Motown on Fire: How “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” Captured The Supremes at Their Most Urgent
Released in 1966, “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” arrived at a moment when Motown was rewriting the rules of American pop. Performed by The Supremes, the single didn’t just add another hit to their historic run—it revealed a sharper, more restless edge to a group often associated with elegance and polish. From its first urgent drumbeat, the song announces itself as a pulse-raiser, a record that feels like love itself: impossible to ignore, impossible to sit still through.
Background
By the mid-1960s, The Supremes were the most successful female vocal group in history, and Motown’s assembly line was moving at full speed. Written and produced by the legendary Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit, where magic seemed to happen daily. Yet this track stood out. Instead of the smooth romance of earlier hits, it leaned into tension and momentum, mirroring the emotional impatience of falling hard for someone you can’t quite have. It climbed into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, proving audiences were ready for something bolder.
What makes “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” special is how it breaks character—in the best way. The groove is fast, almost frantic, driven by Benny Benjamin’s relentless drumming and James Jamerson’s elastic bass lines. Over that, Diana Ross delivers one of her most animated vocals, sounding breathless and slightly unhinged, as if the feeling might spill over at any moment. That sense of urgency was intentional. Insiders have long noted that Motown wanted to showcase the group’s versatility—this wasn’t just glamour; this was raw feeling dressed in pop precision 🔥🎶.
Introduction
There’s also a little-known insight that adds depth for longtime fans: this record hinted at Motown’s coming evolution. As social change accelerated in America, the label’s sound subtly shifted toward more energy, more edge, and more realism. In that way, the song feels prophetic—bridging the innocence of early ’60s pop with the drive and complexity that would define the late decade. For many listeners who grew up with Motown on the radio, that beat instantly brings back memories of car dashboards, transistor radios, and dance floors packed tight 💃🖤.
Nearly sixty years later, “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart” remains a reminder of why The Supremes mattered—and still do. It’s a song about love you can’t ignore, delivered by a group at the height of its powers, capturing a moment when American music—and American life—was moving fast and feeling everything at once.
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
The love bug done bit meDidn’t mean for him to get meWhoo!Get up in the morning, and I’m filled with desireNo, no, I can’t stop the fireLove is a real live wireOoh, it’s a burning sensation far beyond imaginationLove is like an itching in my heartTearing it all apartJust an itching in my heartAnd baby, I can’t scratch itKeeps me sighing(Ooh, ooh, ooh) keeps me cryingKeeps me yearning(keeps me burning) no, mama can’t help me (keeps me sighing)(Keeps me crying) no, daddy can’t help meI’ve been bitten by the love bugAnd I need some information to help me out of this situationNow when you’re ill, you take a pillWhen you’re thirsty, drink your fillWhat you gonna do, oh yeahWhen love gets a hold, a hold on you?Love is like an itching in my heartAnd baby, I can’t scratch itLove is a nagging irritation causing my heart complicationLove is a growing infection and I don’t know the correctionGot me rocking and a-reeling, and I can’t shake the feelingLove is like an itching in my heartTearing it all apartJust an itching in my heartAnd baby, I can’t scratch itKeeps me sighing (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)Keeps me cryingKeeps me yearning, keeps me burningKeeps me tossing, keeps me turningKeeps me yearningI’ve been bitten by the love bugAnd I need some information to help me out of this situationLove is a nagging irritation causing my heart complicationI’ve been bitten by the love bug