So Much in Love

"So Much in Love" is a song written by George Williams, Billy Jackson, and Roy Straigis (initially under the name John Joseph). It was originally performed by Williams's American soul vocal group the Tymes and was released in the summer of 1963 on Cameo Parkway Records, which produced many pre-Beatles hits of the 60s such as The Twist. It quickly became The Tymes' first hit single, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on August 3, 1963, and remaining there for one week,^[2] as well as peaking at No. 4 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.^[3]

Chart performance

All-4-One version

American R&B vocal group All-4-One released "So Much in Love" in late 1993 as their debut single. It peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1994 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 600,000 copies.^[4]^[5] It also reached No. 3 in New Zealand, No. 29 in Belgium and No. 49 in the UK. All-4-One's version is based on a version by a group called AFD whose version was released not long before All-4-One's. A rare music video was also made.^[6]

Background and composition

The group had not heard the original song by the Tymes before. One of the producers of the cover record, Gary St. Clair, had reached out over a call with a concept asking for the group to be a part of the new recording. "So Much in Love" was also the first work All-4-One had done together; the doo-wop sound had not been an intention stylistically for the group.^[7]

Critical reception

Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "Recalling those street corner harmonies of old, this sensational cover of the Tymes' 1963 summer smash caught fire at the tail end of 1993. It's one of those songs that gets on the air and within seconds, captures the audience. Strong request activity."^[8] Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times declared it as a "glorious remake", naming it "a highlight of this excellent album".^[9]

Charts

Certifications

Release history

Other versions

The song has been covered several times:

In 1965, Lulu, covered the song as, "So in Love" for her Something to Shout About^[25]
In 1965, the Shangri-Las covered the song on their album Leader of the Pack
In 1978, the group Cheek released a version which peaked at No. 31 in Australia.^[26]
In 1982, Eagles member Timothy B. Schmit contributed his version of the song on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The single reached No. 59 on the Hot 100.^[27]
English band the Housemartins covered the song in 1986 as the B-side to their No.1 hit single, "Caravan of Love".
A 1988 rendition by Art Garfunkel got to No. 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
In 1989, a salsa versión by Henry Fiol was recorded for the album Renacimiento (El Abuelo Records).
In the 1994 album Live: Out on the Road by the Flirtations.

References

^ Caputo, Salvatore (January 1, 1998). "All-4-One". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 11.
^ Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits - revised & enlarged. New York: Billboard Books. pp. 134. ISBN 0-8230-8298-9.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 596.
^ a b "American single certifications – All-4-One – So Much in Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ a b "Best-Selling Records of 1994". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 3. January 21, 1995. p. 57. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
^ "The Real "So Much In Love"". 26 August 2008 – via YouTube.
^ "All of a Sudden, All-4-One's a Group With a Hit Single : Pop music: The Antelope Valley vocal quartet was put together to record a remake of 1963's 'So Much in Love.' An album is in the works". Los Angeles Times. 1994-03-16. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
^ Sholin, Dave (January 14, 1994). "Gavin Picks — Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
^ Hunt, Dennis (May 29, 1994). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 12.
^ "All-4-One – So Much in Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2463." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^ "All-4-One – So Much in Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "All-4-One – So Much in Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "All-4-One Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "All-4-One Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "All-4-One Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
^ "End of Year Charts 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1994". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
^ "Single Releases". Music Week. March 19, 1994. p. 21.
^ "Single Releases". Music Week. November 5, 1994. p. 23.
^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 61. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 743.