The Love You Save – The Jackson 5 | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 2 weeks) & R&B (#1 for 6 weeks); 1970
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
By 1969, the days when the mighty Motown hitmaking machine cranked out five number ones in a row, as it had done for the Supremes in 1964/1965, were seemingly over.
Although vintage acts such as the Temptations still produced hits, the label had failed to break any new artists in five years. That changed in a big way the week of November 15th, 1969; when Gary, Indiana’s Jackson 5 entered the Hot 100 with I Want You Back. Five weeks into the new decade, I Want You Back sat atop the R&B and Pop charts. Just 12 weeks later, the J5’s second single, ABC, repeated the feat.
The week after ABC slipped out of the Top 10, The Love You Save – written and produced by the same four man team that had created I Want You Back and ABC – began its assent and in a breathtaking nine weeks became the Jackson siblings’ third consecutive #1.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- The Corporation
Lyrics Written by:
- The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards)
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).