Minnie Riperton wrote “Inside My Love” with Leon Ware and her husband Richard Rudolph. The soul-deep intimacy that Riperton was singing about was always interpreted as lust because of her earthy delivery. But in the liner notes from the posthumous Petals:The Minnie Riperton Collection Rudolph explains the emotional intentions of the song and Ware describes how hearing a preacher talk about “coming inside the Lord” influenced the lyrics. Some radio programmers would not play “Inside My Love” because of the carnal interpretation. Fans were not worried about sexual connotations but were marveled by Riperton’s performance which included her five-octave range holding a very high note for over 10 seconds. Adventures In Paradise was her 1975 third studio album and although it did not have the commercial success of Perfect Angel from 1974, it is still one of her most-played albums.Â
“Inside My Love” became a standard that continues to carry Riperton’s energy way beyond her 1979 passing from breast cancer at 31 years old. A Tribe Called Quest and J. Cole are two of many hip-hop artists to sample “Inside My Love.” Chanté Moore covered it for the TV show New York Undercover and Trina Broussard’s version is in the movie Love Jones. Riperton’s voice is still showing up in pop culture with the most recent placement of her song “Les Fleurs” in Jordan Peel’s 2019 movie Us.Â
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