From DON’T YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE
Written by Bruce Roberts & Carole Bayer Sager
Arnold George Dorsey was a veteran UK singer made famous worldwide by the stage name Engelbert Humperdinck. Humperdinck was one of the most loved singers in the traditional pop/easy listening field with achievements spanning more than five decades. Since the second half of the sixties, Humperdinck’s unique style has brought to the charts on both sides of the pond some unforgettable romantic hits including “Release Me,” “The Last Waltz,” “Am I That Easy To Forget,” “A Man Without Love (Quando M’Innamoro)” and the Grammy nominated “After The Lovin’.” Humperdinck, with his signature vocals and sex symbol ways, was seen as the musical counterpart of UK superstar Sir Tom Jones.
In 1981 while under contract with Epic Records, Humperdinck released the album “Don’t You Love Me Anymore.” Produced by noted music-makers Gary Klein and the late Nick De Caro, “Don’t You Love Me Anymore” was a solid collection of adult contemporary material written by a who’s who of pop composers and cleverly crafted with the use of the best session musicians and arrangers. In the eighties, the album was perfectly in line musically with top collections delivered by platinum-selling superstars like Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. As on many of their previous productions, Klein and De Caro enlisted the cream of the LA session scene including Jay Graydon on guitar who also arranged several tracks on the album, the late Jeff Porcaro on drums, Richard Page on background vocals and David Foster who graced a couple of numbers with his gorgeous keyboard playing. The Canadian genius appeared on the beautiful ballad “Heart Don’t Fail Me Now” co-written by adult contemporary specialists Steve Dorff and Rafe Van Hoyt and smartly arranged by Graydon. Foster was also part of the line-up on the title track, a ballad with a nostalgic feel written by songwriting legends Bruce Roberts and Carole Bayer Sager.
“Don’t You Love Me Anymore” sports a retro atmosphere enhanced by the catchy arrangement by De Caro that gives the tune a radio-friendly appeal. In fact, it was the only song on the album that made the charts by reaching #41 on the Adult Contemporary chart. “Don’t You Love Me Anymore” benefits from a very good performance by Humperdinck with his familiar voice supported by an outstanding back-up of Foster and his peers. The veteran singer approached the pop/adult contemporary material that linked to the up-to-date sound of the production and it resulted in a credible traditional pop effort. “Don’t You Love Me Anymore” was also recorded by the incomparable Ray Charles in 1980 and the unmatched B.J. Thomas in 1982 which was also produced by De Caro.
Humperdinck is still active on the music scene. He is working on new music and performing live worldwide. His last cd, “Engelbert Calling,” was released in 2014 and made the UK charts at #31. It included several duets with stars including Sir Elton John, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, Dionne Warwick and Kenny Rogers.
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/don_t_you_love_me_anymore.mp3|titles=Don’t You Love Me Anymore|artists=Engelbert Humperdinck]
Lead Vocals: Engelbert Humperdinck
Keyboards: David Foster
Bass: Reinie Press
Guitars: Jay Graydon
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Synthesizers: Bill Cuomo
Percussion: Alan Estes
Background Vocals: Jon Joyce, Richard Page, Stan Farber & Linda Harmon
Rhythm, Strings & Background Vocals Arranged by Nick De Caro
Produced by Gary Klein & Nick De Caro
Lyrics
Oh oh
I thought I’d see you smile
When I walked in the door
Thought those arms of yours would be open wide
The way they were before
Why do you look at me
Like I’m some stranger now
Why do you pull away
When you used to hold me so tight
Don’t you love me anymore
Have your learned to live your life without me
Don’t you love me, anymore
When did the fire go out
Where did the feeling go
Did it slip away when I wasn’t there
Baby now I’ve come home
I thought you’d want me babe
I was so sure you’d ask me to to stay
I thought you’d need this too
Guess it didn’t work out that way
Don’t you love me anymore
Have you learned to live your life without me
Don’t you love me anymore
Darling
When did the fire go out
Where did the feeling go
Why do you pull away
When you used to hold me so close baby
Don’t you love me anymore
Have your learned to live your life without me
Don’t you love me anymore
Don’t you love me anymore
Have your learned to live your life without me