The opening line was the inspiration for the song Have I Told You Lately by Van Morrison on his 1989 album Avalon Sunset.
[4][a] This version, also called simply "To Be a Lover",[b] was heavily shaped by Perry's Black Ark sound and effects and featured backing vocals from the Meditations and Mighty Diamonds.
Billy Idol was introduced to the song by the George Faith reggae version—he initially was unaware of the original William Bell release,[5] and so retained the truncated title "To Be a Lover".
He more radically transformed the song, adding a more rockabilly feel and danceable beat to its soulful underpinnings.
The "Mother of Mercy Mix" differs quite significantly from the single version; it is a harder sounding song, with a prominent heavy guitar riff by Steve Stevens dominating most of the track and an interlude with distorted female groans.