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.

Joy to the World
Bobby Womack Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Joy to the world
The Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart
Prepare him room
And heaven, let heaven
Heaven and nature
Heaven and nature sing

Chorus:
Everybody sing
Joy to the world
The Lord is come
(Let Earth receive her King)
Let every heart
Prepare him room
Let heaven and nature sing
Let heaven and nature sing
Go tell of his glory
Go shout the new story
That the Savior is born
Let heaven, heaven
Heaven and nature sing

Let fields and flocks
Rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Go tell of his glory
Go shout the new story
The Savior is born
Let heaven, heaven
Heaven, heaven
And nature sing
Sing joy to the world
For the Savior reigns
And makes
His blessings flow

Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic hosts proclaim
Glory to the King
While the angels sing

[Chorus:]

Everybody sing joy
Sing joy to the world
All over the world
Sing joy, oh

Sing joy, everybody sing
Joy to the world

Overall Meaning

The song “Joy To The World” is a classic Christmas carol and has been performed and recorded by various artists including Bobby Womack. The song begins with the lines “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let Earth receive her King.” The song is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and as the lyrics state, it is not only a celebration for humanity but for heaven and nature as well. It urges everyone to prepare and make room in their hearts for the arrival of the Savior who has come to bless them.

The chorus repeats the opening verse and invites everyone to join in singing the joyous song. It ends with the lines “Let heaven, heaven, and nature sing” which emphasize that the entire world is celebrating and rejoicing in the birth of the Savior. The song encourages everyone to go and spread the news that the Messiah has arrived and to shout the story of his glorious birth. It invites fields, flocks, rocks, hills, and plains to echo the joyous news of his birth.

The song finishes by repeating the chorus and ending with “Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies, with angelic hosts proclaim, glory to the King while the angels sing.” The carol invites everyone to put aside their differences and join together in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

Line by Line Meaning

Joy to the world
Let there be happiness and delight for all the people in the world

The Lord is come
The savior has arrived

Let Earth receive her King
Welcome the King of the Earth

Let every heart
May every person's heart

Prepare him room
Make space for Him in your heart

And heaven, let heaven
And the heavens above, let them

Heaven and nature
The heavens and the earth

Heaven and nature sing
Sing out with joy and praise

Everybody sing
All the people together sing

Let every heart
May every person's heart

Prepare him room
Make space for Him in your heart