Love And Affection

"Love And Affection" is Joan Armatrading's first and biggest hit, but she doesn't like to discuss the song. She told LaShonda Barnett in I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters and Their Craft: "It's just deeply, deeply personal, and I can't talk about it without talking about the person I wrote it for, which I never, ever do."

This was the first single by a black female British singer/songwriter to achieve major success in the UK. Armatrading was born in the West Indies in 1950, and her family then moved to England when she was 7 years old. She started writing songs as a teenager, and in the '70s she appeared in a London production of the musical Hair. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and two Brit Awards.

On this single Armatrading was backed by former members of the British folk band Fairport Convention: guitarist Jerry Donahue and drummer Dave Mattacks. The album was produced by Glyn Johns, famous for his work with Led Zeppelin, the Eagles and The Who.