"I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter, Albert Hammond and John Bettis.

The single featured a version without the piano lead-in and starts immediately with a flute introduction by David Shostac.

[2] Cash Box said that it starts with a "beautiful string introduction" and that "Karen Carpenter’s voice slips in with a sweet ballad melody.

It was taken from the best-selling compilation 22 Hits of the Carpenters (promoted as a double A-side with "Top of the World").

On his website, Richard Carpenter wrote that "It became one of the biggest sellers of 1995, ultimately going quadruple platinum.