Originally recorded by Limmie Snell aka Lemme B. Good (1965).
Hit versions by The Olympics (US #81 1965), The Young Rascals (US #1/CAN #1/AUS #43 1966).
From the wiki: “The song was first recorded in early 1965 by Canton, Ohio, R&B singer Limmie Snell under the name ‘Lemme B. Good’. About a month later the song was covered — with considerably rewritten lyrics — by R&B/novelty artists the Olympics, but this version was only moderately successful at best, reaching #81 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
“The tale is told that Rascal Felix Cavaliere heard the Olympics’ recording played on a New York City radio station and the group added it to their concert repertoire. Co-producer Tom Dowd captured this live feel on the recording, even though the group did not think their performance held together well.
“Divining a mixture of garage rock and white soul, the Rascals’ ‘Good Lovin” jumped out of radios with a ‘one – two – three’ count-in, high-energy instrumentation, and insistent call-and-response vocals from Cavaliere and the band.
“‘Good Lovin” is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and was ranked #325 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Writer Dave Marsh placed it at #108 in his 1989 book The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, saying it is ‘the greatest example ever of a remake surpassing the quality of an original without changing a thing about the arrangement.'”
The Olympics, “Good Lovin'” (1965):
The Young Rascals, “Good Lovin'” (1966):