“I Really Love You” (1969) – The Ambassadors * LP: Soul Summit * Written by Jimmy Bishop and Kenny Gamble * Produced by Jimmy Bishop * Label: Arctic * Charts: #123 (Billboard Bubbling Under)
This is the only charting single by Philadelphia’s Ambassadors, and it has an ongoing Northern soul mystique. They recorded their first few singles on heavyweight Atlantic, but then shifted over to Arctic, which sounds a bit like a wisecrack. Arctic was a label belonging to Jimmy Bishop who, unlike Kenny Gamble (co-writer), Leon Huff (keyboards), and Bobby Martin (arranger), three future Philly soul VIP’s who worked on this record, opted to lay comparatively low.
“I Really Love You” captures everyone involved learning their craft, or am I not giving them enough artistic credit by saying that? There’s a murkiness and moodiness to the track that has much to do with the backup vocals being mixed way back with a touch of reverb. This gives it the effect of lead singer Herley Johnson being joined in by strangers farther down the street who are strangely aware of, and invested in, his situation. This kind of connection is something young people are more privy to than older ones. The world is smaller, a bit kinder, and distant voices of solidarity seem more believable. (Maybe this is why people like musicals.) So that’s one crucial part of this record that makes a listener feel wistful. The rest, of course, is what the musicians are doing.