Album: Game of Love (1965)
Charted: 2 1
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Songfacts®:

  • Wayne Fontana gets biblical in this '60s hit, letting the lady know that the purpose of a man is to love a woman, and the purpose of a woman is to love a man. It started back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve became the first participants in the game of love.
  • Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders were a British Invasion group, but this song was written by an American: Clint Ballard Jr., who also wrote The Hollies hit "I'm Alive" and Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good."
  • It wasn't just The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks that were coming over from England dominating the American charts in 1965. There was also Herman's Hermits, Freddie & the Dreamers, and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. All three were from the Manchester area of England and they had consecutive #1 hits, first "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers on April 10, then Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders with "Game Of Love" on April 24, and finally "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits on May 1. Herman's Hermits had an impressive run of hits but Freddie & the Dreamers and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders didn't do much damage on the American charts outside of their #1 hits.
  • Wayne Fontana's real name was Glyn Ellis. He was given a contract in 1963 on the condition that he change his name to that of the label, Fontana Records, thus Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. When a US tour was scheduled, the group was initially denied visas until they could demonstrate that they recorded this song.
  • Fontana left the group for a solo career in 1966. The Mindbenders carried on without him, landing a #2 hit with "A Groovy Kind Of Love." The Mindbenders evolved into Hot Legs (a one-hit wonder with "Neanderthal Man"), which in turn became 10cc ("The Things We Do For Love," among others).

Comments: 16

  • Suse from Acworth, GaI love the lyrics to Game of Love! Quite to the point! As it should be!!
  • Nils Weber from Munich, GermanyThis wouldn’t be accepted today. The purpose of a man is to love a woman? It would be condemned as „anti-LGBT“
  • Hpa from UsaActually it’s more sexist than that. “The purpose of a woman is to love HER man.” Not just a man, her man. Just saying.
  • Bob Berry from Wheeling West VirginiaDoes anyone know who played on the session of this song?
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyFebruary 27th 1965 was the first day of a 21-date concert tour of the United Kingdom, it began at City Hall in Sheffield, England; and one of the acts* on the bill were Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders...
    At the time the group "Game of Love" was at #2 {for 1 week} on the United Kingdom's Singles chart, the week it was at #2, the #1 record was "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers...
    Across the pond in the U.S.A. "Game of Love" would peak at #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart {See next post below}...
    "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits knocked it out the #1 spot, and it just happened that the Hermits were also one of the acts on this tour.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 14th 1965, "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #63; and five weeks later April 18th, 1965 it peaked #1 {for 1 week} and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100...
    With Wayne in the lead, the group had one other Top 100 record, "It's Just a Little Bit Too Late", it reached #45 and stayed on the chart for 8 weeks in late 1965...
    The Mindbenders, after Wayne left the group, charted two times; "A Groovy Kind of Love" {#2* for 2 weeks in 1966} and "Ashes to Ashes" {#55, again in 1966}
    And Wayne Fontana, as a solo artist, had four records make the United Kingdom's Singles chart, but none of them made Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
    * The two weeks "A Groovy Kind of Love" was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge.
  • Martin from Fresno, CaGreat song. The lyrics ring true, "The purpose of a man is to love a woman and the purpose of a woman is to love a man". Although it is talking about a romance the lyrics can be interpreted to mean the purpose of everyone is to love each other regardless of whether they are in a relationship or married.
  • Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, Cathis song has a good "groove" and they play it well live,after all of these years!
  • Chris from Geelong, AustraliaHave to admit I dojn't know the song. Why isn't Pamela Pamela on the list?
    For those interested, WF has a most interesting website, in which he berates the authorities (in England) for bankrupting him and sending him to the the clink for 9 months.
    You can send him a message in the guestbook and if you're lucky, get an abusive reply.

  • Louis Rodriguez from Lancaster, CaI really like the way this song recording is set up with the intro bass guitar and drums with special envisense on the cymbal and then the rythm guitar kicks in and the lead guitar then everything is topped with the hand tamborine
  • Camille from Toronto, OhThis song is a timeless classic.
  • Jakasso! from Niagara Falls, CanadaEric Stewart of 10cc was an original member of the Mindbenders.
  • Tom from Washington, DcThe Mindbenders are featured in the 1967 flick ,"To Sir With Love" with Lulu.
  • Tom from Washington, DcAt 1:58 one of the shortest #1 records in chart history.
  • Brian from Meriden, CtA perfect example of average "white" 60s pseudo-r&b.
  • Alan from Singapore, SingaporeThis was one of the songs featured on the "Good Morning Vietnam" soundtrack
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