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.
Silent Night
Bobby Womack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All's asleep, one sole light,
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
Silent night! Holy night!
Brought the world peace tonight,
From the heavens' golden height
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Silent night! holy night!
Where today all the might
Of His fatherly love us graced
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
All the peoples on earth!
Silent night! Holy night!
Long we hoped that He might,
As our Lord, free us of wrath,
Since times of our fathers He hath
Promised to spare all mankind!
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds first see the sight.
Told by angelic Alleluja,
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
"Christ the Savior is here!"
In Bobby Womack's version of "Silent Night," the lyrics talk about the peace that the birth of Jesus Christ brought to the world. The song opens with the description of a quiet, still night, where all is asleep except for a "faithful and holy pair" - Mary and Joseph, who are watching over baby Jesus. The baby is described as a "lovely boy-child with curly hair," who is sleeping peacefully. The lyrics then go on to describe Jesus as the "Son of God" who brings light and love into the world, as his birth marks the beginning of salvation for humanity. The third verse talks about how Jesus came to Earth to show the grace of his father, and how he embraced all people as his brothers and sisters, bringing peace to all of mankind.
The fourth verse of the song is a direct reference to the Bible, where shepherds are the first to hear of Jesus' birth from a group of angels proclaiming that "Christ the Savior is here!" This divine announcement signifies the arrival of the long-awaited savior, who brings freedom from the wrath of God that had been promised to humans since the times of their ancestors. The lyrics of the song emphasize the peaceful and divine nature of Jesus' birth, as well as the hope and joy that it brings to all.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent night! Holy night!
A peaceful and holy night
All's asleep, one sole light,
Everything is quiet and peaceful with only one light shining
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Only the righteous and holy couple are present
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
A beautiful child with curly hair is sleeping
Sleep in heavenly peace!
May the child sleep in peace from Heaven
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
The Son of God has arrived and brings happiness
Love from your holy lips shines clear,
Your divine love is evident
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
Salvation is near
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
You are Jesus, our Lord and Savior
Brought the world peace tonight,
Tonight, the world becomes peaceful
From the heavens' golden height
From the golden heights of Heaven
Shows the grace of His holy might
Demonstrates God's grace and power
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Jesus was born as a human on this earth
Where today all the might
Where today all the power
Of His fatherly love us graced
We are blessed with the love of our Heavenly Father
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
Jesus embraced us as His brothers and sisters
All the peoples on earth!
Everyone on earth
Long we hoped that He might,
We have been waiting for a long time
As our Lord, free us of wrath,
That the Lord would free us from His wrath
Since times of our fathers He hath
As promised to our forefathers
Promised to spare all mankind!
Promised to save humanity!
Shepherds first see the sight.
Shepherds were the first to see it
Told by angelic Alleluja,
Informed by the angels, singing 'Alleluja'
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
Echoing across the land, from nearby and far away
"Christ the Savior is here!"
Announcing that the Christ, who is our Savior, has arrived
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AUGUSTO CESAR DE OLI TEIXEIRA, FRANK GRUBER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind