General Norman Johnson (23 May 1943, Norfolk, VA – 13 Oct 2010, Atlanta, GA), had a hit as the lead singer of The Showmen, in the early '60s, with the New Orleans rock'n'roll anthem It Will Stand.
When Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown, in 1967, to establish their own Invictus/Hot Wax group of labels, they teamed-up Johnson with Eddie Custis, Danny Woods &, Canadian born, Harrison Kennedy - as the new company's flagship act - under the appropriate name 'Chairmen of the Board'. Dozier explained, according to Songfacts: "We called them that because of their extraordinary talents. They each played several instruments, sang and wrote songs as well." Custis left the group after their second album.
Though they all had a turn at lead vocals, it was General Johnson's quirky hiccup-laden style and his songwriting which became increasingly showcased, wit hthe group selling a million plus copies of "Give Me Just A Little More Time". Chairmen of the Board also scored with "You've Got Me Dangling On A String", "Pay To the Piper", "Everything's Tuesday", "Working On A Building Of Love", "Elmo James", "Finders Keepers", and the original version of "Patches", a memorable ballad later covered with great success by Clarence Carter.
Kennedy, Woods and Johnson all went on to cut solo albums of varying quality, whilst Johnson wrote and produced (with Greg Perry) for other Invictus/Hot Wax acts, notably Honey Cone. Harrison having left, Johnson and Woods toured the UK in 1976 with six musicians as "Chairmen of the Board", but were not as successful as before. The act was broken up immediately afterwards, Johnson having signed for Arista Records as a solo artist.
In 1978, Johnson reformed the Chairmen of the Board. In 1980, the new Chairmen founded Surfside Records, for which the group records for to this day.
The Chairmen of the Board (General Johnson, Danny Woods and Ken Knox) were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
General Johnson continued to perform with Woods and Knox as the "Chairmen of the Board" until his death from lung cancer in 2010.
In 2012, Chairmen of the Board released a single, "You", which was written and produced by Knox.
In 2013, former member Harrison Kennedy was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the "Acoustic Artist" category.
Danny Woods died in January 2018.
39-21-46
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are so beautiful
You′re such a sight to see
You're the girl for me
(You you you you you you you you)
You set my soul on fire
Wanting to be with you.
You could make a blind man see.
You could make a crippled man walk.
You could make the quietest man in the world talk.
Uh huh huh. (nobody else will do)
Every little boy in town
Wants to get his arms around
You (you you you you you you you you you you you)
For no one else will do, but--
You, with your 39 21 40 shape
Yes, you got me going ape ity ape over you
(Ah ah ah ah) you x 3
You could make a blind man see
You could make a crippled man walk
You could make the quietest man in the world talk
Yes, you could. (nobody else will do)
Every little boy in town
Wants to get his arms around
You (you you you you you you you you you you you)
For no one else will do but
You, with your 39 21 40 shape, mmm.
Yes you got me going ape ity ape over you
(You you you you you you you you x 4)
You-- Oo-oo-oooo
The song "39-21-46" by Chairmen Of The Board is a love song to a woman with an outstandingly attractive physique, which is described as having a "39-21-40 shape." The lyrics express the singer's deep desire and admiration for the woman, claiming that she is the only one that they want to be with. The song highlights the power that this woman holds, suggesting that she can make a blind man see, and a crippled man walk. The singer talks about how every little boy in town would want to get his arms around her, but they are the lucky one who has the chance to be with her.
The song glorifies the woman's physical appearance, placing a huge emphasis on her body, but at the same time, this could be interpreted as objectification. However, it is important to note the time it was written, in the 1970s, objectification of women was much more normalized, compared to today's standards. The tone of the song itself is very upbeat and happy, making it one of the classics and beloved tunes in the era of disco, funk, and soul.
Line by Line Meaning
You are so beautiful
You possess an exquisite and alluring beauty that is incomparable
You're such a sight to see
Your physical appearance is a remarkable spectacle worth beholding
You're the girl for me
Amongst all the women I have encountered, you are the one I desire the most
(You you you you you you you you)
The very thought of you fills my mind and heart with overwhelming joy and affection
You set my soul on fire
Your presence ignites a passionate flame within me that cannot be quenched
Filling my heart with one desire
My heart is consumed with a singular longing to be with you
Wanting to be with you.
My yearning to be in your company is insatiable
You could make a blind man see.
You possess a striking and remarkable beauty that could even grant sight to someone who is blind
You could make a crippled man walk.
Your beauty could even provide the strength and motivation for a lame person to walk
You could make the quietest man in the world talk.
Your captivating beauty possesses the ability to inspire even the most introverted people to converse
Uh huh huh. (nobody else will do)
There is no one else in the world who could replace you in my heart and mind
Every little boy in town
All the young boys within the locality
Wants to get his arms around
Aspires to embrace you physically
You (you you you you you you you you you you you)
You are the sole object of affection amongst all the girls in town
For no one else will do, but--
None of the other girls could compare to you in any manner
You, with your 39 21 40 shape
You possess an alluring physique, with the required measurements of 39-21-40
Yes, you got me going ape ity ape over you
I am uncontrollably and ecstatically infatuated with you
(Ah ah ah ah) you x 3
I am so mesmerized by you that I cannot help but repeatedly express my joy and adoration for you
You could make a blind man see
Your beauty is so striking that it could grant vision to a blind person
You could make a crippled man walk
Your beauty has the ability to instill strength and motivation in a lame person.
You could make the quietest man in the world talk
Your captivating allure is capable of inspiring even the shyest among the human race to converse
Yes, you could. (nobody else will do)
I am confident that there is no one in the world who could replace you in my heart and mind
You, with your 39 21 40 shape, mmm.
The fact that you possess a perfect body physique with the measurements of 39-21-40 only magnifies my intense fondness for you
Yes you got me going ape ity ape over you
Your mesmerizing allure has left me uncontrollably infatuated with you
(You you you you you you you you x 4)
I am repeatedly expressing my overwhelming affection for you and how much I crave to be near you
You-- Oo-oo-oooo
Your very presence brings me immense joy
Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stevearcher3978
I played drums on the road withThe Showmen when I was 16. They were a blast! Great memories.....
@janeewell2540
That must have been so unbelievable.
@aejisclass6857
I used to think this was done by Chairmen of the Board... Never knew much about the Showmen - which will change after I make this (rare) comment... I did, however, know a little about Bill Deal (& Rhondells) - well, that is, my mother did - he (et al) babysitted me and my sister when we were kids...(in Deep Creek, Va). Now, let me go research The Showmen. (Apologies offered)
@ianjohnson458
That's amazing, Steve!
@clovis4891
wish I was there with you. love this beach music. the good old days. I'm 74 now and I still love it
@OldNorthStateJunkRemovalLLC
Awesome
@johnbowes7965
I'm sitting here fighting off my first bout of Covid, and my best friend from Granby High School sent me this as a 'cheer up'. We both saw several Showmen acts at the Golden Triangle Hotel in downtown Norfolk VA in 1966-1967. I smile whenever I hear this tune again! Thanks for sending Doug.
@evansobx
You’re Welcome Boy, we had many a good night listening & dancing to them for sure!😎
@SenorKennedy
My parents danced to this song when they were young, when I was a kid and now my wife and I dance to this with our kids. Carolina Beach music will live forever.
@janeewell2540
Hope you are right about that. Nothing better.