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.
Come Together
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He come groovin' up slowly
He got joo joo eyeballs
He one holy rollers
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please
He got toe jam football
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
He bad production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knees
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one Mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
Cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now
Over me
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
The lyrics of Chairmen of the Board’s “Come Together” are somewhat surrealistic in nature, filled with bizarre images and references that have proven quite difficult to interpret. The song is believed to have been written as a tribute to John Lennon, whose influence is clearly evident in the song’s structure and lyrics. The opening lines of the song describe a mysterious figure known as “old flat top” who is coming slowly and grooving. This figure is said to have “joo joo eyeballs” and to be a “holy roller” with long hair that extends to his knee. He is also described as a “joker” who does what he pleases, and wears no shine on his shoes.
The lyrics go on to describe the bizarre traits and characteristics of this figure, including his monkey finger, his use of Coca Cola as a weapon, and his knowledge of those around him. He is described as having no real production value, and possessing a strange set of items, such as a walrus gumboot and an Ono sideboard. The song concludes by referencing his ability to lead and the way that he can bring people together to create a sense of unity, calling for everyone to come together, right now, over him. The surreal and enigmatic nature of the lyrics has led many listeners to offer their interpretations of the song, with some suggesting that it may be a call for unity among different groups or a tribute to the power of music to bring people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come old flat top
The arrival of a charismatic and unconventional person
He come groovin' up slowly
He arrives in style, taking his time
He got joo-joo eyeballs
He has a magical and mystical presence
He one holy roller
He is a zealous believer
He got hair down to his knee
He has long hair that is a symbol of his freedom and rebellion
Got to be a joker
He is known for being unpredictable and humorous
He just do what he please
He does not conform to societal norms and lives according to his own values
He wear no shoeshine
He doesn't care about materialistic things
He got toe jam football
He has rough and calloused feet from being barefoot all the time
He got monkey finger
He is nimble and quick with his hands
He shoot Coca Cola
He consumes mass-produced items - like Coca Cola - without shame or irony
He say I know you, you know me
He has a deep understanding of the connectedness between all things
One thing I can tell you is
One piece of wisdom I have learned is
You got to be free
The most important thing in life is to live freely
Come together, right now
Unite and find common ground
Over me
Around me, but not because of me
He bad production
He does not fit into traditional molds of what is considered 'good'
He got walrus gumboot
He wears strange and eclectic clothing like gumboots
He got Ono sideboard
He has avant-garde and unconventional artwork like Yoko Ono's sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He is powerfully adept at healing the body and the soul
He got feet down below his knees
He is unique and unconventional in every way possible
Hold you in his armchair
He will comfort and protect you
You can feel his disease
His unconventional energy can be infectious
He roller coaster
He is unpredictable, and life with him is never boring
He got early warning
He has a special talent or insight that lets him know what's coming before anyone else does
He got muddy water
He is still able to thrive in conditions that others would find treacherous and difficult
He one Mojo filter
He has an aura about him that is indescribable and alluring
He say one and one and one is three
He knows that anything is possible when people come together and work towards a common goal
Got to be good looking
If you want to succeed, you have to look the part
Cause he's so hard to see
But even if you can't see him, you can feel his presence
Come together, yeah
Bring each other up and unite
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PEDRO GOMEZ
Great cover of The Beatles as it was produced by former Motown greats, Holland, Dozier, Holland for their Invictus label! Love me some Chariman of the Board!!
miranda c
Pure Detroit
Alan Fox
I hated to say it best version of the song as far as remakes go was Michael Jackson version in moonwalker.
modus archive
i see mf doom on this
Marc Jacobs
The Beatles were black ;-)
Michael Sorrells Santa Michael
Arowsmith