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.
Pretty Women Everywhere
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Hey, hey hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When I saw you walking down the street
I said that's a kind of girl I'd like to meet
She's so pretty, Lord she's fine
I'm gonna make her mine, all mine
Hey, hey hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When you turned and walked away
Thats when I want to say
C'mon baby, give me a whirl
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Hey, hey hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When you turned and walked away
Thats when I want to say
C'mon baby, give me a whirl
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Hey, hey hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Hey, hey hey hey hey, baby
C'mon, baby now
The lyrics of "Hey, Hey Baby" by Chairmen of the Board are a classic example of a man trying to woo a woman. The opening line of the song sets the tone as the singer expresses his desire to know if the woman he's interested in will be his. Throughout the song, he refers to her physical beauty, saying she's pretty and fine, and he ultimately declares his intention to make her his.
The song implies that the man has just seen this woman walking down the street for the first time, and he's immediately drawn to her. When she turns and walks away, he's left with the feeling that he needs to act quickly if he wants to catch her attention. He implores her to "give me a whirl," in other words, to give him a chance and see if they have a connection.
Overall, the lyrics are a straightforward expression of a man's interest in a woman. While they may not be particularly deep or poetic, they capture the excitement and anticipation of wanting to pursue a romantic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey hey baby!
The singer is trying to get the attention of a woman.
I want to know if you'll be my girl
The singer is asking the woman if she would be interested in being in a relationship with him.
When I saw you walking down the street
The singer describes seeing the woman in public.
I said that's a kind of girl I'd like to meet
The artist expresses their attraction towards the woman based on their appearance.
She's so pretty, Lord she's fine
The artist is complimenting the woman's physical attributes.
I'm gonna make her mine, all mine
The singer is expressing his intention to pursue a romantic relationship with the woman.
When you turned and walked away
The woman is leaving the singer's vicinity.
Thats when I want to say
The artist is expressing their desire to communicate with the woman.
C'mon baby, give me a whirl
The artist is asking the woman to give him a chance to pursue a relationship with her.
Hey, hey hey hey hey, baby
The artist is trying to get the woman's attention again.
C'mon, baby now
The singer is urging the woman to take action in regards to their potential relationship.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Bruce Channel, Margaret Cobb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind