I'm in Love Again
Encyclopedia
I'm In Love Again is the sixth solo album released by singer Patti LaBelle
in late 1983. Featuring the hits "If Only You Knew
" and "Love, Need and Want You
", this album is credited with reviving the singer's career after years of chart struggles on both the pop and R&B charts.
. By 1981, she had recorded five studio albums as a solo artist starting with her self-titled debut in 1977, but failed to win a successful hit on either the pop and R&B charts. LaBelle's fifth solo album - her first release with Philadelphia International Records
, the rushed The Spirit's In It
, failed to win new fans even though she was getting rave reviews for her live performances.
By 1983, Philadelphia International and LaBelle were in the midst of searching through material to put on the singer's next release. At the time, LaBelle was working on the Broadway
play, Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
, and was also working on two more plays, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
and Working
(both would be seen on PBS), as well as filming her role on A Soldier's Story
, which would be released in 1984. LaBelle had also gained headlines when, at the end of 1981, she decided to do plastic surgery
on her nose, which she said initially was to "sing higher notes". Due to these changes, LaBelle only recorded intermittently between 1982 and 1983.
PIR assembled a list of recordings dating back to 1981 to fill in the set list of her next album. Among the most notable of the 1981 recordings was a string-laden, keyboard heavy pop ballad titled "If Only You Knew
". Kenny Gamble decided to include it on the album because he felt the song "had potential to be a really big hit". Few other inclusions were the Bunny Sigler
pop ballad, "Love, Need and Want You
" and the country
-tinged Cecil Womack
ballad, "Love Bankrupt". Prior to the album's release, LaBelle returned to Sigma Sound Studios
in 1983 to record three additional songs including the mid-tempo R&B number, "When Am I Gonna Find True Love", the synthpop
-flavored "I'll Never, Never Give Up", an early predecessor to LaBelle's later breakthrough pop hit, "New Attitude
", and a cover of the jazz standard, "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)
".
A notable song that was originally included on the set-list but then taken off was the pop ballad, "Hero
", which was recorded by LaBelle in 1982.
, peaking at number-forty and reaching number-four on the R&B albums chart, her highest to date at the time. With sales of over 500,000 copies, I'm in Love Again was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
by the end of 1984.
The album launched two singles - "If Only You Knew" and "Love, Need and Want You". The former track reached number-one on the R&B singles chart - LaBelle's first to do so, while also reaching the lower regions of the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
peaking at a respective number 46. "Love, Need and Want You" peaked at number ten on the R&B singles chart though it never crossed over to pop charts. The first song's b-side, "I'll Never, Never Give Up" was only a minor hit on the dance charts.
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
in late 1983. Featuring the hits "If Only You Knew
If Only You Knew
If Only You Knew was a single written and produced primarily by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs for American singer Patti LaBelle's sixth solo album, I'm in Love Again. It was released as the album's official first single in 1983, spending four weeks at number one on the U.S...
" and "Love, Need and Want You
Love, Need and Want You
"Love, Need and Want You" is a song recorded by Patti LaBelle, released in 1984 as the second single from her album, I'm in Love Again. The song is a mid-tempo R&B number written for LaBelle by accomplished musician Bunny Sigler and Kenny Gamble. Following the success of her breakthrough R&B hit,...
", this album is credited with reviving the singer's career after years of chart struggles on both the pop and R&B charts.
History
Patti LaBelle had endured a 20-year recording career, full of marginal highs and lows, only achieving major success once, as lead singer of the pop-funk trio LabelleLabelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
. By 1981, she had recorded five studio albums as a solo artist starting with her self-titled debut in 1977, but failed to win a successful hit on either the pop and R&B charts. LaBelle's fifth solo album - her first release with Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:...
, the rushed The Spirit's In It
The Spirit's in It
The Spirit's in It is a 1981 album released by singer Patti LaBelle. The album was her first release off Philadelphia International Records after coming off a four-year contract with Epic Records and four studio albums...
, failed to win new fans even though she was getting rave reviews for her live performances.
By 1983, Philadelphia International and LaBelle were in the midst of searching through material to put on the singer's next release. At the time, LaBelle was working on the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play, Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance is a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew, with music and lyrics by Alex Bradford and a book by Vinnette Carroll, who also directed...
, and was also working on two more plays, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is a 1975 experimental play by Ntozake Shange. Initially staged in California, it has been performed Off-Broadway and on Broadway, and adapted as a book, a television film, and a theatrical film...
and Working
Working (musical)
Working is a musical with a book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, music by Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, and James Taylor, and lyrics by Schwartz, Carnelia, Grant, Taylor, and Susan Birkenhead....
(both would be seen on PBS), as well as filming her role on A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II...
, which would be released in 1984. LaBelle had also gained headlines when, at the end of 1981, she decided to do plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
on her nose, which she said initially was to "sing higher notes". Due to these changes, LaBelle only recorded intermittently between 1982 and 1983.
PIR assembled a list of recordings dating back to 1981 to fill in the set list of her next album. Among the most notable of the 1981 recordings was a string-laden, keyboard heavy pop ballad titled "If Only You Knew
If Only You Knew
If Only You Knew was a single written and produced primarily by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs for American singer Patti LaBelle's sixth solo album, I'm in Love Again. It was released as the album's official first single in 1983, spending four weeks at number one on the U.S...
