Love Ballad

Album: Love To The World (1976)
Charted: 20
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This R&B burner was the first single from L.T.D.'s third album, and it was their first hit, reaching #1 on the R&B chart and #20 on the Hot 100. The song finds lead singer Jeffrey Osborne crooning about an indomitable love that some people will never understand. The song is befitting for the group, whose name stands for Love, Tenderness, and Devotion.
  • This song was written by Skip Scarborough, who did vocal arrangements for the group Creative Source (a group assembled by Ron Townson of The 5th Dimension). He wrote it at a Bermuda hotel late one night when he was suffering from jet lag-induced insomnia. Scarborough says it took him just 20 minutes to write the song.

    Scarborough made the song gender-neutral so it could be sung by either a man or a woman, and he shopped it around, finding a taker in L.T.D., whose lead singer Jeffrey Osborne had filled in on drums and vocals on some Creative Source gigs.
  • There is no traditional chorus or hook to this song, which made it difficult to title. When Skip Scarborough wrote it, he referred to it as "Love Ballad," which is what he wrote on the lyric sheet. That name stuck, even though that title never appears in the lyric.

Comments: 3

  • Gereshom144 from TexasDidn't the Temptations sing this song too?
  • Don from Sevierville, TnGeorge Benson recorded a faster version of this song in 1979. I heard his version first.
  • Bruce from Dallas, TxEvery album LTD has released shows their group name as Love TOGETHERNESS and Devotion. Where did TENDERNESS come from? A&M records listed LTD's first album with them as Love Tenderness and Devotion on SP-3047, but when the album was released, the name had changed to TOGETHERNESS on SP-3602. Can anyone explain the mixup?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."