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.
Too Much Love
Bread Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too much pain
Too many reasons
No to go back again
Leavin' without her
Is too much to bear
But when we're together
Too much nothin' to share
I've never seen
Too much love
I don't know what it means
Not enough caring
Too many lies
Sooner or later
One too many goodbyes
I got no reason
For hangin' around
And all my possessions
Start to weighin' me down
But too much love
I've never known
Too much love
I need some of my own
Bread's song "Too Much Love" is a powerful ballad that speaks to the complexities of relationships. The first stanza of the song talks about the difficulty of leaving someone you love even when there is too much pain and sorrow involved. The lines "Leavin' without her/ Is too much to bear/ But when we're together/ Too much nothin' to share" paint a picture of a complicated relationship where the pain of leaving is as much as the pain of staying, and when they are together, they can't seem to connect emotionally. The chorus talks about the concept of "too much love" which the singer doesn't understand. He has never seen or experienced "too much love" before, and he is confused about what it means.
The second stanza talks about the flip side of the relationship where there is not enough caring and too many lies. The lines "Sooner or later/ One too many goodbyes" suggest that these patterns of behavior have led to an unstable relationship where they keep coming back to each other and then breaking up again. The singer has no reason to keep hanging around, as everything he owns starts weighing him down. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the quest for understanding what it means to have "too much love" or even some of his own.
One interpretation of this song is that true love lies in finding the right balance between too much and not enough. The singer is struggling to find that balance in his own life and is unconvinced that he has found it with the person he is singing about. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the singer still searching for answers.
Line by Line Meaning
Too much sorrow
There is an excess of sadness.
Too much pain
There is an excess of physical or emotional discomfort.
Too many reasons
There are too many explanations or justifications for something.
No to go back again
There is no possibility of returning to a past situation.
Leavin' without her
Departing without the presence of his significant other.
Is too much to bear
It is too difficult to endure.
But when we're together
During the time when both individuals are in each other's company.
Too much nothin' to share
Despite being together, there is a lack of meaningful exchange.
But too much love
There is an overwhelming amount of love.
I've never seen
He has never experienced this level of affection.
Too much love
There is an overabundance of love.
I don't know what it means
He does not comprehend the full depth or significance of this emotion.
Not enough caring
There is a deficiency of emotional attachment.
Too many lies
There are too many untruths or falsehoods being told.
Sooner or later
Some actions will have consequences or repercussions after some time has passed.
One too many goodbyes
There has been an excessive number of departures or farewells.
I got no reason
There is no cause or purpose for staying in this situation.
For hangin' around
Staying in one place or situation for an extended duration.
And all my possessions
All of his physical belongings.
Start to weighin' me down
His possessions are becoming a burden or constraint.
But too much love
There is an excess of love.
I've never known
He has never experienced this level of affection.
Too much love
There is an overabundance of love.
I need some of my own
He desires to have this level of love for himself.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES ARTHUR GRIFFIN, ROBB ROYER
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