Baby (You've Got What It Takes)

Album

Two Of Us (Dinah Washington And Brook Benton

Label

Mercury Records

Genre

Rhythm & Blues

Composer(s)

Brook Benton;Clyde Otis;Jules Stein;Murray Stein

Entered Chart

Jan 25, 1960

Peak Date

Mar 21, 1960

Released

January 1960

Recorded

August 1959

Catalog #

Mercury 71565

B-Side

I Do

"Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" is a 1950s song written by Clyde Otis and Murray Stein. Originally titled "You've Got What It Takes", the song was first recorded by Brook Benton's sister,[1] Dorothy Pay, in 1958, as the B-side of her single "Strollin' with My Baby" on Mercury 71277.[2][3] In August 1959, Brook Benton partnered with Dinah Washington to record the song as "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)". Their version, released in January 1960, was hugely successful on both the pop and R&B charts, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B sides chart for ten weeks,[4] becoming one of the most successful R&B singles of the 1960s. The s

Well, now, it takes more than
A robin to make the winter go
And it takes two lips of fire
To melt away the snow

Well, it takes two hearts
Cooking to make a fire grow
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes

You know it takes a lot
Of kissing (tell me about it)
To make a romance sweet
Ooh, it takes a lot of loving
To make my life complete

Mmm, and it takes a lot of
Woman to knock me off my feet
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes

I said, mmm mmmm, ah ha, mmm
You know you've got
Just what it takes

Because it takes more than
An effort to stay away from you
It'd take more than a lifetime
To prove that I'll be true

But it takes somebody special
To make me say, I do (oh, yeah)
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes

Mmm mmmm, ah ha, mmm
You know you've got
Just what it takes

Because it takes, oh, yeah
You're back in my
Spot again, honey
(I like your spot)
To stay away from you
(I can't stay away from you)

It takes more than
A lifetime, daddy
To prove that I'll be true
Now it's you

But it takes somebody
Special (like me, baby)
To make me say, I do
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes

Let's say it again
Come on, let's do it
One more time, all right
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes

One more time, Brook
Uh huh, okay
And, baby, you've
Got what it takes