". Kenny Gamble decided to include it on the album because he felt the song "had potential to be a really big hit". Few other inclusions were the Bunny Sigler
Bunny Sigler
Walter "Bunny" Sigler is a pop and R&B songwriter and record producer who has done extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and who was instrumental in creating the "Philly Sound" in the early 1970s. He is nicknamed "Mr...
pop ballad, "Love, Need and Want You
Love, Need and Want You
"Love, Need and Want You" is a song recorded by Patti LaBelle, released in 1984 as the second single from her album, I'm in Love Again. The song is a mid-tempo R&B number written for LaBelle by accomplished musician Bunny Sigler and Kenny Gamble. Following the success of her breakthrough R&B hit,...
" and the country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
-tinged Cecil Womack
Cecil Womack
In 1983, under the name of Womack & Womack, Cecil and Linda released a successful album, Love Wars, and continued to make albums until 1993. Their song "Love Wars" was covered by The Beautiful South for the 1990 compilation Rubáiyát. Their most successful single was "Teardrops" in 1988.-Albums:*...
ballad, "Love Bankrupt". Prior to the album's release, LaBelle returned to Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios is an American music recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia in 1968.Located at 212 N. 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was the second studio in the country to offer 24-track recording and the first in the country to use console...
in 1983 to record three additional songs including the mid-tempo R&B number, "When Am I Gonna Find True Love", the synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
-flavored "I'll Never, Never Give Up", an early predecessor to LaBelle's later breakthrough pop hit, "New Attitude
New Attitude (song)
"New Attitude" is a song performed by Patti LaBelle and written by Sharon Teresa Robinson, Jon Gilutin, and Bunny Hull. It was released in January 1985 and helped launch LaBelle's solo career as a pop music singer after the singer had spent seven years without a hit following the break-up of...
", and a cover of the jazz standard, "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)
Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)
"Lover Man " is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. Holiday's version reached #5 on the R&B chart and #16 on pop...
".
A notable song that was originally included on the set-list but then taken off was the pop ballad, "Hero
Wind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...
", which was recorded by LaBelle in 1982.
Reception
I'm In Love Again was released in November 1983. The album received critical success and later commercial success after the album became LaBelle's first to chart the top 40 of the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, peaking at number-forty and reaching number-four on the R&B albums chart, her highest to date at the time. With sales of over 500,000 copies, I'm in Love Again was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
by the end of 1984.
The album launched two singles - "If Only You Knew" and "Love, Need and Want You". The former track reached number-one on the R&B singles chart - LaBelle's first to do so, while also reaching the lower regions of the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
peaking at a respective number 46. "Love, Need and Want You" peaked at number ten on the R&B singles chart though it never crossed over to pop charts. The first song's b-side, "I'll Never, Never Give Up" was only a minor hit on the dance charts.
Track listing
- "I'm in Love Again" (Bunny SiglerBunny SiglerWalter "Bunny" Sigler is a pop and R&B songwriter and record producer who has done extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and who was instrumental in creating the "Philly Sound" in the early 1970s. He is nicknamed "Mr...
) (5:38) - "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)"Lover Man " is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. Holiday's version reached #5 on the R&B chart and #16 on pop...
" (Jimmy Davis, Ram RamirezRam RamirezRoger J. Ramirez was a Puerto Rican born jazz pianist and composer. He was a co-writer of the song "Lover Man ".-Discography :* Ram Ramirez: Live in Harlem...
, Jimmy Sherman) (4:05) - "Love, Need and Want YouLove, Need and Want You"Love, Need and Want You" is a song recorded by Patti LaBelle, released in 1984 as the second single from her album, I'm in Love Again. The song is a mid-tempo R&B number written for LaBelle by accomplished musician Bunny Sigler and Kenny Gamble. Following the success of her breakthrough R&B hit,...
" (Bunny Sigler, Kenny Gamble) (4:58) - "If Only You KnewIf Only You KnewIf Only You Knew was a single written and produced primarily by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs for American singer Patti LaBelle's sixth solo album, I'm in Love Again. It was released as the album's official first single in 1983, spending four weeks at number one on the U.S...
" (Dexter WanselDexter WanselDexter Gilman Wansel is an American keyboardist, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records. Wansel led the musical group, Yellow Sunshine...
, Cynthia Biggs, Kenny Gamble) (4:45) - "Body Language" (Harold Payne, Pete Luboff, Pat Luboff) (4:45)
- "I'll Never, Never Give Up" (Stephanie Huff) (5:20)
- "Love Bankrupt" (Cecil WomackCecil WomackIn 1983, under the name of Womack & Womack, Cecil and Linda released a successful album, Love Wars, and continued to make albums until 1993. Their song "Love Wars" was covered by The Beautiful South for the 1990 compilation Rubáiyát. Their most successful single was "Teardrops" in 1988.-Albums:*...
, Linda WomackLinda WomackLinda Womack , also known as Zeriiya Zekkariyas, is an American singer and songwriter.Womack is the daughter of Sam Cooke, and with her husband Cecil Womack has had a successful recording career under the name Womack & Womack. Their first album Love Wars proved a critical hit on the Elektra label. ...
) (4:32) - "When Am I Gonna Find True Love" (Charles B. Simmons, Richard Roebuck) (4:24)