| Baby I Love You | |
| Cover: | Aretha franh (2).jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Aretha Franklin |
| Album: | Aretha Arrives |
| B-Side: | Goin' Down Slow |
| Released: | July 1, 1967 |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | Atlantic |
| Producer: | Jerry Wexler |
| Prev Title: | Respect |
| Prev Year: | 1967 |
| Next Title: | (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman |
| Next Year: | 1967 |
"Baby I Love You" is a popular song by R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The only single release from her Aretha Arrives album in 1967, the song was a huge hit, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and spending two weeks at number-one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. In the UK, the song rose to number 39 in August 1967, spending four weeks on the chart.[2] It was featured in Martin Scorsese's 1990 film Goodfellas.[3] A live performance appears on the album Aretha in Paris (1968).
Georgian songwriter Ronnie Shannon, newly arrived in Detroit, met Franklin's husband and manager Ted White by chance at a barbershop.[4] White requested Shannon write some songs specifically for Franklin. Shannon delivered "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" and "Baby I Love You"—two tremendous successes.[5]
Billboard described the single as a "driving rocker" that is "brought to life in this electric performance by Miss Franklin."[6]
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
"Baby I Love You" has been covered by others, including Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.