The string section heard during the intro was arranged and conducted by Brent Fischer.

[6] It was also nominated for Record of the Year, and won Best R&B Song at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Much of the song was completed as early as 2007, when Questlove leaked snippets of the track to Australian radio station Triple J.

[10] Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker referred to it as "a slow-burning song";[11] while Jon Pareles and Jon Carmanica of The New York Times complimented the song's "responsive string arrangement behind its declaration of affection".

[12] D'Angelo performed "Really Love" live for the first time at the House of Blues on July 4, 2012, two years before its official release.