Songfacts®:

• The Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote this innocent song about teenage love, which was one of 14 US Top 10 hits for The Supremes.
  
  Explaining how the trio wrote to NME in 1984, Lamont Dozier said: "I would collaborate with Eddie on lyrics and with Brian on melodies. Then Brian and I would go into the studio and produce the actual record although Eddie should have been put down as one of the producers because he helped teach the artists the tune when the lyric was finished."
• According to Lamont Dozier, this song was about "my first love who I never really got over." Dozier says many of the songs he wrote with Motown were inspired by her.
• This was the follow-up to "Where Did Our Love Go," The Supremes breakout hit and first #1 in America. That song mentions the word "baby" 68 times, so its fitting that their next single had that word in the title.
  
  "Baby Love" was released on September 17, 1964, while "Where Did Our Love Go" was still on the charts. Their next three singles, "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again" all reached the top spot. All five songs were written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team.
  
  Berry Gordy required the songwriters to punch a clock when they came in and left for work at Motown, which is something he learned working for Ford. The H-D-H team was especially proficient, often completing two or three songs a day.
• Diana Ross didn't have a huge voice, but she could "Oooooh" like no other, which she did on "Where Did Our Love Go." The first version of this song didn't have her oohing, so label head Berry Gordy sent the team back to the studio, where Ross did an extended "ooh-ooh-ooooh-oooooh" that kicked off her vocal.
• The stomping percussion really did involve stomping, which was also done on "Where Did Our Love Go." Combined with hand claps and echo, it became a signature sound of early Supremes recordings.
• Motown gave this song a big push in the UK, where The Supremes were sent to tour starting on October 7, 1964. On October 15, they performed the song on the popular program Top Of The Pops, and near the end of the tour made an appearance with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. On November 25, the song hit #1 on the UK chart, making The Supremes the first Motown group and the first girl group to reach #1 in that territory. It was their only UK #1, as the rest of their career was focused on America. Then second Motown act to hit #1 in the UK was The Four Tops with "Reach Out I'll Be There" in 1966.
• Musicians on this track included Earl Van Dyke on piano, James Jamerson on bass and Jack Ashford on vibraphone.
• This song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1965; it lost to Nancy Wilson's "How Glad I Am."
• When this song went to #1 in the US, The Supremes became the first Motown act with two #1 hits. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• This song appeared in the following movies:
  Glory Road (2006)
  Stepmom (1998)
  Jackie Brown (1997)
  The War (1994)
  Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
  Cooley High (1975)
  
  It was also used in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, Murphy Brown, Cold Case, Moonlighting and The Vampire Diaries.
• A musician named Lorenzo Pack filed a lawsuit against Motown in 1966, claiming the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team based "Baby Love" on his 1962 song "I'm Afraid." Pack had little evidence to support his assertion, and Motown won the lawsuit. The testimony, however, revealed some insights on this song, as Brian Holland told the court: "When we write a song, we try to express real feelings about a real situation. In writing the song for The Supremes it was obvious that we were writing for pretty young girls, of whom one is the so-called lead singer. Therefore, in writing 'Baby Love,' we pictured a simple story about a girl whose boyfriend has left her and who loves him very dearly and who would like the boy to come back. The music fits this simple story."
• In August of 1974, this song was reissued in Britain, where it reached UK #12. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Jerro - New Alexandria, PA, for above 2