William Bell, Tryin’ To Love Two | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 77th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Tryin’ To Love Two” by William Bell.   

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 77^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Tryin’ To Love Two” performed by William Bell.

“When you’re trying to love two / It sure ain’t easy to do,” William Bell (1939 – ) sings soulfully on his biggest hit, “Tryin’ To Love Two”. His assertion is correct, considering Bell is trying to manage his main squeeze and a side piece. The song appeared on Bell’s comeback album, Comin’ Back for More, released in 1977 via Mercury. “Tryin’ To Love Two” was Bell’s only top 40 hit.  Let that set in. Yes, his 1969 song, “I Forgot To Be Your Lover”, is a big deal in his catalog, but it failed to crack the top 40 (it peaked at number 45).  “Tryin’ To,” on the other hand, peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Also, “Tryin’ To” reached the top spot on the R&B songs chart. Bell wrote and produced this ‘70s gem with Paul Mitchell. 

William Bell has a gorgeous musical backdrop supporting him. It is lushly orchestrated with cool woodwinds, sophisticated strings, and articulated, exuberant brass.  Also, the rhythm section is locked in with an epic bass line, organ, and guitar. The groove cooks while the instrumental riffs are sickening. Meanwhile, Bell delivers buttery smooth vocals, specifically in the verses. “I got a soman at home / That’s sweet as can be / A woman on the outside / Crazy about me,” he sings, adding, “I’m caught in the middle / Of a three-way love affair / Caught up in this triangle / Can’t go nowhere.” Oh, snap! Adding insult to injury, Bell asserts, “I need to be three men in one.” The section to beat is the chorus, excerpted earlier in all its two-loving glory. Bell’s ad-libs are gritty ad-libs, steeped in southern soul. Beyond his vocals, he is assisted by gorgeous backing vocals. William Bell knows he’s dead wrong, but being dead wrong by “Tryin’ To Love Two” never sounded better than this unforgettable soul gem that screams unfaithfulness.

Various Artists // ‘70s Soul Number 1’s // UMG Recordings, Inc. // 2007

William Bell, Tryin’ To Love Two: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 77 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]