1972 Hit Track, Inspired by a Forbidden Crush, Became One of Soft Rock's Signature Ballads

In the 1970's, Lobo, also known as Roland Kent LaVoie, was making a name for himself in the music industry as a singer/songwriter. He released a soft rock track that would become a staple in the genre as a ballad and his most-well known charting hit about love.

"I'd Love You to Want Me" appears self-explanatory in what its lyrics are trying to convey. The track was released in 1972 as the second single from the singer's second album, Of a Simple Man. Up until then, Lobo had gained some traction with his debut track "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo," which landed at No. 5 as a bubblegum hit on the U.S. charts.

The soft rock track would end up being Lobo's biggest success of his career, as "I'd Love You to Want Me" landed as No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. It was on track to become a chart-topper but was bumped from the spot byJohnny Nash's hit "I Can See Clearly Now." It still managed to land the No. 1 spot on Cash Box and the Adult Contemporary chart.

Years before the love ballad was even created, Lobo came up with the inspiration thanks to a crush he had in high school. According to an interview with LoBurn Magazine, he had a forbidden crush on his young art teacher, and his goal was to always write a hit ballad.

"Yeah, 'I'd Love You to Want Me' was pretty much a favorite. I wanted to write the big ballad. There was a conscious effort to do that. The premise behind that was what I imagined in school. I had a really pretty art teacher," he explained.

"I was a high school senior and the teacher was 22. And she looked at me and I looked at her and there was a connection. That line (from "I'd Love You to Want Me"), 'The obligation that you made, for the title that they gave,' was about that. It was the love you couldn't have. You know?"

The singer added that the track was simply done out of an "emotional standpoint" and was a vehicle to get his feelings out without "trying to be clever or anything." Based on the feelings of unrequited love, Lobo also developed "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend."

Related: 1965 Rock Classic, Originally a Major Flop, Became a No. 1 Hit 61 Years Ago

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 3:22 PM.