If You Don't Know Me by Now (feat. Teddy Pendergrass)

Teddy Pendergrass sang lead here. He was the drummer for the group but took over vocals when their original lead singer left. The Blue Notes had been around for a while, and Harold Melvin was the only original member, which prompted the name change to Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. This was their first hit, and many people assumed Pendergrass was Harold Melvin, something Melvin didn't appreciate. Pendergrass did well as a solo artist after leaving the group in 1976, scoring hits with "Close The Door" and "Two Hearts" (with Stephanie Mills). A car accident in 1982 left him partially paralyzed.

This was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who were architects of the Philadelphia Soul sound. They credit their marital problems with allowing them to write such a heart-rending song.

Gamble and Huff would bring a notebook filled with potential song titles into their songwriting sessions, and they found a great hook in this one, which was the starting point for the song. They explained to Terry Gross in an interview on NPR that the song expressed a common sentiment - your lady doesn't seem to understand you, and you feel like "if you don't know me by now, you never will."