Baby I Need Your Loving

Album: The Four Tops (1964)
Charted: 11
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  • (Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh, uh)
    (Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh, uh)
    (Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh, uh)

    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Although you're never near
    Your voice I often hear
    Another day, 'nother night
    I long to hold you tight
    'Cause I'm so lonely

    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all your lovin'
    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all you lovin'

    Some say it's a sign of weakness
    For a man to beg
    Then weak I'd rather be
    If it means having you to keep
    'Cause lately I've been losing sleep

    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all your lovin'
    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all you lovin'

    Empty nights echo your name
    Whoa, sometimes I wonder
    Will I ever be the same?
    Oh yeah!

    When you see me smiling, you know
    Things have gotten worse
    Any smile you might see
    Has all been rehearsed
    Darling, I can't go on without you
    This emptiness won't let me live without you
    This loneliness inside, darling
    Makes me feel half alive

    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all your lovin'
    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all your lovin'
    Baby, I need your lovin'
    Got to have all your lovin' Writer/s: Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Dozier
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1970 {September 10th} O.C. Smith was a guest on the nationally syndicated weekday-afternoon television program, 'The Mike Douglas Show'...
    At the time his covered version of "Baby, I Need Your Loving" was at position #86 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, five weeks later it would peak at #52, the following week it remained at #52 and that was also it's tenth and final week on the Top 100...
    It reached #21 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and #30 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart...
    Between 1968 and 1987 the Mansfield, Louisiana native had fifteen records on the Hot R&B Singles chart, two made the Top 10, "Little Green Apples" {#2* for 2 weeks in 1968} and "Daddy's Little Man" {#9 in 1969}...
    O.C. Smith, born Ocie Lee Smith, passed away at the age of 69 on November 23rd,2001 {heart attack}...
    May he R.I.P.
    * The two weeks that "Little Green Apples" was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud (Part 1)" by James Brown...
    In addition, "Little Green Apples" also peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Top 100 chart, the week it was at #2, "Hey Jude" by the Beatles was in the top spot...
  • Barry from Sauquoit, Ny"Baby, I Need Your Lovin'" was the Tops' first charted record...
    Between 1964 and 1988 the quartet had forty-three Top 100 records; seven* made the Top 10 with two reaching #1, "I Can't Help Myself" for 2 weeks in 1965 and "Reach Out I'll Be There" for 2 weeks n 1966...
    Sadly, three of the four have passed away; Levi Stubbs {1936 - 2008}, Renaldo 'Obie' Benson {1936- 2005}, & Lawrence Payton {1938 - 1997} while Abdul 'Duke' Fakir will celebrate his 82nd birthday on December 26th {2017}...
    * They just missed having ten Top 10 records when three peaked at #11, this one in 1964, "Still Water (Love)" {1970}, and "When She Was My Girl" {1981}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 19th 1967, the Johnny Rivers performed "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
    At the time the song was at #5 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; the week before it was in its second of two weeks at #3...
    {See 3rd post below}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 28th 1965, the Four Tops performed "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'" and "Ask The Lonely" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
    Eleven day earlier they performed both songs on the Los Angeles-based syndicated TV program 'Shivaree'...
    (See next post below)...
    R.I.P. Jimmy O'Neill (Shindig's host, 1940 - 2013).
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 17th 1965, the Four Tops performed "Baby I Need Your Loving" on the Los Angeles-based syndicated TV program 'Shivaree'...
    Eight months earlier on August 9th, 1964 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #90; and on September 27th, 1964 it peaked at #11 (for 1 week) and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100...
    On the same appearance they also performed "Ask The Lonely" (personally my favorite Tops' record, it reached #24 on the Top 100 and #9 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart).
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 5th 1967, "Baby I Need Your Loving" by Johnny Rivers peaked at #3 (for 2 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on January 29th at position #81 and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100 (and for 5 of those 11 weeks it was on the Top 10)...
    Was track one of side one from his 2nd studio album, 'Rewind', and the album reached #14 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart...
    One other track from the album also made the Top 100, "The Tracks of My Tears", it peaked at #10 on the chart...
    The Four Tops' original version peaked at #11 (for 1 week) on the Top 100 on September 27th, 1964...
    Mr. Rivers, born John Henry Ramistella, will celebrate his 72nd birthday this coming November 7th (2014).
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyO.C. Smith, of 'Little Green Apples' fame, covered this song in 1970 and it peaked at No. 52
  • Jeff from Austin, TxWithout a doubt, one of the finest moments in pop music history.
  • George from Louisville, KyCan anyone Top this? You know, I really don't think so.
  • Krista from Carbondale, PaThe Four Tops are the best and they'll always be classics!
  • Steve from Hastings, EnglandThe Tops were great at " from the heart " music...
    " Do what you gotta do " is a real tear jerker for me !
  • Pete from Nowra, Australiaa guy called Cal Carlton also did a great version of this
  • Andy from Arlington, VaThis is #390 on the Rolling Stone top 500 songs.
  • Mark from Lansing, Mithe lyrics you show are in johnny rivers lame remake of the song. where you show "every nights i call your name", the four tops original song actually says "empty nights echo your name", which is much more descriptive of the feeling of the song
  • Beth from Phoenix, Az"Baby I need your lovin'" can be a unisex statement and is probably sung around the world! Levi Stubbbs has the voice to melt your heart and carried this love-plea out into the world where every heart could sing along with him.Me, I'm a woman, I love Sam, and I sing it "Sammy, I need your lovin'" Beth in Phoenix
  • Edward Pearce from Ashford, Kent, EnglandOne of the songwriters Brian Holland says in the Sunday Express magazine of 29/8/04: "when I first wrote that song, it was early in the morning. I got up out of bed and I'd just got married. I was feeling very close to my wife and thought of singing "Baby I need your loving"-the phrase just entered my head. I felt she didn't really understand me so I could explain how I felt through this song."
  • Jed from Somerset. Uk, EnglandA version of the song was sung by Lisa Stansfield in the film "Swing"
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