"If You Really Love Me" is a song written by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

and

Syreeta Wright Syreeta Wright (born Rita Wright, February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), known mononymously as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs ...

. Wonder recorded the song and released his version as a single from his 1971 album '' Where I'm Coming From''. The single peaked in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (number 8), ''Billboard''′s R&B chart (number 4), and ''Billboard''′s Easy Listening chart (number 10).

Background

The song was one of the last to feature Motown's background band

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

. After its release, Wonder left the

Hitsville USA "Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters and recording studio. The house (formerly a photographers' studio) is located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit near the New Center area of the city. Motown founder B ...

studios to record in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, playing most of the instruments himself. Wonder played Moog bass synthesizer, drums, and piano on "If You Really Love Me", while Wright is featured in the background singing. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of it that "Wonder, via superb use of dynamics and fine mood changes will bring this tune to national attention."

Personnel

– lead and background vocals; arrangement, instrumentation; production *

– background vocals *

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

– instrumentation *

David Van De Pitte David J. Van De Pitte (October 28, 1941 – August 9, 2009) was an American music arranger and bass player. He is best known for his work at Motown Records during the 1960s and early 1970s, when he was responsible for arranging many of the ...

– arrangement

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* Stevie Wonder songs 1971 singles Songs written by Stevie Wonder Songs written by Syreeta Wright Motown singles Tamla Records singles 1971 songs {{1970s-single-stub