House music isn't just about a four-on-the-floor beat. It's about a feeling. When you hear the opening notes of Ten City Thats The Way Love Is, you aren't just listening to a track from 1989; you're stepping into a time machine that lands right in the middle of Chicago’s soul. It’s raw. It’s gospel-infused. It is, quite literally, the blueprint for how dance music found its heart.
People often forget how radical this sound was. Back then, electronic music was getting colder, more industrial. Then Ten City showed up with Byron Stingily’s soaring falsetto and basically told the world that the dance floor was a place for spiritual healing. If you've ever lost yourself in a club at 3 AM, you owe a debt to this song.
The Chicago Roots of Ten City Thats The Way Love Is
Chicago was a pressure cooker of creativity in the late eighties. You had the Warehouse, you had Ron Hardy at the Music Box, and you had a group of guys—Byron Stingily, Marshall Jefferson, and Byron Burke—who wanted to prove that house music could have the sophisticated arrangements of a Philly Soul record. They weren't just "button pushers." These guys were musicians.
The production on Ten City Thats The Way Love Is is actually quite complex when you strip it down. Marshall Jefferson, often called the Godfather of House, brought a certain "fatness" to the low end that defined the era. But it was the arrangement that killed. It didn't rely on cheap loops. It used real instrumentation, or at least the convincing emulation of it, to create a lush, orchestral atmosphere.
Honestly, the track feels alive. It breathes. Most modern EDM is gridded to death, perfectly aligned to a digital clock until it loses its pulse. This record has "swing." You can feel the human hand behind the mixer. Stingily’s voice, influenced heavily by Sylvester and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, reaches notes that most male vocalists wouldn't dare attempt. He wasn't just singing lyrics; he was testifying.
The Atlantic Records Gamble
It’s easy to look back and think this was a guaranteed hit. It wasn't. Major labels were terrified of house music. They thought it was a fad, a weird offshoot of disco that would die in the basements of Illinois. Atlantic Records took a massive swing by signing Ten City.
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When Ten City Thats The Way Love Is hit the charts, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It even crossed over into the UK Top 10. This was a pivotal moment. It proved that "Black dance music" wasn't just for underground clubs—it was global pop potential. But it didn't sell out its soul to get there. It kept the grit.
Why the Message Matters More Than the Beat
"That's the way love is / Sometimes it brings you joy, sometimes it brings you sadness."
Simple? Sure. But look at the context. The late eighties were a heavy time. The AIDS crisis was devastating the club community. Economic shifts were hollowing out urban centers. In the midst of that, a song comes out that acknowledges both the joy and the pain of love. It wasn't toxic positivity. It was a realistic, soulful observation of the human condition.
Ten City wasn't just making "dance" music; they were making "message" music. If you listen to the lyrics of Ten City Thats The Way Love Is, it’s a cautionary tale and a celebration wrapped into one. It tells you to hold on. It tells you that the fluctuations of emotion are natural. That’s why it stayed relevant. A track about a cool synth sound gets dated in three years. A track about the universal struggle of the heart lasts forever.
The 2021 Resurgence and the Louie Vega Factor
Fast forward thirty years. Most legacy acts are content to sit on their royalties. Not Byron Stingily. In 2021, Ten City returned with a fresh version of their classic, produced alongside the legendary Louie Vega.
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Some purists were worried. Why touch perfection? But the "Masters at Work" veteran understood the assignment. He didn't try to turn it into a modern dubstep monster. He polished the edges, deepened the groove, and let Stingily’s voice—which has aged like a fine bourbon—take center stage. This version earned a Grammy nomination. Think about that. A song originally released in 1989 was still considered "Best Dance/Electronic Recording" material in the 2020s.
This isn't just nostalgia. It's a testament to the songwriting. If you can play a song on an acoustic guitar and it still works, it's a good song. If you can play Ten City Thats The Way Love Is with just a piano and a vocal, it’s still a masterpiece.
The Technical Brilliance You Might Have Missed
Let's talk about the mix. If you listen to the original 12-inch version, notice the placement of the percussion. The tambourine isn't just a background noise; it’s driving the energy. The bassline is melodic, almost like something James Jamerson would have played at Motown, but filtered through a Roland TB-303 or a DX7.
- The Vocal Layering: Stingily’s harmonies aren't just doubled. They are stacked in a way that mimics a full gospel choir.
- The String Sweeps: They provide a cinematic quality that was rare for house music at the time.
- The Arrangement: It builds. It doesn't just start at 100%. It introduces elements slowly, teasing the listener before the full hook drops.
Most people just dance. They don't realize they are listening to a masterclass in tension and release. The song is a lesson in patience. It’s about the journey to the chorus, not just the chorus itself.
How to Experience Ten City Today
If you’re new to this, don't just stream the radio edit on a tiny phone speaker. You’re doing yourself a disservice. Find the extended club mix. Put on a pair of decent headphones or, better yet, find a club with a real sound system like a Funktion-One or a vintage Klipschorn setup.
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You need to feel the air move. Ten City Thats The Way Love Is was engineered for big rooms. It was designed to fill the gaps between people, to create a sense of unity.
Check out these specific versions for a full education:
- The Steve "Silk" Hurley Remix: A lesson in how to make a track even "clubbier" without losing the soul.
- The 2021 Louie Vega Remix: For a modern, high-fidelity take.
- The Deep House Mix: If you want to hear the darker, more atmospheric side of the track.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Lovers
To truly appreciate why Ten City Thats The Way Love Is remains a pillar of the genre, you should look beyond the surface.
Support the Legends
Byron Stingily is still active. Follow him. Buy the vinyl. Don't just rely on algorithms to tell you what's good. The history of house music is being erased by "content creators" who don't know who Marshall Jefferson is. Don't be that person.
Analyze the Songwriting
If you're a producer or a songwriter, study the bridge. Notice how the chords shift to create a sense of longing. It’s not just a loop; it’s a composition. Try to emulate that sense of "swing" in your own work.
Understand the Geography
Research the Chicago house scene of the late 80s. Read books like Last Night a DJ Saved My Life. Understanding the social conditions that birthed this music—the struggle, the late-night sanctuary of the clubs—makes the lyrics of "That's The Way Love Is" hit ten times harder.
House music is a broad church, but Ten City is the high altar. Their work reminds us that electronic music isn't just about machines. It’s about the human spirit trying to find a way to express itself through those machines. That’s the way love is. It’s messy, it’s beautiful, and it’s best shared on a crowded dance floor at four in the morning.