I'd Love You To Want Me
by Lobo

Album: Of a Simple Man (1972)
Charted: 5 2
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Songfacts®:

  • "I'd Love You to Want Me" is written and performed by Lobo, lesser-known by his real name of Roland Kent Lavoie. The song is his highest-charting single, and is widely agreed to have been prime to move to #1 - if only it hadn't been blocked by the Johnny Nash's #1 hit "I Can See Clearly Now." What other hits were doing well at this time? "Nights in White Satin," "Witchy Woman," and "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone." All minor keys with darker themes. So "I Can See Clearly Now" was a sharp contrast to the prevailing mood at the time, and hence led the pack.
  • The original release didn't chart in the UK, but when the single was re-released in 1974, that was when it peaked the #5 position.
  • Lobo found the song's inspiration in his high school art class years before he actually wrote the lovelorn ballad. "I wanted to write the big ballad. There was a conscious effort to do that. The premise behind that was what I imagined in school. I had a really pretty art teacher," he told loBURN Magazine in 2015. "I was a high school senior and the teacher was 22. And she looked at me and I looked at her and there was a connection. That line, 'The obligation that you made, for the title that they gave,' was about that. It was the love you couldn't have. You know?"
  • Lobo, born and bred in Florida, started his young music career as a member of the band The Rumours, along with Gram Parsons - who also went on to the International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
  • Liza Minnelli covered this song for her 1973 album, The Singer. On the album charts, The Singer made #38 in the US, the best she'd ever done there, and #45 in the UK.
  • This was used on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the 2012 episode, "Tressed To Kill."

Comments: 11

  • Val from CaliforniaI have seen in a number of different sources that this song is about a teacher Lobo had a crush on when he was a high school senior and the teacher was 22. I wonder if he ever reached out to her after he graduated? At my high school there were 2 teachers who married former students. While it raised a few eyebrows, they had gotten together after the students had graduated and no longer were minors, so there was nothing unethical or illegal about it. Teacher crushes can be intense!
  • Wolfie from UsaThe Beach Boys did not provide background vocals. It was Robert John who went on to his own fame singing the soaring high parts, renowned songwriter and hitmaker Ellie Greenwch, and others.
  • Tom O from Sacramento, CaI'm still curios about who or what this song was meant to be about...especially the verse about "the obligations that you made -for the title that they gave"
    It's bugged me for years. Please shed some light. Thank you
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1972 {November 12th} "I'd Love You To Want Me" by Lobo peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} on Billboard's Top 100* chart, for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash...
    Two weeks later "I'd Love You To Want Me" reached #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    Between 1971 and 1979 the Tallahassee, Florida native had sixteen records on the Top 100 chart, three made the Top 10 with the above "I'd Love You To Want Me" being his biggest hit...
    Besides "I'd Love You To Want Me", his other two Top 10 records were "Me and You and A Dog Named Boo" {#5 for two weeks in May of 1971} and "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend" {#8 for two weeks in February of 1973}...
    Lobo, born Roland Kent, celebrated his 77th birthday four months ago on July 31st, 2020...
    * And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of Billboard's Top 10 on November 12th, 1972:
    #3. "I'll Be Around"/"How Could I Let You Get Away" by the Spinners
    #4. "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy
    #5. "Nights In White Satin" by the Moody Blues
    #6. "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" by the Temptations
    #7. "Freddie's Dead (Theme From 'Superfly')" by Curtis Mayfield
    #8. "Convention ’72" by the Delegates
    #9. 'Witchy Woman" by the Eagles
    #10. "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts
  • Mariaeleana from MichiganDid The Beach Boys sing background vocals for this song?
  • Patricia from Somerset PaI want to know what "The title that they gave' means or stands for? Please get in touch with me . I love this song and I also wonder what happened to the band?
  • Pete B. from Solihull, UkThe first record I ever bought. I love this song as much now as I did when it was released in the UK in 1974.
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenBrad, I'm listening to it on my AM Gold CD as I type this. Great song.
  • Adrian Chan from MalaysiaThe lyrics "when you move your mouth to speak, I feel the blood go through my feet" is about a student having a crush on his female teacher.
  • Azevedo from Petropolis, BrazilThis is one of my favorite rock balads. I remember the school's balls from my teen times. At that time in Brazil we had the habit of inviting a girl to dance a song together and very close. It was wonderful and romantic. I was very shy but my heart beat so fast when I listened this song a beautiful girl was near me. Without any doubt those were good times.
  • Brad from Barry, TxGreat song. I first found it on the radio, but then on Time-Life's AM Gold series.
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