Simon was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, United States. Similar to many other African-American artists from the era, Simon began singing in his father's Baptist church. He pursued his vocal abilities full-time once the family moved to Richmond (near Oakland, California) in the late 1950s. There Simon joined the Golden West Gospel Singers and became influenced by Sam Cooke and Arthur Prysock. With this, the group decided to turn secular and recorded "Little Island Girl" as the Golden Tones in 1959.
Hush Records label owners Gary and Carla Thompson urged Simon to record on his own, and in 1964 Simon scored considerable success on the Vee-Jay label with "My Adorable One". Simon scored again in 1965 on the Chicago based label with "Let's Do It Over", which landed a #13 spot on the US Billboard R&B chart. However, the Vee-Jay label folded soon after the latter song's release and Simon found himself traveling across the country singing.
Simon caught the eye of Nashville, Tennessee, R&B disc jockey John Richbourg during this time, and Richbourg not only became Simon's manager/record producer but also brought the singer to Monument Records' subsidiary label Sound Stage 7 in 1966. That year Simon released "Teenager's Prayer", which peaked at #11 on Billboard's R&B chart. Within the next two years, Simon released a string of hits: "(You Keep Me) Hanging On", "The Chokin' Kind" (Billboard Hot 100 #13), "Farther On Down The Road", and "Yours Love". "The Chokin' Kind" was written by Harlan Howard, spent 12 weeks in the charts, and had sold one million copies by 16 June 1969. In addition, Simon was given a Grammy Award in 1970 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Under the encouragement of Richbourg, Simon moved to the Polydor distributed Spring Records label in 1970, which paired Simon with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The team scored a #3 R&B hit in 1971 with "Drowning In The Sea of Love" and a #1 R&B hit in the summer of 1972 with "Power Of Love". Both songs reached #11 on the Hot 100. "Drowning In The Sea of Love" sold over 1.5 million copies and the R.I.A.A. on 6 January 1972 gave a gold disc. "Power of Love", written by Gamble, Huff and Simon was Simon's third million seller, and the R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 29 August 1972.
Simon continued to release R&B hits with "Pool Of Bad Luck", "Trouble In My Home", "Step By Step", "I Need You, You Need Me", "Music In My Bones", "Carry Me", and 1975's "Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor)", which gave Simon his third #1 R&B hit, and also a #8 Hot 100 hit. Simon's success escalated with his writing/producing the theme tune for the film, Cleopatra Jones in 1973.
In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Simon decided to remove his tenor/bass-baritone voice from the secular music world and devote it and his life to Christianity. Simon began evangelist preaching in Flossmoor, Illinois. In 1983, he produced the album Lay My Burden Down for former Davis Sisters second lead Jackie Verdell. Simon released a gospel album titled This Story Must Be Told in the late 1990s.
In 1999 Simon was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Joss Stone covered "The Chokin' Kind" on her 2003 album, The Soul Sessions.
Simon has had a number of his songs sampled by other artists, including OutKast, who sampled "Before the Night is Over" in their hit "So Fresh, So Clean" and Lil' Kim, who sampled Simon's "It Be's That Way Sometimes" in "Magic Stick", featuring 50 Cent. Memphis Bleek sampled Simon's "Trace Your Love" for his track "Alright" on the 2005 534 album.
Drowning In The Sea Of Love
Joe Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've been down two times
But now I'm drowning, drowning in the sea of love
Let me tell ya all about it
I've been out here so very long, I've lost all my direction
Baby when you came my way I thought I'd found my protection
But a strong wind came into my life, surely took me by surprise
And I can't seem to control these tears that's falling from my eyes
I've been down one time
And I've been down two times
But right now I'm drowning, drowning in the sea of love
Listen to me
Baby I depended on you, for our love and obligation
But now you gone and deserted me, can't you see that I'm in desperation
I'm in the middle of a bad love storm, ew yeah I just can't let it boy I
Looked around and all I could see, was water coming over me
I've been down one time
And I've been down two times
But right now I'm drowning, drowning in the sea of love
All I do is cry, all I do is walk around and cry
But right now I'm drowning, oh I'm drowning in the sea of love
I've been down one time
I've been down two times
But I can't control myself, I'm drowning, drowning in the sea of love
But that's alright, I don't mind drowning for your love
That's alright baby, hear me when I say it's alright
You got the kind of love that make me feel alright
You got the kind of love baby that make me cry all night long
You got the kind of love baby make me do things I don't wanna do
The lyrics to Joe Simon's "Drowning in the Sea of Love" reflect a deep sense of desperation and longing for love. The singer has been through tough times in the past ("been down one time and I've been down two times"), but now they've reached a new low and are struggling to stay afloat in the "sea of love." The singer's attempts to find protection and love have come up short, and they find themselves in the midst of a "bad love storm" that they just can't seem to shake. Despite the pain and tears that come along with this love, the singer can't help but feel drawn to it and continues to cling onto it, even as they feel themselves slipping under.
