The Game of Love (Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders song)

"The Game of Love"
Single by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
from the album The Game of Love
B-side"Since You've Been Gone"
Released22 January 1965
Recorded1964
Genre
Length2:04
LabelFontana
Songwriter(s)Clint Ballard Jr.
Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders singles chronology
"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"
(1964) 		"The Game of Love"
(1965) 		"It's Just a Little Bit Too Late"
(1965)
Alternative cover
Side A of the US repressing

"The Game of Love" is a 1964 song by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, first released as a single from the band's titular album in January 1965 in the United Kingdom, followed by the United States one month later as "Game of Love". The song reached Number 2 on the UK Singles chart and Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 that year.[4][5] The song also spawned multiple successful cover versions, including a version by Ian "Tex Pistol" Morris that was a Number 1 hit in New Zealand in 1987.[6] The song was also adapted into French by Frank Gérald as "Quand tu es là" ("When you are there") and was recorded by French pop singer Sylvie Vartan, first in July 1965 as the second single off of her 1966 studio album "Il y a deux filles en moi" ("There are two girls in me") that was a hit in French-speaking Belgium,[7][8] followed by a re-recording in 1990, released as a non-album single, that was a minor hit in France.[9][10]

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 30, 2018). "The Number Ones: Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders' "The Game Of Love"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 12, 2023. ...when they came out firing with "The Game Of Love," a blue-rock ripper...
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 45.
  3. ^ Molanphy, Chris (April 14, 2023). "The British Are Charting Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "POP INJUSTICE - 70 years of iconic Number 2s: Every song to peak at Number 2 in the UK". Official Charts. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  5. ^ Mavor, Jr; James W. (1965-01-01). THE MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE HY 100 PRESSURE HULLS OF THE SUBMARINE, ALVIN (Report). Fort Belvoir, VA: Defense Technical Information Center. doi:10.21236/ad0614011. hdl:1912/25235.
  6. ^ "charts.org.nz - Tex Pistol - The Game Of Love". charts.nz. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  7. ^ "Sylvie Vartan - Quand tu es là - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  8. ^ "EP 60 – Site officiel de Sylvie Vartan" (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  9. ^ "Sylvie Vartan - Quand tu es lá [1990] - lescharts.com".
  10. ^ "Singles 90 – Site officiel de Sylvie Vartan" (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-28.