Carter's earliest releases were as half of the duo Clarence And Calvin. Also known as the "C And C Boys", the blind duo made seven singles, the last of which was recorded at Fame's Muscle Shoals studio. When his partner, Calvin Thomas (aka Scott), suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 1966, Carter became a solo act (Calvin himself later reappeared as a solo act to record two Dave Crawford-produced Atco Records singles in 1969/70 and a Clarence Paul-produced 1971 album for Stax Records, I'm Not Blind ... I Just Can't See, from which two singles were also taken). "Tell Daddy", released in January 1967, began a fruitful spell of Fame-produced hits by Carter, released on the Atlantic Records label. Noteworthy were "Thread The Needle", "Looking For A Fox" and "Slip Away", where the singer combined his outstanding voice with his skill as an arranger and musician.
"Patches", first recorded by Chairmen Of The Board, was a UK number 2 and a US number 4 in 1970, but despite further strong offerings, Clarence was unable to sustain the momentum. He remained with Fame until 1973, where he also helped guide Candi Staton, who was now his wife, before moving to ABC Records the subsequent year.
Further recordings on Venture and Big C took Carter's career into the 1980s and later the artist found a sympathetic outlet with the Ichiban Records label. Despite being blinded as a child, he developed a distinctive guitar style that complemented his earthy delivery, and was just as comfortable on keyboards, writing songs or arranging sessions. The first two albums, This Is Clarence Carter and The Dynamic Clarence Carter show off his versatile talent to good effect.
Clarence returned in the late Eighties with the album Dr. CC, which spawned the bawdy, comedic single "Strokin'", which has evolved into a favorite at clubs and weddings. He later followed it up with a sequel, "Still Strokin'", in 1989.
Thread The Needle
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your hair hang down, mama
You better let yourself unwound, baby
Cause we gonna get a thing
Going on here that won't quit
Ha ha ha
Oh, I know you're a good dancer, baby
You can Shing-a-ling and got a
Good step on the Boogaloo but
Daddy Clarence gonna teach you
How to Thread the Needle
I said, you better tell her again
Thread the Needle
You mean you ain't never
Heard of that, oh, baby
Just stick with me, ha ha ha, yeah
We're gonna do it, we're gonna do it
Don't you feel that beat, baby
Come on, aww, shucks
Thread the Needle
That's what we're gonna do, baby
Oh, you know it's getting hot in here
I think I'm gonna pull off my shirt
Ha ha ha, yeah
We're gonna do it, we're gonna do it
Aw, I told you
I know you was a good dancer
Shing-a-ling, Boogaloo, Skate
And now, baby, you done
Learned how to, ha ha
Thread the Needle, yeah, ha ha
Thread the Needle
That's what I'm talking about, baby
How is it, you like it
All right, baby......
In "Thread The Needle," Clarence Carter is encouraging his dance partner to let go and unwind, and promising her that the dance they're going to do won't quit. He acknowledges that she's already a good dancer with some fancy moves, but he's going to teach her a new one called "Thread The Needle." He encourages her to feel the beat and follow his lead, as they dance together, and the song builds up with excitement and intensity. The lyrics imply a deep connection between the two dancers, as they let loose and enjoy the moment together.
Line by Line Meaning
Aww, you got to let
Your hair hang down, mama
You better let yourself unwound, baby
You need to relax and let go of your inhibitions, baby.
Cause we gonna get a thing
Going on here that won't quit
Ha ha ha
We're gonna do it, we're gonna do it
We're about to have an awesome time and nothing is going to stop us.
Oh, I know you're a good dancer, baby
You can Shing-a-ling and got a
Good step on the Boogaloo but
Daddy Clarence gonna teach you
How to Thread the Needle
You're already a great dancer, but I'm going to teach you a new move called Thread the Needle.
I said, you better tell her again
Thread the Needle
You mean you ain't never
Heard of that, oh, baby
Just stick with me, ha ha ha, yeah
I'm going to keep telling you about Thread the Needle, and if you've never heard of it, don't worry, just trust me.
Don't you feel that beat, baby
Come on, aww, shucks
Thread the Needle
That's what we're gonna do, baby
Let's get into the rhythm and start doing Thread the Needle, baby!
Oh, you know it's getting hot in here
I think I'm gonna pull off my shirt
Ha ha ha, yeah
We're gonna do it, we're gonna do it
Things are heating up and I'm feeling good! Let's keep doing Thread the Needle.
Aw, I told you
I know you was a good dancer
Shing-a-ling, Boogaloo, Skate
And now, baby, you done
Learned how to, ha ha
Thread the Needle, yeah, ha ha
I knew you had it in you! You can dance Shing-a-ling, Boogaloo, and Skate, but now you've added Thread the Needle to your repertoire. Well done, baby!
Thread the Needle
That's what I'm talking about, baby
How is it, you like it
All right, baby......
Thread the Needle is where it's at, baby! Do you like it? Yeah, you do! All right!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE GEORGE CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gail Waterbury
on Strokin
I remember the first time hearing this from my friend 20 years ago. Me being me fell in love with not only this but many other nasty songs. He'll I raised my kids on this s*** . Alongwith David Allen coe Even played this for my Grandma who almost died of laughter