The use of water imagery in this song is particularly powerful in conveying the singer's feelings of being overwhelmed: the tears that won't stop falling, the waves of a love storm that threaten to sweep them away. The repetition of the phrase "I've been down" also drives home the point that the singer is at their lowest point yet, despite having weathered tough times before. It's clear that this love has taken a toll on them, but they can't seem to let it go.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been down one time
I've experienced difficulties in the past
And I've been down two times
I've experienced difficulties multiple times
But now I'm drowning, drowning in the sea of love
I'm overwhelmed by the emotions I'm experiencing due to falling in love
Let me tell ya all about it
I'd like to explain my situation to you
I've been out here so very long, I've lost all my direction
I've been struggling for a significant amount of time and have lost my way
Baby when you came my way I thought I'd found my protection
I thought finding love would protect me from my problems
But a strong wind came into my life, surely took me by surprise
I faced an unexpected challenge
And I can't seem to control these tears that's falling from my eyes
I can't control my emotions and have been crying
Listen to me
Please pay attention to what I'm saying
Baby I depended on you, for our love and obligation
My expectations for our relationship included love and commitment
But now you gone and deserted me, can't you see that I'm in desperation
You've left me and I'm feeling desperate
I'm in the middle of a bad love storm, ew yeah I just can't let it boy I
I'm in the midst of an intense emotional period and I can't control it
Looked around and all I could see, was water coming over me
I feel like I'm being overwhelmed by my emotions
All I do is cry, all I do is walk around and cry
I've been crying excessively
But right now I'm drowning, oh I'm drowning in the sea of love
I'm currently experiencing intense emotions due to falling in love
But that's alright, I don't mind drowning for your love
I'm willing to endure the emotional turbulence that comes with loving you
That's alright baby, hear me when I say it's alright
Don't worry, everything is okay
You got the kind of love that make me feel alright
Your love makes me feel good
You got the kind of love baby that make me cry all night long
Your love is so powerful that it makes me emotional
You got the kind of love baby make me do things I don't wanna do
Your love makes me act in ways that I wouldn't normally
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNETH GAMBLE, KENNY GAMBLE, LEON HUFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sybrandt- the nine pound steel refers to weight of the sledgehammer prisoners used on the chain gang.
on Nine Pound Steel [Clean]
Joe Simon's "Nine Pound Steel" is a soulful and emotional ballad about the pains of being incarcerated. Throughout the song, Simon sings about his experiences in prison and the mistakes he made that led to his imprisonment. The lyrics act as an apology and a plea for forgiveness to his loved ones, primarily his significant other who he calls "honey" and "darling."
The opening lines signify the physical and metaphorical barriers that separate Simon from his family and the outside world. As he looks through the walls of his cell, he sees the sun, representing freedom and hope. He acknowledges that he is in jail because of the wrong he has done and apologizes for his actions. He expresses regret for stealing from his significant other and not standing up like a man. He then repeats the phrase, "I've got to say good morning to a nine pound steel," which undoubtedly refers to the steel bars of his cell. The steel acts as a constant reminder of his mistakes and how he must confront them every day.
The song's chorus repeats, "Good morning to that old nine pound steel." Simon is essentially saying that he is forced to greet his prison cell every day, but he still has hope to eventually be released. He states that he is working like a slave, paying for his mistake and knows that someday he will be a free man. He pleads with his significant other, asking her to wait for him until he is released from prison. He acknowledges that the jail is cold, and he needs her love more and more every day.
Overall, "Nine Pound Steel" is a poignant and heartfelt song that showcases the pain and hardships of imprisoned life. Its lyrics express regret, apologies, hope, and the desire for love and freedom.