Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)
Encyclopedia
"Stop, Look, Listen" is a soul
song
written
by Thom Bell
and Linda Creed
that was originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul
group
The Stylistics
.
, it was the first track from their 1971 debut self-titled album
and was released as a single
in 1971 and reached #39 on the U.S.
Billboard
Hot 100
chart
. In addition, it also climbed to #6 in the Billboard R&B
chart.
. Among the songs they released, their version of "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" was recorded
in separate studios
, and was released as a UK
only single
from their duet album, Diana & Marvin
, in 1974. The song became a hit in the UK reaching #25 on the UK Singles Chart
.
In 2001 the Marvin Gaye
and Diana Ross
duet version was used as part of the movie soundtrack for Bridget Jones's Diary
.
recorded it for her 1981 album, Every Home Should Have One, and Will Downing
's 1998 album, Pleasures of the Night version featured saxophonist
Gerald Albright
. The duet approach was mimicked by Michael McDonald
and Toni Braxton
, for McDonald's Motown Two album in 2004.
Smilez and Southstar
's hit, "Tell Me", sampled
from the Gaye/Ross version. A second sample of that version of the song, at least the music, was by Ja Rule
and Ashanti
with their joint hit, "Mesmerized". 50 Cent
also sampled it in his song, "Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)
".
Boney James
has also covered the song.
Johnny Mathis
covered the song for his 1973 album I'm Coming Home
, an album of Philly soul record standards composed mostly by Thom Bell
and Linda Creed
.
Shaquille O'Neal
sampled the Gaye/Ross version for the rap song "Legal Money" on his 1996 album You Can't Stop the Reign
.
Kool & the Gang
made an instrumental version of this song on in 1973 on their compilation album Kool Jazz.
Craig David
Sampled the song on his latest album Signed, Sealed, Delivered
and serves as the second single.
Jean Grae
's Lovesong from her 2002 album Attack of the Attacking Things
samples the original version.
Barbara Acklin
covered this song on the B-side of her 1972 single Lady, Lady, Lady.
Lewis Taylor
covered the song for his 2005 Hacktone release of the album "Stoned".
Circle Research sampled the song for their song "Stop, Look ... Listen to your Heart".
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
and Linda Creed
Linda Creed
Linda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
that was originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. The subtle sound of a glockenspiel can often be heard in the background of...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
.
The Stylistics version
An R&B balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, it was the first track from their 1971 debut self-titled album
The Stylistics (album)
The Stylistics is the debut album recorded by American R&B group The Stylistics, released in November 1971 on the Avco record label. It was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. The album has been called "a sweet soul landmark…".-History:The album reached #23...
and was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1971 and reached #39 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. In addition, it also climbed to #6 in the Billboard R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross version
Around the same time, Motown wanted their most successful label mates Gaye and Ross to record a duet albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. Among the songs they released, their version of "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
in separate studios
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, and was released as a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
only single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their duet album, Diana & Marvin
Diana & Marvin
Diana & Marvin is a duets album by soul musicians Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, released October 26, 1973 on Motown. Recording sessions for the album took place in 1972 and 1973 at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. Featuring vocal collaborations by Gaye and Ross, widely recognized at...
, in 1974. The song became a hit in the UK reaching #25 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
In 2001 the Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
duet version was used as part of the movie soundtrack for Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
.
Covers and samples
The song has been covered many times. Patti AustinPatti Austin
-Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....
recorded it for her 1981 album, Every Home Should Have One, and Will Downing
Will Downing
Will Downing , is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Downing is known in the contemporary jazz and R&B music genres for his rich baritone vocals, and his interpretations of R&B and pop classics that stretch back to the early 1980s...
's 1998 album, Pleasures of the Night version featured saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist.Albright has sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals.- Biography :...
. The duet approach was mimicked by Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
and Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, for McDonald's Motown Two album in 2004.
Smilez and Southstar
Smilez and Southstar
Smilez and Southstar hip-hop duo based in Orlando, Florida. They had a Top 40 hit with the song "Tell Me" in late 2002. Their music has been played on stations nationwide and their videos have appeared on MTV and BET-Early success 2002-2003:...
's hit, "Tell Me", sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from the Gaye/Ross version. A second sample of that version of the song, at least the music, was by Ja Rule
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
and Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
with their joint hit, "Mesmerized". 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
also sampled it in his song, "Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)
Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)
"Ghetto Qu'ran" is a song by 50 Cent from his unreleased, Columbia Records debut album Power of the Dollar. The song was leaked in early 2000...
".
Boney James
Boney James
Boney James, is a saxophonist, songwriter and producer who popularized urban jazz...
has also covered the song.
Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
covered the song for his 1973 album I'm Coming Home
I'm Coming Home
"I'm Coming Home" is the title track from a 1973 album by Johnny Mathis. The song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and was Mathis' only release as a solo artist to make it to number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. "I'm Coming Home" went to number one for a single week in...
, an album of Philly soul record standards composed mostly by Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
and Linda Creed
Linda Creed
Linda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
.
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
sampled the Gaye/Ross version for the rap song "Legal Money" on his 1996 album You Can't Stop the Reign
You Can't Stop the Reign
You Can't Stop the Reign is the third studio album released by Shaquille O'Neal. It was released on November 19, 1996 for Interscope Records and featured production from the likes of DJ Quik, Poke and Tone, Mobb Deep and Easy Mo Bee. The album was moderately successful, making it to #82 on the...
.
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
made an instrumental version of this song on in 1973 on their compilation album Kool Jazz.
Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
Sampled the song on his latest album Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Signed Sealed Delivered (Craig David album)
-Reception:The album received mixed to negative reviews from music critics. One of the few positive reviews came from The Guardian's critic Carolinne Sullivan, which say that "Craig David's intention, on this Motown-dominated covers album, was to "sing the songs exactly as the original artists...
and serves as the second single.
Jean Grae
Jean Grae
Jean Grae , born November 26, 1976 is an American hip hop artist who hails from South Africa. She rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York City, and has since built an international fanbase.- Early life :...
's Lovesong from her 2002 album Attack of the Attacking Things
Attack of the Attacking Things
Attack of the Attacking Things is the debut album by rapper Jean Grae.-Track listing:...
samples the original version.
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Jean Acklin was an American soul singer and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968...
covered this song on the B-side of her 1972 single Lady, Lady, Lady.
Lewis Taylor
Lewis Taylor
Andrew Lewis Taylor is a British multi-instrumentalist musician, born in London, UK, in the late 1960s. He started in the music business touring with the progrock band Edgar Broughton Band. In 1986 he began performing as Sheriff Jack, releasing two albums of psychedelia music, Laugh Yourself Awake ...
covered the song for his 2005 Hacktone release of the album "Stoned".
Circle Research sampled the song for their song "Stop, Look ... Listen to your Heart".
The Stylistics version
- Lead vocals by Russell Thompkins, Jr.Russell Thompkins, Jr.Russell Allen Thompkins, Jr. is an American soul singer. Noted for his high-pitched tenor and falsetto vocals, Thompkins is the former lead singer of the Philadelphia soul vocal group The Stylistics.-Career:...
- Background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
by James Smith, Airrion Love, James Dunn, and Herbie Murrell - Produced by Thom BellThom BellThomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross version
- Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross
- Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
- Produced by Hal DavisHal DavisHarold Edward "Hal" Davis was an African American songwriter and record producer, best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5....