Love Saw It
by Karyn White (featuring Babyface)

Album: Karyn White (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This romantic duet between Karyn White and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds casts the singers as love skeptics who fall for each other. Babyface wrote the tune with frequent songwriting/producing partners Antonio "L.A." Reid and Daryl Simmons. Although it was written as a duet, the team hadn't planned on pairing Babyface with White until the last minute. Simmons agreed it was the perfect choice. He told Songwriter Universe: "Karyn was great, because she was probably the first singer that could follow Kenny. She could phrase things the way that Kenny phrased it - she had the rhythm, and we were big on rhythm. We were big on making it feel good. We loved working with Karyn."
  • Babyface, who also played guitar and keyboards on the track, had no problem writing from a female perspective. He told Billboard: "In terms of writing from a woman's point of view, I think part of it comes from being heartbroken or just being totally in love. It has more to do with me growing up and being in love and getting my heart broken again and again that allows me to be able to write sentimentally at times. Some feelings stick with you always."
  • Although this didn't crack the Hot 100, this was White's third consecutive #1 hit on the R&B chart, following "The Way You Love Me" and "Superwoman."
  • "'Love Saw It' was my favorite song off of this album," White said in a 2012 SoulCulture interview. "I'm singing in this certain register and I should've been singing in this key all along. It was so cool singing in this lower tone and Face and I had such a great chemistry on the record. It was one of the last songs we finished for the album. We went in the studio and completed it so fast."

    White, however, initially had a different R&B singer in mind for her partner. "When he played me the idea for the duet, I really put my foot in my mouth by telling him O'Bryan should do the duet with me," she laughed. "Face said, 'No, I'm going to sing it with you.' I could've lost the song by saying that to him. He could've told me that he was going to save it for Whitney [Houston] or Anita [Baker] instead, but he didn't."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."