The Moments, Love On A Two-Way Street

In the 154^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Love On a Two-Way Street” by The Moments.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 154^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Love On A Two-Way Street” performed by The Moments.  

“I found love on a two-way street (Found love) / And lost it on a lonely highway (I lost love, I lost love).” Bummer! They’d become the trio Ray, Goodman & Brown, but originally, they were The Moments. The Moments are renowned for the classic, “Love On A Two-Way Street”, which is a cover 🤯. Lezli Valentine (d. 2021) originally released it in 1968. “Love” is the ninth and final track from their 1970 album, A Moment With The Moments. Sylvia Robinson (1935 – 2011) and Bert Keyes (1930 – 1987) penned it.  Notably, Willie & The Mighty Magnificents provide the musical accompaniment.  The instrumental intro, in particular, stands out (including piano, guitar, bass, drums, and strings). Notably, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys sampled the striking intro on their widely successful, Grammy-winning hit, “Empire State of Mind”. A significant pop hit in its own right, “Love On A Two-Way Street” peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Matters of the heart drive “Love On A Two-Way Street.” Duh, the keyword is L-O-V-E. “True love will never die / So I’ve been told,” the lead vocalist sings in compelling falsetto in the first verse, and continues, “But now I must cry / It is finally goodbye.” Oh, snap! In the second verse, they deliver another memorable lyric, “To be loved and fooled is a crying shame.” Facts! The refrain, excerpted earlier and appearing at the beginning and the end of the song, is the crowning achievement, detailing the loss of love. There is also a chorus, where the man encounters a similar fate. “She held me in desperation / I thought it was a revelation,” he sings, and concludes, “And then he walked out.” Those pesky, pesky matters of the heart are something else! What else is something else, in a good way, is “Love On A Two-Way Street”, which is one of the great, truly successful soul songs of the 1970s. Well-written and produced and beautifully performed, it’s not surprising this record earned gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.