Robert Dwayne Womack (born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA on March 4, 1944, died J… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Dwayne Womack (born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA on March 4, 1944, died June 27, 2014), was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Working in the soul and R&B genres, he achieved his greatest success in the 1970s and 1980s. Womack wrote and originally recorded The Rolling Stones' first UK No. 1 hit, "It's All Over Now" and New Birth's "I Can Understand It" among other songs. As a singer he is most notable for the hits "Lookin' For a Love", "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", "Woman's Gotta Have It", "Harry Hippie", "Across 110th Street" and his 1980s hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now". In 2009, Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Taking after their father, who sang gospel music, Bobby Womack and his brothers formed their own group in 1952. In 1954, under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, the group issued the Pennant single, "Buffalo Bill". Bobby Womack was only ten years old at the time. Sam Cooke took an interest in the Womack Brothers, and they recorded for Cooke's SAR record label in the early 1960s. Renamed the Valentinos, and encouraged by Cooke to go in a more secular and commercial direction, they scored a hit with Womack's "It's All Over Now" in 1964; the Rolling Stones' version of the song became a major hit, earning Womack generous royalty payments.

Sam Cooke died in late 1964; Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara, a short time later, creating something of a scandal. Things became even more complicated when his younger brother, Cecil, married Cooke's daughter, Linda. As a session guitarist, Womack worked at producer Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis, and played on recordings by Joe Tex and The Box Tops. Until this point, around 1967, he had had little success as a solo artist, but at American he began to record a string of classic soul-music singles including the 1968 "What Is This" (his first chart hit), "It's Gonna Rain" and "More Than I Can Stand," all of which featured his elegant, understated rhythm-guitar work and his impassioned vocals. During this period he became known as a songwriter, contributing many songs to the repertoire of Wilson Pickett; these include "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover."

After moving to the United Artists label in the early '70s, he released the album Communication, and on an album with guitarist Gabor Szabo introduced his song "Breezin'," which later became a hit for George Benson. He also became known for his interesting taste in cover versions, essaying Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' " as well as "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" and James Taylor's "Fire and Rain'" and "California Dreamin'." Perhaps his most well-known work from this period is as guitarist on Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 There's a Riot Goin' On.

He continued to have hits into the '70s; these include "Lookin' for a Love" (a remake of his 1962 Valentinos single), "Across 110th Street," "Woman's Gotta Have It" (covered by James Taylor in 1976), "You're Welcome, Stop on By," and the masterful "Daylight." All are excellent examples of burnished yet gritty 1970s soul music, and reveal a pop-music sensibility akin to that of Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield.

Bobby Womack's 1981 album The Poet was a surprise hit and contained the hit single "If You Think You're Lonely Now." K-Ci Hailey, a notable admirer of Womack's work, covered "If You Think You're Lonely Now" in 1994. The song is referenced in Mariah Carey's song "We Belong Together", a number-one hit in June 2005. Carey sings "I can't sleep at night /When you are on my mind / Bobby Womack's on the radio / Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now.'"

Film director Quentin Tarantino used "Across 110th Street" (which, in a different version, had been the title song of the 1972 movie) in the opening and closing sequences of his 1997 film Jackie Brown.

A 2003 Saab commercial shone a spotlight on Womack’s interpretation of "California Dreamin'".

In 2010, Womack contributed lyrics and sang on "Stylo" alongside Mos Def, the first single from the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack.[4] He also provides vocals on the song "Cloud of Unknowing".

In 2010 Bobby Womack appeared on the main pyramid stage at Glastonbury with the Gorillaz.

The Bravest Man in the World Songfacts reports in 2012, Womack's first album of original material since 1994's Resurrection was released. The Bravest Man in the World was produced by Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and XL Recordings boss, Richard Russell.

Womack died on June 27, 2014 at age 70.

Give It Back
Bobby Womack Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you don't want my love
If you don't need my love
Baby, give it back
Baby, give it back
If you don't want my love
If you don't need my love
Baby, give it back
Baby, give it back

When I found you stranded on a highway
I took you home in town
I also taught you how to live good
And now you want to move me down

If you don't want my love
If you don't need my love
Baby, give it back
Baby, give it back

I know your tried to make a decision
Between him or me
But knowing in you all the time you got something
That you feel you need, yeah baby
If you don't want my love
If you don't need my love
If you don't want it
If you don't want it
If you don't need it
find somebody else

If you don't want my love
If you don't want it
If you don't need it
Give it back
If you don't want my love

Give it back

Overall Meaning

The song "If You Don't Want My Love Give it Back" by Bobby Womack is a heart-wrenching plea to a lover who has lost interest. The song starts with the repeated plea to give his love back if it's not desired anymore. Womack insists that if the lover doesn't want his love, then it's better to return it to him. He continues to repeat this plea in the chorus, emphasizing the importance of making it explicit if the love is no longer wanted or needed.

The verses of the song reveal that Womack had found this person stranded on the highway and had taken them into his home. He not only helped this person but also taught them how to live better. However, despite all of his efforts, the lover has lost interest and is now making him feel unwanted. Womack knows that the lover is having trouble deciding between him and someone else, but he still insists that it's better to make a decision and either want or need his love or return it to him.

The lyrics of the song are straightforward and simple, but Womack's delivery and raw emotion elevate the song to a whole new level. The added instrumentation of the piano and horns perfectly complements Womack's voice, adding to the overall poignancy of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

If you don't want my love
If you no longer have feelings for me

If you don't need my love
If you no longer depend on me for love

Baby, give it back
Return my love to me

If you don't want my love
If you no longer have feelings for me

If you don't need my love
If you no longer depend on me for love

Baby, give it back
Return my love to me

When I found you stranded on a highway
When I discovered you in a difficult situation

I took you home in town
I brought you to my place of residence

I also taught you how to live good
I helped improve your way of living

And now you want to move me down
And now you want to put me down

I know your tried to make a decision
I understand that you tried to make a choice

Between him or me
Between me and another person

But knowing in you all the time you got something
But all along, you had something within you

That you feel you need, yeah baby
That you feel is necessary, yes baby

If you don't want my love
If you no longer have feelings for me

If you don't need my love
If you no longer depend on me for love

If you don't want it
If you don't want my love

If you don't need it
If you no longer depend on me for love

find somebody else
Look for someone else to love

If you don't want my love
If you no longer have feelings for me

Give it back
Return my love to me

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Bobby Womack, Gordon De Witty

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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