David Gates (guitar, keyboards, bass and vocals) and Jimmy Griffin (guitar and vocals) formed the group in 1968, adding Robb Royer (guitar, bass and vocals of Pleasure Faire) before signing to Elektra Records. Bread, the band's debut album as a trio, was a failure. The band became a quartet beginning with their second album, On The Waters, bringing in Mike Botts as permanent drummer. This time their efforts quickly established Bread as a major act, hitting the mainstream with the #1 hit "Make It With You" in 1970. Bread began touring and recording the 1971 album titled Manna, which included their most enduring hit, "If."
Royer left the group after three albums to pursue other interests. He was replaced by Larry Knechtel (keyboards, bass, guitar, harmonica), a top session player from the Los Angeles scene. Knechtel's credits included records by Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Jan and Dean, Johnny Rivers and Simon & Garfunkel. In 1972 Bread released the highly successful album titled Baby I'm-a Want You, followed by another hit album, Guitar Man. Tensions existed between Gates and Griffin, however. Elektra had been invariably choosing Gates' songs for the A-sides of the singles; Griffin felt that the singles should have been split between the two, however.
By 1973 the band members sensed that they had taken Bread as far as they could, so they disbanded. Gates and Griffin then began solo careers, with mixed results. After reuniting in 1976, Bread released the album Lost Without Your Love in January 1977. The title track was the band's last top-ten hit, peaking at number 9 on the singles chart. The comeback album was also RIAA-certified Gold®.
2. Bread (Joe Kosnow) is a rapper from Portland, ME.
Friends And Lovers
Bread Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saying goodbye to each other
Their way
Your way
Gathered in garden and parting in doorways
And it's over
Anyway that's what the papers said.
What was going on inside your head
You were there
You were there
I'd like to ask
Did anybody touch you?
Come and go it went so fast
Did anybody touch you?
Friends and lovers
Turning away from the others
Your way
Their way
Closing their doors and then climbing their
Stairways
And it's over
Anyway that's what the people say and I wonder
Does it really have to be this way
You were there
You were there I'd like to ask
Did anybody touch you.
Come and go it went so fast
Did anybody touch you.
Come and go it went so fast
Did anybody touch you?
Or did you stand alone until the darkness came
Just one more room where everybody knew
Your name.
Friends and lovers
Ever apart from others
Endless hallways
Just say goodbye and it's over for always
And it's over
Didn't you believe me when I said and I wonder
What was going on inside your head
You were there
You were there I'd like to ask
Did anybody touch you?
Come and go it went so fast
Did anybody touch you?
The song Friends and Lovers by Bread speaks about a group of friends who part ways and go on their separate paths. As they bid each other farewell, the singer wonders if anyone touched his friend who is also leaving. It appears that the goodbye is final and it is over, as stated in the chorus of the song. However, the singer finds it hard to accept this fact and wonders if it really has to be this way. He goes on to ask whether his friend stood alone until the darkness came.
The song portrays the feelings of loss, separation, and longing for someone who used to be a part of our lives. The question posed by the singer - "did anybody touch you?" - implies that he is concerned about the emotional impact of leaving and the possibility of abandonment that comes with it. The song fills us with the melancholia that follows the sense of loss and the irreparable loss of companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
Friends and lovers
People who are both friends and romantic partners.
Saying goodbye to each other
Parting ways, likely due to the end of their relationship.
Their way
Going in their own direction.
Your way
Going in a different direction than the other person.
Gathered in garden and parting in doorways
Spending time together in pleasant surroundings before having to say goodbye.
And it's over
The relationship has ended.
Anyway that's what the papers said.
There has been public speculation about the breakup.
And I wonder
The singer is curious about the other person's thoughts and feelings.
What was going on inside your head
The singer wonders what the other person was thinking and feeling during the breakup.
You were there
The other person was present during the breakup.
I'd like to ask
The singer wants to know more about what the other person experienced during the breakup.
Did anybody touch you?
The singer wants to know if anyone has hurt the other person physically or emotionally.
Come and go it went so fast
The relationship ended quickly.
Friends and lovers
The two people had a romantic and friendly relationship.
Turning away from the others
The people are turning away from those who are not part of their relationship.
Closing their doors and then climbing their
Symbolic actions of distancing themselves from each other and moving on with their separate lives.
Stairways
The paths they are taking are up to them and may be uphill or difficult.
Does it really have to be this way
The singer is questioning the notion that the end of the relationship had to happen how it did.
Or did you stand alone until the darkness came
The singer wonders if the other person was feeling isolated and alone before the end of the relationship.
Just one more room where everybody knew
The people were well-known in the same social circles and now they will be apart.
Your name.
Their name will still be known even if they are no longer together.
Friends and lovers
The relationship was both romantic and friendly.
Ever apart from others
The two people were always separate from those who were not part of their relationship.
Endless hallways
Symbolic of the long and winding paths each person will take without the other.
Just say goodbye and it's over for always
The singer acknowledges that saying goodbye means the end of their relationship forever.
Didn't you believe me when I said and I wonder
The singer is wondering if the other person believed them when they expressed their feelings or concerns.
Did anybody touch you?
The singer is asking again if anyone hurt the other person during or after the breakup.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES GRIFFIN, ROBERT WILSON ROYER, T. HALLINAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hunter Sullivan
on Lost Without Your Love
Lost and all alone
I always thought that I could make it on my own
But since you left I hardly make it through the day
My tears get in the way, and I need you back to stay
I wonder through the night
And search the world for the words to make it right
All I want is the way it used to be
With you here close to me
And I've got to make you see,
That I'm lost with out your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
I'm as helpless as a ship without a wheel,
A touch without a feel
I can't believe its real
And someday soon I'll wake and find my heart won't have to break
Yes, I'm lost with out your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
All I want is just the way it used to be
I need you here with me
Oh darling can't you see,
If we had love before we can have it back once more