Lovin' You

Rudolph began "Lovin' You" in 1971 in Chicago, and Riperton wrote the final melody, with Rudolph writing the lyrics and bridge. It was based in part on a lullaby she sang to her daughter Maya, whose name is sung at the end of the album version only. It was recorded in 1974 at the Record Plant with Wonder on piano and Rudolph on acoustic guitar. The birdsong was either recorded by accident on the demo, by one Wikipedia page, or added by Rudolph from a sound-effects reel, by another. Epic wanted to market her as R&B, and Rudolph persuaded the label to release it. The radio edit runs 3:20 against 3:41 or 3:44 on the album, and the release date is November 29, 1974 on Wikipedia and January 18, 1975 on SoulTracks.

It reached number one on the Hot 100 on April 5, 1975 and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks; it reached number two in the United Kingdom, number three on the R&B chart, number four on the adult contemporary chart and number one in 24 other countries. It was certified gold by the RIAA on April 8, 1975 and silver by the BPI on May 1. She sang it on The Midnight Special, broadcast on July 18, 1975.

Janet Kay's 1977 reggae version, produced by Alton Ellis, was a UK reggae number one; Massivo covered it in 1990, Shanice in 1992 and Her's in 2017, and Miles Davis recorded "Minnie" on May 5, 1975, based on it. The Orb sampled it in 1989. It appears in The Nutty Professor, Vegas Vacation, South Park, Megamind, The Angry Birds Movie 2, where Maya Rudolph voices a character, and a 2025 episode of Black Mirror.