This Is for the Lover in You

"This Is for the Lover in You"
US 7-inch single of the Shalamar recording
Single by Shalamar
from the album Three for Love
B-side	"Some Things Never Change"
Released	May 25, 1981
Recorded	1980
Length	5:04 (Album version) 3:58 (Single edit)
Label	SOLAR
Songwriter(s)	Howard Hewett Dana Meyers
Producer(s)	Leon Sylvers III
Shalamar singles chronology
"Make That Move" (1981) "This Is for the Lover in You" (1981) "Sweeter as the Days Go By" (1981)

"This Is for the Lover in You" is a song written by Howard Hewett, member of the trio Shalamar, and songwriter Dana Meyers. The track was originally recorded by Shalamar and appeared on their 1980 Platinum album, Three for Love .

The song was the third single released from their album, Three for Love. The single peaked at No. 17 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1981.

In 2009, Essence magazine included the song in their list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time". ^[1]

The song's main melody bears resemblance to Teddy Pendergrass' hit "Close the Door" (1978) and Michael Jackson's hit "Rock with You" (1979).

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	17

Babyface version

"This Is for the Lover in You"
US CD variant of standard artwork
Single by Babyface featuring LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel
from the album The Day
Released	October 5, 1996
Recorded	1996
Genre	R&B hip hop
Length	5:26
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Howard Hewett Dana Meyers
Producer(s)	Babyface Samuel J. Barnes Jean-Claude Olivier James Todd Smith Bryce Wilson
Babyface singles chronology
"Slow Jams" (1996) "This Is for the Lover in You" (1996) "Talk to Me" (1996)
LL Cool J singles chronology
"Loungin'" (1996) "This is for the Lover in You" (1996) "Ain't Nobody" (1996)

Weekly charts Chart (1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [6] 50 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) [7] 14 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8] 23 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] 19 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] 12 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [11] 34 UK Singles (OCC) [12] 12 US Billboard Hot 100 [13] 6 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [14] 2 US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [15] 6

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [16] 74 Chart (1997) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [17] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [18]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

In 1994, saxophonist Gerald Albright released a rendition from the album Smooth. ^[19]

The song was also sampled by British singer Ella Mai for her 2022 single This Is .

The song was sampled by rapper A+ for his song "All I See", recorded for his 1996 debut album The Latch-Key Child .

References

1. "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time".
2. "Jodi Watley Teams With Babyface On New Album". MTV. Archived from the original on September 4, 2003. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
3. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. October 13, 2008. p. 15. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
4. "Critic's Choice: Babyface". Entertainment Weekly. September 27, 1996.
5. Flick, Larry (October 5, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard . p. 92. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
6. "Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels – This Is for the Lover in You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
7. "Billboard: Hits of the World". Billboard . 7 December 1996. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
9. "Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels – This Is for the Lover in You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
10. "Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels – This Is for the Lover in You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
11. "Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniels – This Is for the Lover in You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
12. "Babyface: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
13. "Babyface Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
14. "Babyface Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
15. "Babyface Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
16. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
17. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
18. "American single certifications – Babyface – This Is for the Lover in You". Recording Industry Association of America.
19. "Smooth overview". Allmusic.com .