Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm just waitin' for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Coz heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
'Coz you've taking away all my reason for living
When you pushed aside all the love I been giving
Didn't I treat you right now baby didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
Don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
All alone I'm destined to be
With misery my only company
Might come today, might come tomorrow
But it's for sure I ain't got nothing but sorrow
Now don't your conscience kind of bother you
How can you watch me cry after all I done for you
Now hold on a minute
Didn't I treat you right now honey didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
Getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Coz heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
Now don't your conscience kinda, kinda bother you
How can you watch me cry
After all the things I done for you
Didn't I treat you right now baby didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you couldn't I
Didn't I do right by you didn't I
Didn't I screw you right now
Kept you in luxury didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you didn't I
Didn't I treat you right now didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
I'm trying hard not to cry
You know my crying ain't gonna help me now
Without your love the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm just waitin' for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Coz heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
'Coz you've taking away all my reason for living
When you pushed aside all the love I been giving
Didn't I treat you right now baby didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
Don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
All alone I'm destined to be
With misery my only company
Might come today, might come tomorrow
But it's for sure I ain't got nothing but sorrow
Now don't your conscience kind of bother you
How can you watch me cry after all I done for you
Now hold on a minute
Didn't I treat you right now honey didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
Getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Coz heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
Now don't your conscience kinda, kinda bother you
How can you watch me cry
After all the things I done for you
Didn't I treat you right now baby didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you couldn't I
Didn't I do right by you didn't I
Didn't I screw you right now
Kept you in luxury didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you didn't I
Didn't I treat you right now didn't I
Didn't I do the best for you now didn't I
I'm trying hard not to cry
You know my crying ain't gonna help me now
Without your love the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
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AddedMarch 10th, 2017
Last updatedMarch 5th, 2022
About"Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the 1960s. A direct follow-up to the #1 hit "Reach Out I'll Be There" (even featuring a similar musical arrangement), "Standing in the Shadows of Love" reached #2 on the soul chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. It also reached #6 in the UK. Though the song was well-received, it has received some criticism. Author Martin Charles Strong notes that it rehashed the formula of "Reach Out I'll Be There" and achieved similar success by reaching the Top 10 in both the US and UK. It is ranked #470 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Allmusic critic John Bush calls "Standing in the Shadows of Love" "dramatic" and "impassioned." Critic Andrew Hamilton calls it a "memorable, unforgettable, timeless blast" which would have made Motown "notable" even if it was the only song Motown ever produced. Hamilton remarks on the song's power to conjure up "mournful" emotions, and particularly highlights the coldness of lyrics such as "standing in the shadows of love getting ready for the heartache come." Hamilton praises the intensity of Levi Stubbs' lead vocal and how it can make the listener believe that he is about to have a nervous breakdown. Music critic Maury Dean describes the singer as waiting for his girlfriend to dump him and psyching himself for the blow and for getting ready for a new girlfriend. He uses the metaphor of Wile E. Coyote to describe the singer's emotions as he waits for the "anvil to drop on his fervent love."
According to author Peter Benjaminson, "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a reworked version of The Supremes' 1963 song "Standing at the Crossroads of Love," which was released as the B-side of their single "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes."
The song was later covered by the Jackson 5. Barry White, Joe Stubbs and Tommy Boyce all covered it as well.
Allmusic critic John Bush calls "Standing in the Shadows of Love" "dramatic" and "impassioned." Critic Andrew Hamilton calls it a "memorable, unforgettable, timeless blast" which would have made Motown "notable" even if it was the only song Motown ever produced. Hamilton remarks on the song's power to conjure up "mournful" emotions, and particularly highlights the coldness of lyrics such as "standing in the shadows of love getting ready for the heartache come." Hamilton praises the intensity of Levi Stubbs' lead vocal and how it can make the listener believe that he is about to have a nervous breakdown. Music critic Maury Dean describes the singer as waiting for his girlfriend to dump him and psyching himself for the blow and for getting ready for a new girlfriend. He uses the metaphor of Wile E. Coyote to describe the singer's emotions as he waits for the "anvil to drop on his fervent love."
According to author Peter Benjaminson, "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a reworked version of The Supremes' 1963 song "Standing at the Crossroads of Love," which was released as the B-side of their single "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes."
The song was later covered by the Jackson 5. Barry White, Joe Stubbs and Tommy Boyce all covered it as well.
Album Details
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