Remember Switch’s 1979 classic, “I Call Your Name”? Well guess what? That song was inspired by a famous R&B singer who was also the love of Bobby DeBarge’s (the lead singer of Switch) life at that time. According to switch member, Gregory Williams, the late, Bobby, and this female singer were madly in love and that was all Bobby could think about at that time.
Their relationship was kept very private back in the day and it wasn’t until a few decades later that some whispers got our publicly about their puppy love.
The singer we’re referring to had a music career that was primarily poppin’ throughout the 80’s, but after that era fizzled out, so did her music career. Okay ILOSM family, those are all of the hints we’ll give. Get your scroll on to see who she is…
“I Call Your Name” Was Written For WHO???
“I Call Your Name” was written about La Toya Jackson! She and Bobby DeBarge were a couple at the time that Bobby and his group member, Gregory Williams, wrote the song. Gregory stated that all Bobby had on his mind during their writing session, was La Toya.
Here’s what Williams revealed about the night they wrote the song:
“The night we wrote ‘I Call Your Name’ was a strange one. Bobby was dating LaToya Jackson and she was the only girl on his mind. One night, he started fooling around on the Fender Rhodes. I started singing along, and next thing you know we had a song. I’m not saying the song was written for LaToya, but they were in love, and Bobby couldn’t wait to play her the completed song.” -Vibe Magazine: The Rise and Fall of the DeBarge family (2007)
There were also reports that Bobby and La Toya were practically joined at the hip during that time.
Bobby Was Waaaay Different From La Toya’s Other Exes
La Toya is probably the singer you would least expect to have dated Bobby, given her dating track record of what seems to be the complete opposites of him- a street cat who dabbled with drugs and had a whole lot of swag and soul.
La Toya’s companion history included her tumultuous marriage to her Jewish husband, Jack Gordon, who was rumored to have mafia ties. Their marriage had many folks asking ‘What in the world does she see in that dude?!!’
A few years ago, La Toya was engaged to her long time friend and business partner, Jeffre Phillips, which also raised a few eyebrows.
What Could Have Happened If Bobby & La Toya Stayed Together?
https://youtu.be/NeOaZgavwBE
Though La Toya’s other public relationships were hella suspect, she and Bobby’s romance was genuine. They began dating after Janet secretly began Bobby’s younger bro,’ James DeBarge, whom Janet eventually married.
It’s been said that Bobby was very depressed after he and La Toya broke up, but he never stopped loving her from a distance.
Bobby sadly passed away after years of battling heroin addiction and serving a 5 year prison sentence simultaneously. He had one of the most incredible falsetto voices to have EVER graced the music industry, but unfortunately, he also had his demons that stemmed from his childhood trauma which reportedly resulted from his horrific relationship with his Father.
It’s hard not to imagine what would have become of Bobby if he and La Toya would have remained together. They say love conquers all, so you never know, with the right woman by his side, maybe, just maybe Bobby could have had a different outcome. May he continue to rest well.
