Growing up amidst music, Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 50s as part of a doo-wop group called Five Echoes. Taylor was also part of the gospel group, The Highway QC's also, replacing r&b artist Sam Cooke that had left to become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951. Then, after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957, Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.
A few years later, after Cooke had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" in 1962. However, SAR Records quickly became defunct after Cooke's tradic early death in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor moved to Stax Records in Memphis, where he was dubbed "The Philosopher of Soul". While there he recorded with the label's house band, Booker T. & the MGs. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) and most notably "Who's Making Love?", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1968. During his tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with over a dozen chart successes, such as "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and producer Don Davis's "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)".
After Stax folded in the mid 1970s, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where he made his best-known hit, "Disco Lady", in 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified platinum single. Columbia pigeonholed Taylor as a disco artist, however, and neglected his wide-ranging talent. Not surprisingly, his record sales slipped.
After a brief stint at Beverly Glen Records, Taylor signed with Malaco Records after the label's founder Tommy Couch and producing partner Wolf Stephenson heard him sing at blues singer Z.Z. Hill's funeral in the spring of 1984. Backed by members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as well as in-house veterans like former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett, Malaco gave Taylor the type of recording freedom that Stax had given him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, enabling him to record ten albums for the Malaco label in his sixteen year stint. Taylor's record sales were good but not enough for the singer to receive the measure of stardom he once had.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, Good Love!, made it to Number One on Billboard's Blues chart (#15 R&B), the biggest record in Malaco's history.
Malaco recorded a live video of Taylor at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 1997.
Johnnie Taylor's 1999 album, "Gotta Get the Groove Back", also reached the # 1 Position on the Billboard Blues Charts. This album which featured veteran songwriter, Lamar Thmas (Woman don't be Afraid) was also a Grammy Nominated album during the same year that Johnnie passed.
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. He died in Dallas at the age of 63.
In what would turn out to be a sad foreshadowing, Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concert featuring deceased Soul music icons Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and MGs drummer Al Jackson, among others. In one verse, Taylor sang, "I didn't want to wake up/I was havin' such a good time".
Who's Making Love
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
And let me give you some good advice
What I'm gonna, I'm gonna ask you now
You better think about it twice
While you're liking cheating on your woman
There is something you never even thought of
Now tell me who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Hear me now)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
I've seen so, so many fellows
Fall in that same old bag
Thinking that a woman is made to
To be beat on and treated so bad
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
I'm sure that you never even dreamed of
Now tell me who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Oh)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I'm not tryin' to run your life, boy it's up to you
Oh you, oh you, you and you, and you
The reason why I ask this question
I used to be the same old way
When I decided to straighten up
I found it was a bit too late
Oh yeah, that's when it all happened
Something I never, never dreamed of
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love (listen now)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
(Who? Who? Your old lady)
(While you were out making love)
The song "Who's Making Love" by Johnnie Taylor is a soulful warning to men to be mindful of their actions and to not take their partners for granted. The narrative focuses on men who cheat on their partners and are oblivious to the fact that their significant other is also cheating on them. The song is essentially about considering the consequences of one's actions before engaging in them.
The opening lines of the song are an invitation to fellow men to gather around and receive some advice. Taylor implores his listeners to think twice before cheating on their partners. He warns them that while they are out cheating, someone else could be doing the same to their partner. The chorus of the song is a haunting reminder of the consequences of one's actions. Taylor asks the rhetorical question, "Now who's making love to your old lady while you were out making love?" This line is meant to make the listener ponder the possibility that their partner could be cheating on them while they are out doing the same.
The second verse of the song reinforces the message of the first. The listener is warned about mistreating their partner and being under the false assumption that women are to be beaten on and treated badly. The final verse of the song is Taylor sharing his own personal experience of being cheated on while he was out making love. The line "Somebody was loving my old lady while I was out making love" is a powerful reminder of the potentially devastating consequences of one's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
All you fellows, gather 'round me
Attention, gentlemen
And let me give you some good advice
Listen closely to my words
What I'm gonna, I'm gonna ask you now
The question I'm about to ask is important
You better think about it twice
Consider the consequences carefully
While you're liking cheating on your woman
When you're enjoying infidelity
There is something you never even thought of
There's a hidden consequence you haven't considered
Now tell me who's making love to your old lady
Who's having an affair with your partner
While you were out making love? (Hear me now)
While you were being unfaithful? (Listen closely)
I've seen so, so many fellows
I've witnessed countless men
Fall in that same old bag
Fall into the same trap
Thinking that a woman is made to
Believing that women are meant to
To be beat on and treated so bad
Be mistreated and abused
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
Gentlemen, may I inquire
I'm sure that you never even dreamed of
About something you've probably never considered
I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I understand that some women give flimsy excuses
I'm not tryin' to run your life, boy it's up to you
I'm not attempting to control your life, it's your decision
The reason why I ask this question
Why I'm inquiring about this
I used to be the same old way
I used to behave the same
When I decided to straighten up
When I resolved to improve myself
I found it was a bit too late
I realized I was too late
Oh yeah, that's when it all happened
It was at that moment when everything changed
Something I never, never dreamed of
An unexpected occurrence
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
Someone was having an affair with my partner
Now who's making love to your old lady
Who's currently unfaithful to you
While you were out making love?
While you were being unfaithful?
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bettye Jean Barnes Crutcher, Donald Davis, Homer Banks, Raymond E. Jackson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
All you fellows, gather 'round me
And let me give you some good advice
What I'm gonna, gonna ask you now
You better think about it twice
While you're out cheating on your woman
There's something you never even thought of, and that is
[Chorus]
Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love [(hear me now]
Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
I've seen so, so many fellows
Fall in that same old bag
Thinking that a woman is made to,
To be beat on and treated so bad
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
I'm sure that you never even dreamed of,
[Chorus]
I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I'm not tryin' to run your life, boy it's up to you
Oh, you oh, you,
Reason why I ask this question
I used to be the same old way
When I decided to straighten up
I found it was a bit too late
Oh, that's when it all happened
Something I never, never dreamed of
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
(Who? Who? Your old lady) (While you were out making love)
Down North
โฆ All you fellows, gather 'round me
And let me give you some good advice
What I'm gonna, gonna ask you now
You better think about it twice
While you're out cheating on your woman
There's something you never even thought of, and that is
โฆ Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love (hear me now)
Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
โฆ I've seen so, so many fellows
Fall in that same old bag
Thinking that a woman is made to,
To be beat on and treated so bad
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
I'm sure that you never even dreamed of,
โฆ Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
Who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
โฆ I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I'm not tryin' to run your life, boy it's up to you
Oh, you oh, you,
โฆ Reason why I ask this question
I used to be the same old way
When I decided to straighten up
I found it was a bit too late
Oh, that's when it all happened
Something I never, never dreamed of
โฆ Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love
Frost Boss Jones
My grandfather was Mr Taylor's bodyguard... His music played in my household daily... Now my kids hear it! Wonderful music
Barbara Butler
๐๐๐
Crazy horse
Oh man I know he has some great stories.
Cathy Johnson
How lucky you were
Brenda Shubert
My mom used to turn this on when my father drove up. He would get mad and break the record. The next day my mom would have another copy. I was a kid and didn't get why he would get mad over a record of why she would keep playing it !
Sherri Solomon
Bren, LMBO at your comment!
2020 Ehud
lol
Pateg7
LOL... Well he knew she wasn't fooled.
Ebony B.
Because of the lyrics.
Kevin Robicheaux
Johnnie Taylor is the most underappreciated blues singer ever he's probably one of the greatest to ever grab a mic rest in peace Johnny