I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby

When Barry White wrote this seductive tune from his debut album, he was working out of a small office in Los Angeles, where he dreamed up songs for other artists. He had already written and produced "It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring)" for Felice Taylor and the hit "Walkin' In The Rain With The One I Love" for Love Unlimited. He was brainstorming ideas for a male singer when the music for "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" hit him one night. He knew in his heart his own voice was right for the song, but the prospect terrified him. By the time he let his business partner, Larry Nunes, in on the secret, he had written enough material for an entire album. "What I was doing was fighting my destiny," White confessed to Billboard. "So I gave in to him. I cut the album."

This hit #1 on the R&B chart, but it was a fight to get it released. White's label, 20th Century Records, didn't like the album and thought the songs were too long. Thankfully, he had help from another artist on the roster: Elton John. Says White: "Elton John heard a dub of my album and he stole it. He took it to London and he took it home with him to convince some people that this might be the thing. And 'I'm Gonna Love You' took about six months to break."

Ray Parker Jr., who went on to write and record the Ghostbusters theme, played guitar on the track, along with Dean Parks, David T. Walker, and Wah Wah Watson. Aside from White on the piano, the rest of the crew included bassists Nathan East and Willie Felder, drummer Ed Greene, and vibraphone player Gary Coleman.