Johnnie Taylor – Who’s Making Love

The chorus alone is enough to interest me. Stax had dubbed Taylor The Philosopher Of Soul. He could be smooth like Sam Cooke or raw in your face like this record. His real name was Johnnie Harrison Taylor and he was born in Crawfordsville, AK. In 1957, Taylor would replace Sam Cooke in the hugely influential Soul Stirrers, after Cooke departed for a solo career in music.

In 1961 Taylor joined Cooke’s Sar label for a few singles. Cooke was killed in 1964 so Taylor switched to Stax the following year.

Motown was more successful than Stax by a large margin but there was a rawness and in your face quality, Stax had that Motown couldn’t find. This song was written by Stax staffers Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Don Davis, and Raymond Jackson. It peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in the R&B Charts.

Who’s Making Love

All you fellows, gather ’round me
And let me give you some good advice
What I’m gonna, I’m gonna ask you now
You better think about it twice
While you’re liking cheating on your woman
There is something you never even thought of

Now tell me who’s making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Hear me now)
Now who’s making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?

I’ve seen so, so many fellows
Fall in that same old bag

Thinking that a woman is made to
To be beat on and treated so bad
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
I’m sure that you never even dreamed of

Now tell me who’s making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Oh)
Now who’s making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?

I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I’m not tryin’ to run your life, boy it’s up to you
Oh you, oh you, you and you, and you

The reason why I ask this question
I used to be the same old way
When I decided to straighten up
I found it was a bit too late
Oh yeah, that’s when it all happened
Something I never, never dreamed of

Somebody was-a lovin’ my old lady
While I was out making love
Somebody was-a lovin’ my old lady
While I was out making love (listen now)
Now who’s making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
(Who? Who? Your old lady)
(While you were out making love)

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

11 thoughts on “Johnnie Taylor – Who’s Making Love”

  1. This one was a party song for people–oh, at the time I was gigging, they would have been in there 50s–of a certain age. I’d play this and they’d hit the dance floor. That same age group loved The Swinging Medallions “Double Shot” and, of course, “Wooly Bully.” I never understood the appeal of that song, but Oh well…
    Anyway, here’s a link to a song that I came across the other day and I thought of you. I had forgotten about it. It’s a good rocker, written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen. Greg Khin did a good cover of it too.

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    1. Thank you! I never have cared for Wooly Bully either. I love Double Shot though.

      You picked one of my favorite Springsteen songs. Our band covered this one… you know me well!

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  2. I think Motown was going for the crossover market more than Stax and turned out music that more than likely would be played on Top 40 stations (the “white” market). Interesting that Stax and Philadelphia International were just as successful without trying.

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    1. I do like Motown…but yes you are right. More of a pop sound. Both of them had a sound associated with them The Beatles tried to record in the Stax studios but they were quoted some outrageous price plus they worried about security because of fans.

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  4. I always loved playing this one on the radio! It was one of those great soul songs. A buddy used to say that this song felt like “a little James Brown, a little, Wilson Pickett, and a little Eddie Floyd all wrapped in one”.

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