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.
I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't got to love nobody else
'Cause I got you
Now if the whole world will turn its back on me
I wouldn't lose a thing, no, no, no, because I got my baby
And to me she's every everything
That's why I can say
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
'Cause I got you, I got you
One more thing I wanna say right here
Now I don't need
I don't need, I don't need no friends at all
'Cause when I'm feelin', I'm feelin', I'm feelin' down
She's the only one I can call
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
And I got you
Now if the ten most richest woman in the world wanted me
I'll have to say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I want to be with my baby, my baby
And I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
I ain't got to love nobody else
The lyrics to Bobby Womack's "I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else" speak to the exclusive and all-consuming nature of true love. The opening lines state plainly, "I ain't got to love nobody else / 'Cause I got you," emphasizing the depth of fidelity and devotion the singer feels towards their partner. Womack goes on to say that even if the whole world were to turn against him, he wouldn't lose anything because his significant other means everything to him. This sentiment is echoed throughout the song as the singer repeatedly declares that they "ain't got to love nobody else" because they have found the one person who completes them.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of isolation and the personal limits we place on ourselves when we find someone we love. The singer admits that they don't need any friends because their partner is the only person they want to turn to when they're feeling down. This idea is reinforced when the singer imagines the scenario of the ten richest women in the world pursuing him, and he turns them all down because he simply wants to be with his baby. The final repetition of "I ain't got to love nobody else" drives home the message that true love requires nothing else to be fulfilling.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else" paint a picture of a deep and abiding love that provides all the security and happiness the singer needs in life. It is a declaration of devotion and a celebration of the power of romantic attachment.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't got to love nobody else
I don't have to love anyone else because I have you.
I ain't got to love nobody else
I don't have to love anyone else because I have you.
'Cause I got you
Because I have you.
Now if the whole world will turn its back on me
Even if everyone in the world turned their back on me,
I wouldn't lose a thing, no, no, no, because I got my baby
I wouldn't lose anything because I have my lover
And to me she's every everything
To me, my lover is everything
That's why I can say
That is why I can say
One more thing I wanna say right here
There is one more thing I want to say
Now I don't need
I don't need
I don't need, I don't need no friends at all
I don't need any friends at all
'Cause when I'm feelin', I'm feelin', I'm feelin' down
Because when I'm feeling down
She's the only one I can call
My lover is the only one I can call
Now if the ten most richest woman in the world wanted me
Even if the top ten richest women in the world wanted me
I'll have to say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I would have to decline
I want to be with my baby, my baby
I want to be with my lover
I ain't got to love nobody else
I don't have to love anyone else because I have you
I ain't got to love nobody else
I don't have to love anyone else because I have you
I ain't got to love nobody else
I don't have to love anyone else because I have you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEE WESLEY, CHARLIE MOORE, JR. JONES, ROBERT WRIGHTSIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind