The Originals, Baby, I’m For Real | Throwback Vibez

In the 62nd edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Baby, I’m For Real” by ‘Motown’s best-kept secret,’ The Originals.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 62^nd edition of Throwback Vibez ️ (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Baby, I’m For Real” performed by The Originals.

“Baby, baby, baby / You don’t have to go / Stay a little while longer baby / I wanna talk to you just a little more.” “Baby, I’m For Real” was one of the biggest hits by ‘Motown’s best-kept secret,’ The Originals. The collective, which often provided background vocals before carving out success, featured Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines C. P. Spencer, and Hank Dixon. “Baby, I’m For Real” is the third track from The Originals’ 1969 debut album, Baby I’m For Real, originally issued as Green Grow the Lilacs. The ballad peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the R&B charts. It was written by Anna Gordy Gaye (1922 – 2014) and Marvin Gaye (1939 – 1984). Gaye and Richard Morris produced it.  

“Baby, baby / You don’t understand / How much I love you, baby / And how much I wanna be your only man, oh baby.” Love, specifically, ‘real love’ is the modus operandi in “Baby, I’m For Real.”  The song features three verses and other distinct sections (chorus, bridge, and outro).  In the third verse, The Originals sing, “But if you wanna know the truth about it / Girl, I just couldn’t live without you.” Beyond super vocals, which soar as the song progresses, the instrumental is to die for.  The instrumentation arrives courtesy of The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  The orchestration is lush, particularly the strings, including the harp. Mallet percussion accentuates the sound. A gorgeous saxophone solo is another marvelous instrumental feature. One key musical touch is an inescapable riff – one of the signature riffs in the soul catalog (you know it every time you hear it). Notably, the group rerecorded the song in 1982 independently.  Ultimately, “Baby, I’m For Real” is one of soul’s ‘realest’ gems.  The Originals ‘put their foot’ into this one!

The Originals // Baby I’m For Real // Motown // 1969

The Originals, Baby, I’m For Real: Throwback Vibez ️ No. 62 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Motown; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]