Founder Al Kooper conceived Blood, Sweat and Tears as an experiment in expanding the size and scope of the rock band with touches of jazz , blues , classical , and folk music. When Kooper was forced out of the band soon after its eclectic debut, Child Is Father to the Man, BS&T became increasingly identified as a "jazz-rock" group, although its music was essentially easy-listening rhythm and blues or rock with the addition of brass.
Kooper formed BS&T after leaving the Blues Project in 1967. The nucleus of the original band was Steve Katz, also of the Blues Project; Jim Fielder, who had played with the Mothers of Invention and Buffalo Springfield; and Bobby Colomby, who had drummed behind folksingers Odetta and Eric Andersen. The horn players were recruited from New York jazz and studio bands. Child Is Father featured songs by Harry Nilsson, Tim Buckley, Randy Newman, Gerry Goffin, and Carole King, along with Kooper originals and arrangements by Fred Lipsius for brass, strings, and studio effects. The band nearly broke up when Kooper, Randy Brecker, and Jerry Weiss left (Brecker to join The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra). Regrouping under Katz and Colomby, and fronted by David Clayton-Thomas (who had sung with a Canadian blues band, The Bossmen), BS&T entered a period of immense popularity. Blood, Sweat & Tears featured arrangements of music by French composer Erik Satie and jazz singer Billie Holiday, as well as by Laura Nyro, Steve Winwood, and others. It was the #1 album for seven weeks in 1969, sold over 3 million copies, and spawned three gold singles: “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” and “And When I Die,” each of which hit #2.
In 1970 the U.S. State Department sent the band on a goodwill tour of Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland. Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 duplicated the Blood, Sweat & Tears mix of styles and was almost as popular. The album went to #1, and two singles, “Hi-De-Ho” and “Lucretia MacEvil,” hit the Top 30. But interest in the group began to wane, and 4, which contained almost all original material, barely made the Top 10. In 1971 “Go Down Gamblin’” was its last hit. By the time Clayton-Thomas left for a solo career in 1972, BS&T’s place on the charts had been filled by similarly styled bands such as Chicago, Chase, and Ides of March. Katz left the next year, first to join the short-lived American Flyer and then to an A&R position at Mercury Records.
BS&T became regulars in Las Vegas, with ever-changing personnel recruited largely from big bands like Maynard Ferguson’s, Woody Herman’s, and Doc Severinsen’s. Vocalist Jerry LaCroix appeared between his tenures with Edgar Winter’s White Trash and Rare Earth, while guitarist Mike Stern later played with Miles Davis’ early-’80s band. Clayton-Thomas’ return in 1974 briefly boosted BS&T’s popularity, but Columbia dropped the group, and Colomby, the last original member, left in 1976. He continued to influence BS&T as producer of Brand New Day and, with Clayton-Thomas, as co-owner of the band’s name and catalogue. He then moved on to a career in A&R for several labels, as well as TV reporting. Since 1975 the live act has been billed as Blood, Sweat and Tears Featuring David Clayton-Thomas. [from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bloodsweatandtears/biography
In late 2005, the band returned to touring. The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. From 2008 through 2010, Steve Katz returned to appear at BS&T's shows as a special guest.
From 2013 till 2018, Blood Sweat and Tears was fronted by Bo Bice, who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol.
In 2018, the group decided to replace Bice with former Tower of Power singer Tom Bowes, who had previously done a brief stint with BS&T back in July through November 2012.
In 2019 Keith Paluso, from the reality TV show The Voice, was chosen as BS&T's new singer.
More And More
Blood Sweat & Tears Lyrics
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You can say I told you so
And if I ever hurt you babe
You know I hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
When I wasn't makin' too much money
You know where my paycheck went
You know I brought it home to baby
And I never spent one red cent
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
More than you'll ever know
I'm not tryin' to be
Any kind of man
I'm tryin' to be somebody
You can love, trust, and understand
I know that I can be, yeah
A part of you that no one else could see
I just gotta hear, to hear you say
It's all right
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm only flesh and blood
But I could be anything that you demand
I could president of General Motors baby, heh
Or just a tiny little grain of sand
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I love you baby, I love you baby
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
If I ever leave you
You can say I told you so
And if I ever hurt you
You know I hurt myself as well
Is that any way for a man to carry on
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
I tried to tell ya I love you baby, I love you baby, yeah
I love you more than you'll ever know, ooh, yeah, yeah
I love you, I love you, I love you baby
Well all right!
I told ya so many times before
I love you
I love you, I love you
If you don't know, then I'll tell ya one more time
I love you!
I love you!
The lyrics to Blood Sweat & Tears's song More And More describe a man's undying love for his partner. He promises never to leave or hurt her, stating that if he ever did leave or hurt her, he would also hurt himself. The man questions whether it's right for him to carry on in a way that would make his partner leave him, as he loves her more than she'll ever know. He explains that even when he wasn't making much money, he always brought his paycheck home to her and never spent a penny on himself. He wants to be someone that she can love, trust, and understand and feels that there's a part of him that only she can see. The tone of the lyrics is vulnerable and emotional, showcasing the man's deep love and commitment to his partner.
The repeated line, "Is that any way for a man to carry on?" creates a sense of introspection, as the man reflects on his actions and their impact on his relationship. He acknowledges that he's only human, but feels that he can be anything his partner demands of him. He refers to himself as a "tiny little grain of sand," expressing a willingness to be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, as long as he's with his partner. The man declares his love for his partner multiple times, stating that he loves her more than she'll ever know.
Line by Line Meaning
If I ever leave you
If I ever decide to walk away from you
You can say I told you so
You have every right to say 'I warned you!'
And if I ever hurt you babe
If I ever cause you pain, my love
You know I hurt myself as well
I too feel the pain when I hurt you
Is that any way for a man to carry on
Is that how a man should behave or act?
D'you think he wants his little loved one gone?
Do you think he wants to lose his beloved?
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
I love you more than you could possibly understand
When I wasn't makin' too much money
When I was financially struggling
You know where my paycheck went
You know that all my earnings went towards us
You know I brought it home to baby
You know I brought the money home to you, my love
And I never spent one red cent
I never spent any money on things I didn't need
I'm not tryin' to be
I don't intend to act like
Any kind of man
An ordinary or average man
I'm tryin' to be somebody
I'm trying to become a person
You can love, trust, and understand
Someone you can love, trust, and comprehend
I know that I can be, yeah
I am confident that I can become a person
A part of you that no one else could see
A part of yourself that only I can understand
I just gotta hear, to hear you say
I just need to listen to you say
It's all right
That everything is fine
I'm only flesh and blood
I'm just a human being
But I could be anything that you demand
I can be whatever you want me to be
I could president of General Motors baby, heh
I could even be a high-ranking executive
Or just a tiny little grain of sand
Or just a tiny speck in this world
I love you baby, I love you baby
I love you so much, my love
I love you baby, more than you'll ever know
I love you more than you could ever comprehend
Well all right!
Okay!
I told ya so many times before
I have told you many times in the past
If you don't know, then I'll tell ya one more time
If you're unaware, I'll say it one more time
I love you!
I love you more than anything in this world!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL KOOPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind