An actress, singer, talk show host, and author, the multi-talented Reese first started singing in church in her hometown of Detroit when she was six years old. By the age of 13, she was touring with gospel great Mahalia Jackson; then, at 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to bring gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas. Reese expanded her musical repertoire as a vocalist with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and began recording albums, with such hits as "Don't You Know" and "And That Reminds Me" in the 1950s. She appeared extensively as a guest on the top television variety series, logging more than 20 appearances in one year on The Ed Sullivan Show on the CBS Television Network. Reese was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Female Soloist in Gospel Music in 1987.
Tapping into her other skills, she was host of a television talk show in 1969-1970, then began guest-starring in such series as Sanford and Son, The A-Team, Crazy Like a Fox and Picket Fences. She starred in the CBS Network series Charlie & Co. and The Royal Family. Reese's current projects include a new album based on her 27-city tour with her revue, "Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues," as well as song on the Touched By An Angel Soundtrack. Her best-selling autobiography, "Angels Along the Way," is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Reese also starred in the telefilms Emma's Wish, with Joanna Kerns, and The Secret Path, with Ossie Davis.
Love for Sale
Della Reese Lyrics
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Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On the wayward ways of this wayward town
That her smile becomes a smirk, I go to work
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Love that's only slightly soiled, love for sale
Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price, for a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish way
I know every type of love better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love every love but true love
Love for sale, appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish way
I know every type of love better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love every love but true love
Love for sale, appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale, love for sale, love for sale
The lyrics to Della Reese's song Love for Sale paint a picture of a bustling city at night, where the only sound is the heavy tread of a lonesome cop's feet. The singer then reveals that when the moon has been gazing down on the city's wayward ways for too long, she opens shop to sell love. The love she sells is young and appetizing, but only slightly soiled - a metaphor for a love that has been experienced but not yet jaded. The singer asks who will buy her love, who is willing to pay the price for a trip to paradise.
The next stanza takes a cynical turn, as the singer claims to know every type of love better than the poets who write about it. She offers the thrill of love but warns that she has been through the mill of love and has experienced every love but true love. The chorus repeats the idea of love for sale, urging the listener to follow the singer and climb the stairs to buy her wares.
The lyrics of Love for Sale are a commentary on the commodification of love in modern society. The city at night is presented as a lawless place where even love can be bought and sold like a product. The singer's jaded tone suggests that she has been burned by love before and doesn't necessarily believe in its true value. Instead, she presents love as a means to an end, a way to reach paradise.
Line by Line Meaning
When the only sound in the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop I open shop
When the streets are desolate and the only sound is the footsteps of a solitary cop, I start my business
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On the wayward ways of this wayward town
That her smile becomes a smirk, I go to work
When the moon has watched this corrupt town's immoral behavior for so long that its smile turns into a sneer, I get to work
Love for sale, appetizing young love for sale
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Love that's only slightly soiled, love for sale
I am selling love, which is young and desirable. It is fresh and untainted, or only slightly tainted, and available for purchase
Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price, for a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Who is willing to buy my love? Who wants to test it out? Who is willing to pay the price for a chance at true love?
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish way
I know every type of love better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love every love but true love
Poets can wax lyrical about love, but I have experienced every kind of love more deeply than they have. If you want an exciting love life, I've been through it all - except for true love
Love for sale, appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale
I am selling attractive, young love, and if you want it, follow me and go up the stairs to my shop
Love for sale, love for sale, love for sale
Love is on sale and available for purchase
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind