Baby I'm For Real
Encyclopedia
"Baby, I'm for Real" is a soul ballad
written by Marvin Gaye
and Anna Gordy Gaye
, produced by Marvin and recorded and released by American
Motown vocal group The Originals
for the Soul
label issued in 1969.
("What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
") and David Ruffin
("My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
") respectively. They also were as known for providing background vocals to some of Marvin Gaye
's late sixties recordings such as "You
" and "Chained
". But their own singles up until then had failed to generate interest. Having befriended Gaye during recording sessions, the singer promised the group that he'll find them the hit they were searching for. With music written by his wife Anna, Marvin wrote the lyrics to what would be "Baby I'm For Real". Different from most Motown recordings of the period, directed by the psychedelic soul
productions of Norman Whitfield
, the song was a return to a back-to-basics doo-wop inspired approach which was championed by Gaye, who took creative control of the recording as the song's producer. The singer would also produce another song titled "You're the One". While that song failed to chart, he pushed ahead for "...Real". Gaye had protested to Motown CEO Berry Gordy
that he wanted to produce his own material and he used the Originals to help get his point across that he can provide a hit as he eventually did for the Originals as "Baby I'm For Real" reached number one on the Billboard Top Black Singles chart
and reached number fourteen on the Pop Singles chart
,. eventually selling over a million copies and putting the Originals on the map for a brief period as recording artists. The song's success paved the way for two more successful Gaye-helmed productions: 1970's similar "The Bells
" and "We Can Make It".
, released a version of the song on single, which peaked at #53 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was taken from his 1987 album entitled 'Sherrick' for Warner Bros. Records
.
On January 22, 1999, Sherrick died at the age of 41, of unknown causes in Los Angeles, California.
sought to revive this song while recording their Takin' My Time album. Issued as the first release off that album, they also covered parts of Bloodstone
's "Natural High". The song returned to the upper reaches of the R&B charts some twenty-three years after it was first recorded, eventually peaking at number five.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
written by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye
Anna Gordy Gaye is an American songwriter and composer, known as the elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy and the first wife of soul legend Marvin Gaye, who used their troubled marriage as the focal point of his critically acclaimed 1978 effort, Here, My Dear, an album from which Gordy...
, produced by Marvin and recorded and released by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Motown vocal group The Originals
The Originals
The Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm For Real", "The Bells" and the disco classic, "Down to Love Town"...
for the Soul
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label issued in 1969.
The Originals version
By the late sixties, male vocal quintet the Originals had been recording mostly background vocals for Motown artists most notably backing up brothers Jimmy RuffinJimmy Ruffin
Jimmy Ruffin is an American soul singer, and elder brother of the late David Ruffin of The Temptations. He had several hit records between the 1960s and 1980s, the most successful being "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted."-Life:...
("What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the brokenhearted, and their struggle to overcome their sadness so that they...
") and David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
("My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
"My Whole World Ended " is the solo debut single for former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, released on Motown Records in early 1969 . The song was written by Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Pam Sawyer, and James Roach, with its melody and intro based upon the classical music piece...
") respectively. They also were as known for providing background vocals to some of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's late sixties recordings such as "You
You (Marvin Gaye song)
"You" is a 1967 single released by American singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.Released as the first single off Gaye's In the Groove album, it was written by Ivy Jo Hunter, Jack Goga and Jeffrey Bowen and produced by Hunter....
" and "Chained
Chained (Marvin Gaye song)
"Chained" is a 1968 single released by soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.Written and produced by Frank Wilson, the song, much like his previous hit, "You", directed the singer towards a grittier and funkier musical element than his previous hits....
". But their own singles up until then had failed to generate interest. Having befriended Gaye during recording sessions, the singer promised the group that he'll find them the hit they were searching for. With music written by his wife Anna, Marvin wrote the lyrics to what would be "Baby I'm For Real". Different from most Motown recordings of the period, directed by the psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul, sometimes called black rock, is a sub-genre of soul music, which mixes the characteristics of soul with psychedelic rock...
productions of Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
, the song was a return to a back-to-basics doo-wop inspired approach which was championed by Gaye, who took creative control of the recording as the song's producer. The singer would also produce another song titled "You're the One". While that song failed to chart, he pushed ahead for "...Real". Gaye had protested to Motown CEO Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
that he wanted to produce his own material and he used the Originals to help get his point across that he can provide a hit as he eventually did for the Originals as "Baby I'm For Real" reached number one on the Billboard Top Black Singles chart
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,...
and reached number fourteen on the Pop Singles chart
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...
,. eventually selling over a million copies and putting the Originals on the map for a brief period as recording artists. The song's success paved the way for two more successful Gaye-helmed productions: 1970's similar "The Bells
The Bells (The Originals song)
"The Bells" is a 1970 single recorded by The Originals for Motown Records' Soul label, produced by Marvin Gaye and co-written by Gaye, his wife Anna Gordy Gaye, Iris Gordy, and Elgie Stover.-The Originals version:...
" and "We Can Make It".
Sherrick version
Los Angeles-based R&B singer/balladeer SherrickSherrick
Sherrick was an American soul musician.-Biography:He was born F Lamonte-Smith; or Lamotte Smith in 1957 in Sacramento, California....
, released a version of the song on single, which peaked at #53 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was taken from his 1987 album entitled 'Sherrick' for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
.
On January 22, 1999, Sherrick died at the age of 41, of unknown causes in Los Angeles, California.
After 7 version
In 1992, R&B group After 7After 7
After 7 is an R&B group founded in 1988 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the siblings of popular pop and R&B singer-songwriter-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds"...
sought to revive this song while recording their Takin' My Time album. Issued as the first release off that album, they also covered parts of Bloodstone
Bloodstone
Bloodstone may refer to:*Bloodstone , an R&B, soul and funk band**Bloodstone, a 1972 album of Bloodstone*James Bond 007: Blood Stone, a 2010 James Bond video game*Ulysses Bloodstone, fictional comic character...
's "Natural High". The song returned to the upper reaches of the R&B charts some twenty-three years after it was first recorded, eventually peaking at number five.
The Originals version
- Lead and background vocals by The OriginalsThe OriginalsThe Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm For Real", "The Bells" and the disco classic, "Down to Love Town"...
: C.P. Spencer, Henry Dixon, Freddie Gorman and Walter Gaines - Additional background vocals by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
- Produced by Marvin Gaye
- Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
, Marvin Gaye (drums) and the Detroit Symphony OrchestraDetroit Symphony OrchestraThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
After 7 version
- Lead and background vocals by Melvin Edmonds, Keith Mitchell and Kevon Edmonds