One of Minnie Riperton‘s iconic tracks, which would become a hit love song of the 1970s, has a much deeper meaning and rose the ranks to top the charts.
Born and raised in Chicago, Riperton was a notable talent from a young age, but in the ’70s, she was still trying to make her mark. Her album Come to My Garden failed to capture interest until a record deal with Epic and help from Stevie Wonder led her to a signature hit and a successful album.
“Lovin’ You” was released as part of Riperton’s Perfect Angel album in 1974 and rose on the Billboard Hot 100 chart to land at No.1. It also ranked high at No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 3 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. The track itself was thanks to songwriter and producer Richard Rudolph.
Rudolph and Riperton had met in 1967 in Chicago at the Electric Theater, where Riperton was performing at the time with her soul band, Rotary Connection. It just so happened that Rudolph was the owner, and they soon began a relationship. The couple had their son, Marc, in 1968, and their daughter in 1972.
Not many people know that actor and comedian Maya Rudolph is the daughter of the hit singer. In fact, “Lovin’ You” was written by Rudolph and Ripperton because of their daughter. Rudolph began composing the track in 1971 while they were still living in Chicago. As the couple wanted to focus more on their children, they decided to move to Florida, and Maya was born shortly after.
“I’d started messing around with ‘Lovin’ You’ in 1971, when we were living in Chicago. We went to visit some friends in Cape Cod, and one of them, Bert Malatesta—who had a great influence on me musically—encouraged me to complete it. Minnie was pregnant with our daughter, Maya, at the time,” Rudolph said, according to MixOnline.
Rudolph started to work on “Lovin’ You” again after his daughter was born and soon developed its lyrics and bridge. Riperton was the one who came up with the track’s final melody. Reports claimed Riperton had developed the melody to distract their baby daughter, hoping it would lull her to sleep, but Rudolph detailed having heard his wife humming the melody while cooking.
It was also reported that their daughter was in the studio when Riperton recorded “Lovin’ You,” and if anyone listened closely, they could hear Riperton sing her daughter’s name at the end.
“Lovin’ You” was also tied to Wonder. Having worked with the rising star before, when Riperton got a deal with Epic Records and developed her album, she asked Wonder to produce it. Wonder agreed to produce the track alongside Rudolph, but used the pseudonym El Toro Negro.
The track has since also been a part of pop culture, having appeared in The Nutty Professor, Vegas Vacation, South Park, The Wild, MegaMind, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and Black Mirror. Riperton’s iconic look of flowers in her hair and high vocal range made the song iconic.
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