I'll Make Love To You
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"I'll Make Love to You" is a song by American R&B group
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
for the
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
label. Written and produced by Babyface, it was released on 26 July 1994 as the lead single from the group's second album, '' II'' (1994). The song was a commercial success, spending 14 weeks atop the US ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. It was also the third best performing song in the 1990s on ''Billboard'', as well as ranking on ''Billboard'' Greatest of All-Time chart. "I'll Make Love to You" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. Its accompanying music video was directed by Lionel C. Martin and received a nomination at the 1994 ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards.


Reception


Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine described "I'll Make Love to You" as a "sweeping pop/R&B
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
". He wrote further, "Silky harmonies waft over a well-measured arrangement chock-ful of bright, glistening synths and soft-yet-punctuating percussion. Lovely sing-along chorus initially will remind many of past glories, but single ultimately will provide a refreshing cool breeze to any of numerous radio formats it graces." Troy J. Augusto from ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' named it Pick of the Week, declaring it as "a lushly-arranged, slowly-paced ballad", "full of the same charming vocal harmonies and natural soul that gives the group its universal pop appeal. Ready to explode at urban, A/C and
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
, this cut leads a parade of future hit singles that should keep the Boyz in chart heaven all through the night and all through the year." In his weekly UK chart commentary,
James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...
deemed it "another piece of immaculate close-harmony
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
", that "is a smash before it has ever started". Pan-European magazine ''
Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' commented, "Silkier then the First Lady's nightgown, the first single off the "mommy" Boyz's upcoming album '' II'' further secures their position as the masters of the close harmony ballad." Alan Jones from ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' also named it Pick of the Week, rating it four out of five. He wrote, "Returning after more than a year, Boyz II Men get back into the " End of the Road" groove with a silky, powerful ballad penned by Babyface. Its sweeping majesty is likely to push it high into the chart." Gerald Martinez from '' New Sunday Times'' felt the song, along with " On Bended Knee", "tries to recapture the magic of 'End of the Road', and they come close. Big production numbers with solid hooks, they should be flooding our airwaves for the next few months." Paul Evans from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' viewed it as a "lush swoon-and-croon" ballad "of the kind the Boyz' hard-core fans demand." Mark Sutherland from ''
Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' gave it three out of five, saying, "Weeell, in their favour are the facts that they are still the meanest warblers in pop and that soul doesn't come much more silky or supersmooth than this. Against them is the fact that this is basically just 'End of the Road' with new lyrics – and blimmin' presumptuous lyrics at that."


Chart performance

The single was a massive commercial success. It held the number one position on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 14 weeks, from August 27 to November 26, 1994. At the time, the song tied a record for the most weeks at number one that had been set by
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's " I Will Always Love You" in late 1992 and early 1993. Boyz II Men would later break their own record in 1996 with " One Sweet Day", a collaboration with
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
, which remained at number one on the Hot 100 for 16 weeks beginning in December 1995. "I'll Make Love to You" also topped the U.S. R&B and
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
charts for nine and three weeks, respectively, in 1994. It sold 1,627,000 copies domestically, earning a
platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
from the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for shipments of over one million copies. In Canada, the song reached number one on September 26, retaining the position for two weeks. " All I Wanna Do" by
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
then held the top position for four weeks, but on November 2, "I'll Make Love to You" returned to number one for an additional week before beginning its final descent from the chart. Outside North America, "I'll Make Love to You" also experienced major chart success. It reached number one in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
on September 11, keeping that position for four weeks before " Endless Love" by
Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
and
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
moved to number one. In
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, the song reached the top on October 16 and stayed there for two weeks, losing its spot at number one to
Silverchair Silverchair was an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
's " Tomorrow". On both charts, the song stayed in the top 50 for 22 weeks. Across Europe, the song reached the top 10 in most countries, but fell outside this range in
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and
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, where it peaked at 20 and 12, respectively. In the UK, the song debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart on August 28 before moving up to number 5 the next week, its peak position. It stayed in the top 40 for a further eight weeks. In Ireland, the song was slightly less successful, reaching number 7 and spending 10 weeks on the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
.


Awards and accolades

"I'll Make Love to You" won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards and two
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
for Favorite Pop/Rock Single and Favorite Soul/R&B Single at the American Music Awards of 1995. It ranks at number 19 on ''Billboards All-Time Top 100 Songs.


Music video

The music video for "I'll Make Love to You" was directed by American music video director, film director and VJ Lionel C. Martin for
Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
. It depicts a story around a woman and a man. The man, played by actor Duane Martin, installs a security system in the woman's house. She later invites him to have a drink, but he's busy. It turns out that she really likes him; likewise, as he likes her too. While reading her letter, he begins to slowly take off his clothes, right at the moment in the song where the lyrics say he should. In the end, he writes her a letter, she receives it and reads it: it is a love letter, with the song lyrics. The video was nominated for Best Clip of the Year in the category for R&B/Urban at the 1994 ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Music Video Awards. It was later made available on Boyz II Men's official
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel in 2009, having generated more than 219 million views as of May 2025.


Track listings

* European single # "I'll Make Love to You (Pop Edit)" - 3:49 # "I'll Make Love to You (Instrumental)" - 5:39 * UK CD single and US maxi-CD # I'll Make Love to You (Pop Edit) - 3:49 # I'll Make Love to You (LP Version) - 4:07 # I'll Make Love to You (Instrumental) - 5:39 # I'll Make Love to You (Acapella) - 4:49


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications


Release history


In popular culture

On the 2020
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series ''
High Fidelity High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...
'' episode "Track 2", actor Thomas Doherty sings a cover of the song in-character as Liam Shawcross, a musician who protagonist Rob Brooks ( Zoë Kravitz) later has a one-night-stand with.Reif, Alex. (February 14, 2020).
Soundtrack Review: "High Fidelity' (Hulu)
. ''Laughing Place''. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
On the 2015 episode of the
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comedy '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' "Kimmy Goes on a Date!", Titus Andromedon ( Tituss Burgess) sings the song at a funeral at the request for a Boyz II Men song by his landlady Lillian Kaushtupper ( Carol Kane), both realizing his mistake as he gets to the chorus that he chose the wrong song. In series 2, episode 5, "Bump in the Night", of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
comedy series ''Ghosts'' in 2020, Julian Fawcett MP ( Simon Farnaby), the trouser-less ghost of a Conservative MP who died in 1993, sings the song
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
for the ghosts' music club, much to the dismay of the less contemporary ghosts. In the 2012 film '' Pitch Perfect'', an a cappella version of two lines of the song is included in a medley performed by the Barden Bellas as part of the Riff-Off. In season 1, episode 6, "The Birthday Girl" of '' That 90's Show'' in 2023, Bob Pinciotti (Don Stark) sings the song to his granddaughter Leia Forman (Callie Haverda). Boyz II Men created a parody of the song called "I'll Make Love to You (But We Don't Have To)" on ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...
'' in 2023.


See also

* Hot 100 number-one hits of 1994 (USA) * R&B number-one hits of 1994 (USA) * List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1994 and 1995 (U.S.)


References


External links

* * /
VEVO Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
official channel {{Authority control 1990s ballads 1994 singles 1994 songs Boyz II Men songs Motown singles Contemporary R&B ballads Music videos directed by Lionel C. Martin Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Australia RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Babyface (musician) pt:I'll Make Love to You