His first move was for a name change to the Four Knights. He took them to New York and they started appearing on Arthur Godfrey’s radio show in 1945. Lang-Worth was a company that made what were called transcriptions, actually early albums containing four to six songs on each side of an eight inch disc that played at 33-1/3 rpm. These discs were not sold to the public; most all were sent to radio stations, allowing a local disc jockey to give the impression the group was right in the studio. The Knights did a number of these recordings. Between this type of exposure and the Godfrey show the group became fairly well-known. In 1946 they signed with Decca Records and in April of that year they released their first single, “Just in Case You Change Your Mind.” After four singles featuring Gene’s mellow lead, Oscar’s broad bass, and usually incorporating Gene’s whistling over the instrumental section, the group was moved to Decca’s Coral affiliate for three more 78s through 1949. They toured with dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and got a shot s regulars on the Red Skelton radio show in 1948. They spent two years doing Skelton in Los Angeles and performing in clubs across the country. The Knights lost the Skelton job in 1950 when their manager wanted more than the show could pay, and so he pulled the group. They then discharged him for losing what they considered to be a prime exposure medium.
In 1951 they brought their soft harmony to Capitol Records and began with “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile” (#23). They also began covering R&B and pop artists on songs like “The Glory of Love” (THE 5 KEYS), “Sin” (THE FOUR ACES), which they took to number 14, and their biggest pop cover record at number eight in 1953, “Oh Happy Day” (Don Howard). The group’s biggest hit came in 1954 when “I Get So Lonely When I Think About You (Oh Baby Mine)” reached number two and ran for 24 weeks, even becoming a smash in England at number five, a tough thing for a black American group to do in 1954. The Pat Ballard-penned original was so popular in England that when it fell off the charts it resurfaced the following month (July), reaching number 10.
Toward the end of 1953 George Vereen began subbing on studio work and singing lead at live shows for Gene Alford, whose epilepsy was affecting his ongoing involvement with the group. Vereen was replaced in 1955 by ex-DELTA RHYTHM BOYS member Cliff Holland as Alford retired. Prior to their 1952 recordings the group sang with only a guitar backup, but Capitol soon had them working with full orchestras. By 1953, tours for the four were in full swing, and they played clubs from Las Vegas to Rio de Janeiro while appearing on the TV shows of Perry Como, Ed Sullivan, and of course Red Skelton. On August 27, 1954, they headlined at the famed Apollo in New York.
During the mid-‘50s the reigning king op Capitol’s roster, Nat King Cole, ran into the group and liked their style; he asked Capitol to have the Knights back him on some recordings. Their first collaboration, in early 1955, was titled “A Blossom Fell.” Though it didn’t chart, Nat and the Knights tried agin in January 1956, and by September their ”That’s All There Is to That” was number 16 on the pop char and number 14 R&B, the first time the Knights had ever appeared on the black charts. The next time out with Nat was the last: a ballad, “My Personal Possession,” released in May 1957 and reaching number 21 (#3 R&B). The only pop charter of the mid-and late ‘50s for the group by themselves was “O Falling Star” (#83, 1959) after they’d re-signed with Coral in late 1957. Capitol stayed with them for 39 45s throughout the ‘50s. In 1960 Gene Alford died. Clarence left the act in 1963 and the Knights disbanded three years after his departure. John Wallace died in 1978. Dixon and Broadway moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles in retirement.
I Get So Lonely
The Four Knights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Oh, baby mine]
[Oh, baby mine]
Chorus:
[Oh, baby mine]
I get so lonely when I dream about you
Can't do without you
That's why I dream about you
If I could only put my arms about you
Life would be so fair
[If you would]
We two could hug and kiss
And never tire, I'm on fire
You are my one desire
I get so lonely when I dream about you
Why can't you be there
Tossin' and turnin' in my slumber
[Oh, baby]
Holding you it seems
[Oh, baby]
I give you kisses without number
But only in my dreams
Chorus
Repeat last verse
Chorus
[Oh, baby mine]
Life would be so fair
[Oh, baby mine]
Life would be so fair
The Four Knights’ “I Get so Lonely” is a romantic ballad that tells the story of someone who is deeply in love and can’t help but dream about their significant other when they’re not together. The repeated lines, “Oh baby mine” set the mood for the nostalgic and wistful tone of the song. The chorus reveals that the dreamer is feeling quite lonely because they miss their partner so much, and they would do anything to be near them.
The song’s upbeat rhythm keeps the listener’s attention while the lyrics evoke feelings of longing and desire. The verses paint a picture of someone who can’t help but dream of their lover, but wishes that they were together in reality. The lyrics, “Tossin' and turnin' in my slumber / Holding you it seems”, convey the restlessness of the dreamer when they can’t be with their partner.
The chorus repeats the opening lines, and the last verse is a repetition of the second verse. The song ends with the earlier refrain, “Oh, baby mine / Life would be so fair”. This speaks to the ultimate desire of the singer, which is to have their partner with them physically and not just in their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, baby mine
The singer is expressing affection towards their beloved.
Oh, baby mine
The singer continues to express affection towards their beloved.
Oh, baby mine
The singer repeats their affectionate expression towards their beloved.
I get so lonely when I dream about you
Can't do without you
That's why I dream about you
If I could only put my arms about you
Life would be so fair
The singer deeply misses their significant other and longs to be with them in real life.
If you would
The singer is expressing a desire for their significant other to be with them.
We two could hug and kiss
And never tire, I'm on fire
You are my one desire
The singer is describing their intense love and passion for their significant other.
I get so lonely when I dream about you
Why can't you be there
Tossin' and turnin' in my slumber
The singer is expressing how much they wish their significant other was with them, even in their dreams.
Oh, baby
The singer again expresses affection towards their significant other.
Holding you it seems
The singer imagines what it would be like to hold their significant other.
Oh, baby
The singer continues to imagine what it would be like to hold their significant other.
I give you kisses without number
But only in my dreams
The singer is expressing how they express love and affection to their significant other, but only in their dreams.
Life would be so fair
The singer believes that their life would be complete and happy if they were with their significant other.
Life would be so fair
The singer repeats their belief that life would be complete and happy if they were with their significant other.
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.