In the five years that I’ve been writing these blog posts, I’ve covered thirty-five years of the singles chart, and 615 #1 singles. Which means that we are pretty much exactly halfway between 1952 and 2023! We’re not quite halfway through all the chart-toppers, however, as turnover between #1s really sped up in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Around 800 songs stand between us and February 2023.
Anyway, on to today’s guest writer: Max from PowerPop blog. His blog is a treasure trove of pop culture – music, films, TV shows and more, from the ’60s, 70’s and beyond. I’ve discovered so many cool songs from following his blog, and would recommend that you do so too… If you aren’t already! He’s has chosen Love Affair’s 1968 smash, ‘Everlasting Love’. Take it away, Max…
‘Everlasting Love’, by Love Affair – #1 for 2 weeks in 1968
First, it’s an honor to guest host on this wonderful blog! I have discovered many #1 songs that I never knew existed. It’s been a lot of fun going through history with UK #1s blog. I like learning about songs I like and dislike… The more trivial knowledge I can stuff in my brain the better. I like to give its creator a lot of good-natured fun over my dislike of (I even hate typing the name!) Madonna. I always look forward to commenting here.
I was looking through this blog in 2020 and I noticed this song and it hit me hard. It starts in with a cannon shot from the drums and that bass. I’ve been a bass player for a long time and I would love to get that sound now. I was struck on how modern the sound was, along with how Steve Ellis looked like he came from now not 1968. He didn’t look like he was old enough to drive… much less 18 years old.
This version was much better than the Carl Carlton version I knew. I’m American and knew nothing about Steve Ellis and Love Affair. This version is not as slick, and it punches you in the face in the intro. The video intrigued me as well. The video is very 1960s with what is going on. The lingering flower power along with some 1920s thrown in. It has a nice vibe to it… the Charlie Chaplin girl and the other girl who are dancing around posters of Jimi Hendrix and LBJ… pure sixties. It makes you feel like you are there.
When you look back to 1968 and the music at that time… it was everywhere on the map. You had rootsy music, as in The Band. The Beatles and Stones also shed their psychedelic stuff for more pure music without the studio tricks. Other bands still explored psychedelic, folk, country rock, hard rock, and pop. The sixties had some of the best pop songs of any decade. This is one of those great pop songs.
Only Steve Ellis played on this recording. Studio musicians did the rest. Love Affair went onto achieve five more UK Top 20 hits on which the entire band did get to perform. ‘Everlasting Love’ peaked at #1 in the UK in 1968. It was written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden. It was originally recorded by Ray Knight and peaked at #40 in the UK, and at #13 in the Billboard 100 in 1967. Steve Ellis: “The general opinion seemed to be that I should do it with an orchestra and then give it a Phil Spector-type production. Obviously, I felt odd without the band being in the studio but it was for the good of all involved. Two takes and it was done. The band were not too concerned about this approach to things.”
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Superb commentary, Max. From that wonderful bit of drumming at the start, this record really bursts out from the speakers. It’s a classic production and Steve just belts it out as if his life depends on it. The Love Affair were knocked like crazy for making ultra-commercial singles and not even playing on them (well, how many of The Byrds played on ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ or Frankie Goes To Hollywood on ‘Relax’?), but they had five Top 20 entries in the UK that all still sound great. Their album is worth checking out for classy covers of ‘Hush’ and ‘Handbags and Gladrags’ too. Pure pop at its unashamed best – and none of the subsequent cover versions of this song that have charted since can hold a candle to this one.
Thank you so much. This was like finding an extra Christmas present when I heard it. It is great pop but not sugary. This is my go to version of the song now.
Both versions are good. I like Steve Ellis’s voice better than Carlton’s.
You just had to mention Madonna, didn’t you…
I had to! Stewart is a good man…he lets me rant! As a good southerner would say…Bless his heart!
Yes, he is. He lets us babble all over his blog. LOL!
Exactly! “Bless his heart…”
Ooh lawdy, aren’t you just a couple of peaches… (That’s my best attempt at sounding like I’m from Alabama 😄) Seriously though, babble away…
Well, “peaches” would be a Georgia thing (Georgia Peach) but, Alabama is next door, so, close enough. LOL! Florida is oranges.
If you want to hear some really strange accents, a Louisiana Bayou accent is “out there.” I’m not sure it even classifies as English.
That’ll have some French thrown in, surely
Most likely, bent all to hell. 😆
Thanks for allowing me to guest host! I really enjoyed this and you have a superb blog.
Thank you for contributing! Both with this post, and for commenting on so many of the songs that I cover. Even those by the ‘Queen of Pop’…
Well thank you for having me here! I have a lot of fun…with the leather wings and everything else. I do believe the 80s here was more fun than to really live through.
Great choice Max and this has been selling well in 2022 in the UK following a movie slot in the Movie Belfast. I love the follow up just as much too – My Rainbow Valley. Fab gear! As we used to say.
Thank you…the first time I heard this version was in 2020 I believe when I heard it here for the first time.
Yes I just watched ‘Belfast’ recently, and it was used to good effect at the end of the film.
Good tune. First time hearing this cover.
Good post. Good song too, oddly I only learned of this version last week through a piece on Malcolm Green of Split Enz, who was in Love Affair briefly. But I remember the Carl Carlton cover well enough.
That is a great-sounding version by Steve Ellis and Love Affair! Like you, I only knew Carl Carlton’s rendition, as well as an atrocious ’80s cover by Sandra.
I heard the Sandra version – once. Once was enough. Gloria Estefan and U2 did it as well (separately) but they didn’t really cut it for me either. There was also one by the cast of some TV programme, General Hospital if I remember rightly. But you don’t really miss much if you haven’t heard them.
Hey! This is Max’s son Bailey. I really love this song and it takes me back to being 17 while experiencing the wild side of teenage angst and love.
Hey! This is Max’s son Bailey. Really loved this song as a teenager. This song takes me back to when I was 17 full of adventure and heartbreak haha.
Thanks for commenting! Yeah, it really captures the rush of young love. Good way of putting it!