About The Song
“I’d Love You to Want Me” is a soft rock ballad written and recorded by Lobo, the stage name of Roland Kent LaVoie. Released in May 1972 as the second single from his album Of a Simple Man on Big Tree Records, it became his biggest hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18, 1972, for two weeks, blocked by Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now.” It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart for two weeks, No. 5 in the UK, No. 1 in Germany for 13 weeks, and topped charts in Australia, Canada, and Switzerland. The song spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album, released in 1972, hit No. 37 on the Billboard 200.
Recorded at New York’s Electric Lady Studios in early 1972, the track was produced by Phil Gernhard, known for The Bellamy Brothers’ hits. Lobo played acoustic guitar and sang lead, backed by session musicians including Emory Gordy Jr. on bass and Wilton Felder on organ, per Rhino’s session logs. The song’s simple arrangement, with its gentle piano intro and heartfelt vocals, emphasized its yearning lyrics about unrequited love. Lobo wrote it in 1971 after a late-night inspiration, scribbling the chorus on a paper bag while driving, as he told Songfacts in 2013. Initially titled “I Love You to Want Me,” it was renamed for the single to avoid confusion, per Billboard.
Lobo, born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1943, had a prior hit with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo” (No. 5, 1971). “I’d Love You to Want Me” was inspired by his observations of complex relationships, not a specific romance, aiming for universal appeal, as noted in American Songwriter. Its success was accidental; Lobo’s European label, Philips, released it without his knowledge, sparking its German chart run, per Stereogum. The song’s popularity led to Lobo’s 1973 European tour, including a London show, and its use in a 1972 American Bandstand performance. Big Tree’s distribution deal with Atlantic boosted its US reach.
Covers include John Holt’s 1974 reggae version, Claude Morgan’s 1977 disco take (No. 1 Germany), and Dana Winner’s 2001 Dutch recording. The song appeared in TV shows like Nip/Tuck (2004) and films like An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), often as a romantic underscore. Its chord progression, analyzed on Medium, mirrors soft rock staples like Bread’s “Make It with You.” Lobo, who avoided rock star excess, recorded it during a prolific period, with three albums by 1973. The track’s B-side, “Am I True to Myself,” did not chart. Its global sales, estimated at two million by 1973 per Cash Box, cemented Lobo’s brief but impactful chart presence.
Video
Lyric
When I saw you standing there
I ‘bout fell off my chair
And when you moved your mouth to speak
I felt the floor beneath my feetNow I’d love you to want me
The way that I want you
The way that it should be
Mmm, I’d love you to want me
The way that I love you
You ought to know by nowBaby, you left me in the cold
When you said you’d never go
And when I tried to take you back
You turned around and gave me slackNow I’d love you to want me
The way that I want you
The way that it should be
Mmm, I’d love you to want me
The way that I love you
You ought to know by nowI dream of you most every night
But I’m never really out of sight
And when I try to talk to you
You turn and walk away, it’s trueNow I’d love you to want me
The way that I want you
The way that it should be
Mmm, I’d love you to want me
The way that I love you
You ought to know by now