THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

97-Frank Wilson-Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

1965-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 0.11. The song became popular in the UK after repeated plays at the ‘Wigan Casino’ All-nighters, therefore it is fitting that the most popular ‘Northern Soul’ song of all time was also the very last record ever played at the venue when it closed in 1981.

The ‘Wigan Casino’ was a nightclub in Wigan, in the North of England that operated between 1973-1981, it became known as the primary venue for Northern Soul music, for an explanation of what Northern Soul music is (see also best songs 969.) The ‘Wigan Casino’ All-nighters generally ended with three songs that became known as the ‘3 before 8,’ the songs were ‘Time Will Pass You By’ by Tobi Legend, ‘Long After Tonight Is All Over’ by Jimmy Radcliffe, and “I’m on My Way” by Dean Parrish. On the clubs final night those three songs were played three times consecutively, but the crowd still refused to go, so the DJ who was Russ Winstantley picked a 7 inch single randomly,which just so happened to be this song. In many lists of the best Northern Soul songs of all time, this song is generally regarded as the Number 1 choice.

Frank Edward Wilson was born on December 5th, 1940, in Houston, Texas, United States, he died on September 27th, 2012, at the age of 71 after a long battle with prostrate cancer. Wilson was employed as a songwriter and record producer at Motown Records by the founder of the label Berry Gordy. In 1965 Wilson wrote and recorded ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do’) with the intention of releasing it as a single on the Motown subsidiary label ‘Soul,’ Approximately 250 demo 45’s were pressed, but after a deliberation, both Wilson and Gordy decided it would be better for Wilson to just concentrate on song writing and production. Gordy didn’t want to lose one of his best songwriters, and Wilson had very little desire to perform. The demo’s were destroyed, apart from two, with maybe even as many as five surviving. In 2009 at auction one of the copies fetched £25,742, which is a world record for a ‘Soul’ song.

‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do’) was produced by Motown’s in house producers Hal Davis, (1933-1998) (see also best songs 519) and Marc Gordon (1935-2010) (see also best songs 446.) As was customary at that time other Motown artists would also be asked to record a version of a new song, and it was Chris Clark who recorded the song in 1966, which remained in the Motown vaults until 1979, when it was issued as the ‘B’ side to the first release of the Frank Wilson version.

As a songwriter and producer Frank Wilson was one of the four song writers at Motown that were known as ‘The Clan,’ (with Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor, and Deke Richards) who had been put together to replace the legendary Holland Dozier Holland when they split with the label. The other songs in this countdown that Frank Wilson either wrote are produced are ‘I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,’ (see also best songs 1001) ‘I’m Living in Shame,’ (see also best songs 411) and the 1973 American Number 1 single ‘Keep On Truckin” (see also best songs 491.) Wilson left Motown in 1976 and became a born again Christian. He became a minister, travelling and writing books with his wife Bunny Wilson, and he was also later involved in the production of Gospel music.

‘Here I am on bended knees, I lay my heart down at your feet, now do I love you. All you have to do is ask, I’ll give until there’s nothing left, do I love you.’