Turn Your Love Around

For the unrelated 1986 Dutch single, see Mai Tai (band).

"Turn Your Love Around" is a song by George Benson. The song was written by Bill Champlin of Chicago, Steve Lukather of Toto and producer and guitarist Jay Graydon to help fill out Benson's 1981 greatest hits album, The George Benson Collection. The song won a Best R&B Song Grammy Award at the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983 for Champlin, Graydon, and Lukather as its co-writers.

"Turn Your Love Around"
Single by George Benson
from the album The George Benson Collection
B-side	"Nature Boy"
Released	October 1981[1]
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	3:50
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriters	Bill Champlin Jay Graydon Steve Lukather
Producer	Jay Graydon
George Benson singles chronology
"Love All the Hurt Away" (1981) "Turn Your Love Around" (1981) "Never Give Up on a Good Thing" (1981)

Background

The inspiration for the song came to Graydon in the bathroom. He explained to Songfacts, "'Turn Your Love Around' was a gift, and it's the gift that keeps giving. I was in the bathroom when I came up with the melody, and I was sitting down, if you get my drift. Well, I got off the can as fast as I could and got to a cassette machine so I wouldn't forget it. George Benson was coming in town Tuesday, so I had four days to come up with a song for The George Benson Collection. And I was gettin' nothing. And then bang! I just came up with this melody for the chorus when I was in the bathroom."^[2] The song was one of the first pop hits to use a Linn LM-1 drum machine, programmed by the session drummer Jeff Porcaro.^[3]

Personnel

• George Benson – lead vocals
• Jay Graydon – guitar, synthesizer, arrangements
• Jai Winding – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes
• Steve Lukather - piano melody
• David Foster – synthesizer
• David Paich – synthesizer bass
• Jeff Porcaro – Linn LM-1 drum programming
• Gary Herbig – saxophone, flutes
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
• Chuck Findley – trumpet
• Jerry Hey – trumpet, horn arrangements
• Bill Champlin – backing vocals
• Venette Cloud – backing vocals
• Carmen Twillie – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1981–1982) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 21 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] 10 Canada Adult Contemporary[6] 5 New Zealand[7] 13 South Africa (Springbok)[8] 14 UK Singles (OCC)[9] 29 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 5 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[11] 9 US Billboard R&B Singles[12] 1 US Cash Box Top 100 5

Year-end charts Chart (1981) Rank Australia[13] 142 US Cash Box[14] 70 Chart (1982) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[15] 27

"Turn Your Love Around" reached number one on the soul singles chart and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1982, as well as the top ten on the jazz chart.^[16] It was ranked as the 27th biggest hit of 1982. In Canada, the song spent two weeks at number 10.^[17]

Tony Di Bart version

"Turn Your Love Around"
Single by Tony Di Bart
from the album Falling for You
Released	March 1, 1996
Recorded	1995
Genre	Eurodance
Length	3:57
Label	Cleveland City Blues
Songwriters	Bill Champlin Jay Graydon Steve Lukather
Producer	The Joy Brothers
Tony Di Bart singles chronology
"Why Did Ya" (1995) "Turn Your Love Around" (1996) "We Got the Love" (1997)

In 1995, Tony Di Bart recorded a cover version of "Turn Your Love Around" which appeared on the album Falling for You. Compared to the original, this version is Eurodance-heavy. In addition to the studio album, it is also included on the compilation Dance Now! 14.^[18]

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	66
Netherlands[20]	44
Belgium[21]	40

Sampling

The song was sampled in the album version of Lil' Kim's song "Not Tonight", in Spice 1's "The Thug in Me", in the Japanese hit song "Da.Yo.Ne." by East End X Yuri in 1994, and in "My Love" by Mercedes featuring Mr. Serv-On in 1999.