Single Song Sunday

It is Single Song Sunday again, and this time round we're featuring the soul standard "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right". It is a title that sometimes appears without the brackets, sometimes without the "I Don't Want To Be Right" and, on at least one occasion, in Swedish.

We kick things off with the original by Luther Ingram, which made it all the way to No. 3 in the Billboard charts and topped the R&B charts 50 years ago last month. 

We follow Luther with a couple more soul versions, from Bobby "Blue" Bland in 1973 and Millie Jackson in 1974. Millie has an 11 minute version of the song on her album "Caught Up" but on the CD and digital versions of the album they split it into three separate tracks, which is why you're getting the single edit. There is a live version in the videos though that closely resembles the full-length original.

Next up are a couple of countrified covers. Barbara Mandrell's version went to No. 1 in the country charts in 1979 but O'B. McClinton's is the twangier of the two. Some of you may be familiar with it from the "Dirty Laundry" compilation series.

We rattle through a Christian rap remake by The Artist Partially Known As Gammage and a Swedish version by a former Eurovision runner up before finishing things off with an excellent Mandatory Reggae Version by George Faith, possibly the premier reggae interpreter of 1970s soul standards.

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" - Luther Ingram

"If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right" - Bobby "Blue" Bland

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" - Millie Jackson

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" - Barbara Mandrell

"If Loving You Is Wrong" - O.B. McClinton

"If Loving You Is Wrong" - Gammage aka Mr.Wut Can I Do For Ya?

"Om Det Ar Fel Att Alska Dej" - Svante Thuresson

"If Loving You Is Wrong" - George Faith

Of the recorded versions I know I would put Luther, Millie and George at the top of the pile in no particular order - but the live version by David Ruffin in the last video is right up there with them.