Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)
A 1972 Grammy-winning duet about unrequited love.
Where Is the Love is a song written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway and released in 1972. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, spent a week at number one on both the Easy Listening and R&B charts, and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The lyrics describe a singer who realizes the person they love is still in love with someone else.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
- Album
- Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
- B-side
- Mood
- Released
- June 1972
- Genre
- Soul; easy listening
- Length
- 2:43
- Label
- Atlantic
- Writer
- Ralph MacDonald; William Salter
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where Is the Love | 3:33 |
| 2 | My One Temptation (Radio Mix) | 3:40 |
| 3 | A Love Supreme | 3:29 |
| 4 | Same Feeling | 3:59 |
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where Is the Love | 3:33 |
| 2 | My One Temptation (Radio Mix) | 3:40 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Love Supreme | 3:29 |
| 2 | Same Feeling | 3:59 |
Track listing from the source article.
Cover versions
The 1972 original by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, hit number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped both the Easy Listening and R&B charts for a week each that summer. It also won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The lyrics find the singer realizing their love is still attached to someone else, lamenting that fate made them fall for another’s beloved, leaving them only to wait. Over the years, many artists have taken a turn with the song. In 1972 alone, the Ray Conniff Singers, Helen Reddy, Jerry Vale, and Andy Williams all released versions, with Vale and Williams each putting theirs on albums titled Alone Again (Naturally). Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’77 scored a top 20 easy listening hit with their 1973 cover, and Liza Minnelli included it on her 1973 album The Singer. Eurovision winner Dana recorded a mid-1970s version, while Woody Herman’s 1970s album Children of Lima featured an Alan Broadbent arrangement with a bassoon solo by Frank Tiberi. Stephanie Mills and Robert Brookins took their 1988 cover to number 18 on the R&B chart. Guitarist Zachary Breaux offered an instrumental take on his 1992 album Groovin’. Rick Price and Margaret Urlich hit the Australian charts with their 1993 duet. Jesse & Trina’s 1995 version, from the Dead Presidents soundtrack, reached number 40 on the R&B chart. Paul Jackson Jr. covered it on his 1996 album Never Alone Duets. Amel Larrieux and Glenn Lewis appeared on Stanley Clarke’s 2004 track from 12 To the bass, which earned a Grammy nomination. Trijntje Oosterhuis and Raul Midon recorded it for Midon’s 2006 album State of Mind, and Johnny Mathis included it on his 2008 album A Night to Remember.
Rick Price and Margaret Urlich version
The duet by Rick Price and Margaret Urlich came out on November 29, 1993, reaching number 31 on the Australian charts. It appeared as an extra track on Urlich's 1994 album Live. That same year, both singers joined the Wizards of Oz promotion through Export Music Australia and Austrade, touring Japan alongside Yothu Yindi. At the 1994 ARIA Awards, the song was up for Best Adult Contemporary Album but lost to Tommy Emmanuel's The Journey.
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