"I Need Love" is the second single from LL Cool J's second album, Bigger and Deffer. The single reached number 1 on the Hot Black Singles and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 while becoming one of the first rap songs to enjoy mainstream popularity in the UK, rising to number 8 in the UK Singles Chart. The single won a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Single in 1988 Soul Train Music Awards. The song was listed as number 13 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs.
Track listing A-side "I Need Love" – 5:23
B-side "I Need Love" (edit) – 4:15 "My Rhyme Ain't Done" – 3:45
Charts
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for "I Need Love" Chart (1987) Peakposition US Billboard Hot Black Singles1
Year-end charts +1987 year-end chart performance for "I Need Love" Chart (1987) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) 63 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 33 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 29UK Singles (OCC)97US Hot Crossover Singles (Billboard) 17
Sampling The music, both melody and beats, were lifted from an instrumental titled "Zoraida's Heartbeat" (1984) by the Brooklyn songwriter Jayson Dyall.
References