In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with The Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me," a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. "Stand by Me", written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me" following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name.
Your love
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than I've ever been lifted before
So keep it it up
Quench my desire
And I'll be at your side, forever more
You know your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting (love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
I said your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on (love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
Listen
Now once, I was down-hearted
Disappointment, was my closest friend
But then you, came and it soon departed
And you know he never
Showed his face again
That's why your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting (love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on (love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
Alright
I'm so glad, I've finally found you
Yes that one, in a million girls
And I whip, my loving arms around you, honey
I can stand up, and face the world
Let me tell ya, your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting (love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said your love (your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on (love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
Now sock it to me
Hold me, the other woman
Keep my love going
Higher and higher
I said keep on lifting
Lift me up mama
Ben E. King's hit single "For Your Love" is a straightforward love song expressing the lengths that the singer would go to express his devotion for his loved one. The repetition of the line "For your love" emphasizes how much he desires their attention, and he wants to do everything in his power to make his lover feel special.
The first verse speaks about how the singer is willing to give his lover everything they need and more, promising that he will bring them diamond rings and other luxurious things to their doorstep. He wants to excite them, and even make them dream of him at night. In the chorus, he reaffirms his commitment to his partner, saying that he would give them the stars if he could. He wants to give them everything they could ever want in order to express his love for them.
The second verse is similar to the first, but the singer takes it even further, expressing that he would give the moon, the stars, and the sun to his lover if he could. The use of hyperbole and exaggeration shows just how much he cares for his partner and how much he wants to make them happy. The repetition of the phrase "For your love" throughout the song emphasizes how much the singer is willing to do to express his love for his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
For your love
This song is about the extent to which the singer is willing to go to show how much he loves the person he's singing to.
For your love
The singer reiterates that everything he's about to mention is dedicated to the love he has for the person he's singing to.
I'd give you everything and more and that's for sure
The singer promises to give everything he has, and more, to the person he loves, as a way of showing how much he loves them.
(For your love)
I'd bring you diamond rings and things right to your door
The singer would spare no expense to give his loved one the best. He would even bring them expensive gifts like diamond rings and deliver them personally, to show how much he cares.
(For your love)
To thrill you with delight,
I'd give you diamonds bright
Double takes I will excite,
Make you dream of me at night
The singer wants to see his loved one happy and is willing to do anything to make that happen- including giving them bright and precious diamonds that will impress them so much that they will dream about him later on.
For your love
For your love
For your love
The chorus reiterates the extent of the singer's love- it knows no bounds and he's willing to do whatever it takes to show his loved one how much he cares.
For your love,
For your love
I would give the stars above
The singer isn't just willing to give earthly possessions, but even celestial ones; he's willing to give his loved one the entire universe.
For your love,
For your love
I would give you all I could
The singer promises to give his heart and soul to his loved one, everything he could possibly give, all for their love.
(For your love)
I'd give the moon if it were mine to give
The singer wants to give his loved one the best and most beautiful things, like the moon itself. He's so dedicated to them that he would give them something as impossible to give as the moon if he could possess it.
(For your love)
I'd give the stars and the sun for I live
The singer is willing to give up the most significant things to him, like the stars and the sun, in order to show his love for the person he's singing to. He's dedicated his life to them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mbrad2002
I don't care where you come from or where you been, if you listen to this song you are officially groovy as he'll and I love you!
@inconito3961
thank you I am awn African man from Algeria
@craigwillumsen5825
I'mma white man raised in Baltimore, raised by people of color. They showed me love. Motown was always playing. I thank God for them everyday. MotherAnna Mae (R.I.P)
@imbees2
Alright now, craigwillumsen!. Glad you're loving the song.
@tonyqwabe5873
Bab'wami
@imbees2
Git it Craig!
@ahmedissa8702
Old days were days like no other days, everything was good and classic. We can’t compare old days life and music to today’s times.
@AndresGonzalez-dc8wb
Nunca.
@josegomez-fj3be
69 YRS. YOUNG STILL LISTENING TO THIS JAM 2020 FORGETTING ABOUT THIS COVID 19 WHO ELSE
@josegomez-fj3be
IM FROM CHI TOWN AND STILL STEPPING WHO ELSE OUT THERE IS STEPPING WITH ME