B-side "I'll Wait For You" Format 7" single Length 3:02 | Released January 8, 1970 Genre Soul | |
Recorded 1969, Hitsville, USA (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan | ||
"The Bells" is a 1970 single recorded by The Originals for Motown's Soul label, produced by Marvin Gaye and co-written by Gaye, his wife Anna Gordy Gaye, Iris Gordy, and Elgie Stover.
Contents
The Originals version
Shortly after the release of the Originals' first hit, "Baby, I'm for Real", Motown issued this similarly-produced record, which was also a Marvin Gaye production. Gaye had proved skeptics at the label wrong by producing a hit song for another act. Both "Baby I'm For Real" and "The Bells" set the precedent for Gaye's 1971 landmark album, What's Going On.
Primarily functioning as background session singers at Motown during much of the 1960s, The Originals would continue to provide background vocals for Gaye until 1973.
"The Bells" peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and reached number four on the Hot Black Singles chart. It remains the most successful single of the group's career, the rest of which included several more Gaye-produced R&B hits and the Frank Wilson and Michael B. Sutton's disco dance hit, "Down to Love Town".
Laura Nyro version
On her 1971 album, Gonna Take a Miracle, singer-songwriter Laura Nyro performed a version of "The Bells" with backing vocals by Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle.
Color Me Badd version
Two decades later, 1990s R&B band Color Me Badd covered the song on their 1994 album, Time and Chance. Much like After 7's cover of "Baby I'm for Real" two years prior, the song entered the R&B charts again, but didn't prove to be as successful as After 7's venture.