Love Is a Wonderful Thing (Michael Bolton song)

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Name = Love Is a Wonderful Thing


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Artist = Michael Bolton
Album = Time, Love & Tenderness
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Released = 1991
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Genre = Adult contemporary
Length = 4:42
Label = Columbia Records
Writer = Michael Bolton, Andrew Goldmark
Producer = Walter Afanasieff
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"Love Is a Wonderful Thing" is the title of a single by the American pop music singer Michael Bolton. The song was included on Bolton's 1991 album, "Time, Love & Tenderness". It was written by Bolton and Andrew Goldmark and produced by Walter Afanasieff.

In 1964, the American R&B group The Isley Brothers recorded a song titled "Love Is a Wonderful Thing". Not included on an Isley Brothers album until years later, the song was released as a single in 1966 on a 45rpm vinyl record, and it "bubbled under" on the "Billboard" chart, meaning that it peaked between #101 and #125 on the Hot 100. Bolton's song contained similarities to the song by the Isleys that exceeded the title: in 1994, a jury found songwriters Bolton and Goldmark, along with Sony Music Entertainment (the parent company of Bolton's label, Columbia Records), liable for copyright infringement due to multiple similarities between the two songs and ordered them to pay the Isleys all profits earned from the single plus 28% of the album profits, [ [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=795 Mention of 1994 jury decision at songfacts.com] ] which amounted to over $5 million (U.S.). On May 9, 2000, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, an appellate court covering the western regions of the U.S., affirmed the jury's decision, which is one of the largest monetary sums to be awarded in a case such as this. On January 22, 2001, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the decision of the appellate court despite Bolton's claims that he had never heard the Isley Brothers recording (although he was a fan of their music) and that he was exercizing his right to "independent creation". The decision by the Supreme Court not to hear the case resulted in the original verdict remaining valid. [ [http://cip.law.ucla.edu/cases/case_threeboysbolton.html Summary of Supreme Court decision at ucla.edu] ]

Bolton's song peaked at #4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in June of 1991, becoming his fourth Top 10 hit. It also spent four weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart. [Whitburn, Joel (1996). "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)] The song peaked at #23 on the UK Singles Chart.

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