | |
Label Tamla Motown (UK)TMG 866 | ||
"Law of the Land" is a soul song written by Norman Whitfield for the Motown label. A socially-conscious funk track with elements of early disco music, it details the rules of human society that people have to accept and live by.
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Details
The song was recorded by both of Whitfield's groups, The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth, in 1973 (January and April, respectively), and both versions were given single release. The Temptations' version was released as a UK-only single by Tamla Motown, and just missed out on the UK Top 40, reaching #41. That version was included on volume eight of the Motown Chartbusters compilation album series. The Undisputed Truth released their version of song that same year, and it became a minor hit in America, making #40 on the R&B Charts.
Temptations version
Undisputed Truth version
Covers
The Undisputed Truth, having been disbanded for most of the 1980s, reformed with Brainstorm vocalist Belita Woods to record a new version of the song for Motown lover Ian Levine and his Motorcity Records label. The rerecorded song (with some new lyrics added) was released as an 8-minute long 12" single in 1991.