I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby
Encyclopedia
"I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" is a song written, produced and recorded by Barry White
. Considering how successful it would end up being, it would probably come as a surprise that, for many years, White had little to no interest in a recording career. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he built up a good resume as an arranger/producer and songwriter for singers Felice Taylor
and Viola Wills
and in 1972, White found great commercial success on the U.S. Pop
and R&B charts with "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)", a song he wrote, arranged and made a brief, non-singing cameo on that was recorded by the female vocal trio Love Unlimited
and released by the MCA
-owned label, Uni Records
.
White's relationship with Uni would soon sour due to the departure of label-head Russ Regan
. With Love Unlimited still contract-bound to Uni, White decided to work with another artist, specifically a male one. He recorded three song demos of himself singing and playing the piano. White had a feeling that one of the songs, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", would be a good song to record himself. Initially hesitant to tell his business partner, Larry Nunes, about the song, White eventually changed his mind and told Nunes about "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", as well as the other two songs. Nunes was greatly impressed and urged White to re-record and release them as a recording artist. It would take two months but eventually Nunes convinced White to do it and White secured a recording deal with 20th Century Records
through Russ Regan. White was still hesitating up to the time the label copy was made and even considered releasing the record under the name "White Heat", but he was talked out of that, as well. Appearing with White on the recording session for the song were guitarists Ray Parker Jr.
, Wah Wah Watson, Dean Parks
, and David T. Walker
; drummer Ed Greene; bassists Wilton Felder
of the Crusaders
and Nathan East
; and vibes player Gary Coleman. Released in the spring of 1973 as the first single
from his 1973 debut album
I've Got So Much to Give
, the song was a #1 hit on the U.S. R&B
chart for two weeks, peaked at number three on the Billboard Pop Singles
chart and reached #23 on the UK singles chart
. The single was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
Samples of the song have been used in numerous hip hop
recordings over the years by artists such as Big Daddy Kane
, De La Soul
, Eric B & Rakim, Ghostface Killah
, L.L. Cool J, N.W.A.
, Nas
, Mos Def
, and Too Short. The track is featured in Liam Howlett
's Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1 DJ-mix album. It has appeared in the films, "Love Serenade
", "High Fidelity
", "Kissing Jessica Stein
" and "Bringing Down the House
". It was used in the season seven "Friends" episode, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" and in the season one "Cold Case" episode, "The Runner". It was spoofed by Sesame Street
in a musical skit with Cookie Monster (backed up by the Crumbs Unlimited Orchestra) as "Me going to Munch You Munch You Munch You".
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
. Considering how successful it would end up being, it would probably come as a surprise that, for many years, White had little to no interest in a recording career. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he built up a good resume as an arranger/producer and songwriter for singers Felice Taylor
Felice Taylor
Felice Taylor is an African American singer best known for her recordings in the late 1960s.-Life and career:...
and Viola Wills
Viola Wills
Viola Wills was an American pop singer, best known for the 1979 UK Singles Chart #8 and U.S. Hot Dance Club Play #52 hit, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now". Other hits included further covers of the songs, "Both Sides Now" , and "If You Could Read My Mind" Viola Wills (December 30,...
and in 1972, White found great commercial success on the U.S. Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and R&B charts with "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)", a song he wrote, arranged and made a brief, non-singing cameo on that was recorded by the female vocal trio Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White’s future wife, Glodean James, her sister, Linda James, and...
and released by the MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
-owned label, Uni Records
Uni Records
Uni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...
.
White's relationship with Uni would soon sour due to the departure of label-head Russ Regan
Russ Regan
Russ Regan is a long-time record executive who was President of both UNI Records, and 20th Century Records. Regan also worked at Motown among other companies. He started with Berry Gordy at Motown and promoted many artists including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson...
. With Love Unlimited still contract-bound to Uni, White decided to work with another artist, specifically a male one. He recorded three song demos of himself singing and playing the piano. White had a feeling that one of the songs, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", would be a good song to record himself. Initially hesitant to tell his business partner, Larry Nunes, about the song, White eventually changed his mind and told Nunes about "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", as well as the other two songs. Nunes was greatly impressed and urged White to re-record and release them as a recording artist. It would take two months but eventually Nunes convinced White to do it and White secured a recording deal with 20th Century Records
20th Century Records
20th Century Fox Records, also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, was a subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox.-History:It began in 1958 as 20th Fox Records. In 1963, 20th Fox Records became 20th Century-Fox Records...
through Russ Regan. White was still hesitating up to the time the label copy was made and even considered releasing the record under the name "White Heat", but he was talked out of that, as well. Appearing with White on the recording session for the song were guitarists Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...
, Wah Wah Watson, Dean Parks
Dean Parks
Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...
, and David T. Walker
David T. Walker
David T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
; drummer Ed Greene; bassists Wilton Felder
Wilton Felder
Wilton Lewis Felder is both a saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of The Crusaders, initially called the Jazz Crusaders. Felder, Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper founded the group while in high school in Houston...
of the Crusaders
The Crusaders
The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970s known for their amalgamated jazz, pop and soul sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group , 19 of which were recorded under the name "The Jazz Crusaders" .-History:In 1960, following the demise of a...
and Nathan East
Nathan East
Nathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
; and vibes player Gary Coleman. Released in the spring of 1973 as the first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from his 1973 debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
I've Got So Much to Give
I've Got So Much to Give (album)
I've Got So Much to Give is the self-produced debut album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in 1973 on the 20th Century label. The album immediately marked out White's distinctive trademark sound , particularly via its breakout single "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More...
, the song was a #1 hit on the U.S. R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart for two weeks, peaked at number three on the Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and reached #23 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The single was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
Samples of the song have been used in numerous hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
recordings over the years by artists such as Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Eric B & Rakim, Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
, L.L. Cool J, N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
, and Too Short. The track is featured in Liam Howlett
Liam Howlett
Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett , is a member of the English band The Prodigy, occasional DJ, and a music producer.-Life and career:...
's Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1 DJ-mix album. It has appeared in the films, "Love Serenade
Love Serenade
Love Serenade is a 1996 Australian feature film directed by Shirley Barrett. It is a comedy film which has the tagline: "Two sisters will do anything to hook the right man."...
", "High Fidelity
High Fidelity (film)
High Fidelity is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack and the Danish actress Iben Hjejle. The film is based on the 1995 British novel of the same name by Nick Hornby, with the setting moved from London to Chicago and the name of the lead character...
", "Kissing Jessica Stein
Kissing Jessica Stein
Kissing Jessica Stein is a 2001 independent romantic comedy film, written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen. The film also stars Tovah Feldshuh and is directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld...
" and "Bringing Down the House
Bringing Down the House (film)
Bringing Down the House is a 2003 American romantic comedy film, written by Jason Filardi and directed by Adam Shankman. The film stars Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.-Plot:...
". It was used in the season seven "Friends" episode, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" and in the season one "Cold Case" episode, "The Runner". It was spoofed by Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
in a musical skit with Cookie Monster (backed up by the Crumbs Unlimited Orchestra) as "Me going to Munch You Munch You Munch You".