Edwards was born in Fairfield, Alabama, eight miles from Birmingham, Alabama (the hometown of fellow Temptations Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks), to Reverend and Mrs. Dennis Edwards Sr., He began singing as a toddler, just two years old, in his fathers' church. The Edwards family moved to Detroit, Michigan when Edwards was about ten years old, and Edwards would continue to sing in the church pastored by his father, eventually becoming choir director.
As a teenager, Edwards joined a gospel vocal group called The Might Clouds of Joy, and studied music at the Detroit Conservatory of Music. He was disallowed from singing or listening to secular music at home, and his mother did not approve when he began pursuit of a career singing rhythm and blues music. In 1961 he organized his own soul/jazz group, Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs. In 1961, Edwards recorded a single for the obscure Detroit label, International Soulville Records, "I Didn't Have to (But I Did)" b/w "Johnnie on the Spot".
Following time served in the US military, in 1966 Edwards auditioned for Detroit's Motown Records, where he was signed but placed on retainer. Later that year, he was assigned to join The Contours after their lead singer fell ill. In 1967, the Contours were the opening act for several Temptations concerts, and Temptations members Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams - who were considering replacing their own lead singer, David Ruffin, took notice of Edwards and made his acquaintance. Edwards also became good friends with the Temptations' lead singer, David Ruffin.
The Temptations years
Later in 1967, Edwards quit the Contours and was placed back on retainer. He attempted to get a release from his contract, as Holland-Dozier-Holland had promised to sign him to their new Invictus Records, but was drafted in late June 1968 to join the Temptations, who had just fired Ruffin from the act.
Ruffin had tipped Edwards off that he was being drafted as his replacement, which eased Edwards' conscience in replacing him. The Temptations officially introduced Edwards on July 9, 1968 on stage in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. However, Ruffin, who was attempting to make his way back into the group, crashed the stage during Edwards' lead vocal on "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" to significant applause. He continued similar stunts for about a month until, according to Edwards, the group decided to lay-off Edwards - with the promise of a solo deal from Motown - and rehire Ruffin. When Ruffin failed to show for his return engagement in Gaithersburg, Maryland the next night, Edwards was permanently kept on and the Temptations refused to entertain rehiring Ruffin any further.
Edwards was the first singer to join the Temptations after their "Classic 5" period. With his rougher gospel-hewn vocals, Edwards led the group through its psychedelic, funk, and disco periods, singing on hits such as "Cloud Nine" (1968), "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969), "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (1970), "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972), and "Shakey Ground" (1975), among others. Two of these songs, "Cloud Nine" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", won Grammy Awards.
During this time, Edwards was engaged to Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing, the lead singer of Quiet Elegance, and The Temptations toured with them as their backing group.
Edwards remained in the Temptations until being fired by Otis Williams in 1977 just before the group's departure from Motown to Atlantic Records. After a failed attempt at a Motown solo career, Edwards rejoined the Temptations in 1980, when they returned to Motown. In 1982, Edwards got the chance to sing with Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks as part of Reunion album and tour. Edwards began missing shows and rehearsals, and was replaced in 1984 by Ali-Ollie Woodson.
In 1989, Dennis Edwards was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Temptations.
Solo artist
Motown re-launched Edwards' solo career, in 1984 with the hit single "Don't Look Any Further," a duet with Siedah Garrett. The album of the same name reached No. 2 on the R&B charts and included the radio singles "(You're My) Aphrodisiac" and "Just Like You." The 1985 follow-up album Coolin' Out included the title track, an R&B Top 30 hit; and "Try A Little Tenderness." When problems arose between Woodson and the Temptations in 1987, Edwards was brought back once again, but was himself replaced by Woodson in 1989 after being fired a third and final time by Williams.
Edwards toured and recorded with fellow ex-Temptations Ruffin and Kendricks during the late 1980s as 'Ruffin/Kendricks/Edwards, former leads of The Temptations', although nothing was released. The 1998 "Street Gold" DVD "Original Leads Of The Temptations" documents this historic period. After the deaths of both Ruffin (1991) and Kendricks (1992), Edwards was forced to wrap up the project alone. In 1990 Dennis teamed up with Eddie Kendricks to release a dance/club track for A&B records entitled "Get it While it's Hot". The track was recorded at Fredrick Knight's recording studio in the duo's old home town of Birmingham, Alabama and produced and engineered by house music pioneer Alan Steward. The track created a lot of controversy as it contained a short rap sequence which did not sit very well with die hard Temptations fans. Edwards' Don't Look Any Further the Remix Album was released in 1998 containing updated dance mixes and the original 1984 track.
The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards
During the 1990s, Edwards began touring under the name 'Dennis Edwards & the Temptations', prompting a legal battle between himself and Otis Williams. It was decided that Edwards' group would be called 'The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards', the name that Edwards tours under to this day. Edwards' current group includes Paul Williams Jr. (son of original Temptations member Paul Williams), David Sea, Mike Patillo, and Chris Arnold.
Edwards was portrayed by Charles Ley in the 1998 biographical television mini-series The Temptations, though he was not heavily focused upon, as the mini-series gave more attention to the Ruffin/Kendricks-era Temptations line up.
Dennis Edwards was briefly married to Ruth Pointer, whom he wed in Las Vegas in 1977. They are the parents of Issa Pointer, who later became a member of her mother's vocal group, The Pointer Sisters.
Ain't That Peculiar
Dennis Edwards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stay away too long and I can't do without you
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
But each hurt makes my love stronger than before
I know flowers go through rain
But how can love go through pain
Ain't that peculiar
Ain't that peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be
You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
I've been so much in love with you baby til I don't want to see
That things you do and say are designed to make me blue
It's a doggone shame my love for you makes all
Your lies seem true
But if the truth makes love last longer
Why do lies make my love stronger
Ain't that peculiar
Peculiar as can be
Ain't that peculiar baby
A peculiar-arity
I cried so much just like a child that's lost its home
Maybe baby you think these tears I cry are tears of joy
A child can cry so much until you do everything they say
But unlike a child my tears don't help me to get my way
I know love can last through years
But how can love last through tears
Now ain't that peculiar baby
A peculiar-arity
Ain't it peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be
Said I don't understand it baby
It's so strange sometimes
In Dennis Edwards's song "Ain't That Peculiar", the lyrics express the singer's frustration with an unfaithful lover who continuously hurts him but he still can't help but love her. The lyrics start by admitting that the lover does him wrong but he can't help being crazy about her. Even though she stays away for longer periods, he can't do without her. He acknowledges that her actions hurt him more and more, but instead of making him love her less, it makes his love stronger. The chorus repeats the phrase "Ain't that peculiar baby" repeatedly, highlighting the strangeness of falling deeper in love despite being hurt over and over again.
The next verse talks about how the lover lies to him, and though he knows they are lies, he can't help but believe them because he loves her so much. He compares his situation to that of a child who cries until they get what they want, but his tears do not sway her. The final verse mentions the singer's tears and how they cannot help him gain the love he desires. The lyrics end with the singer expressing his confusion with how love can persist despite an abundance of pain.
Overall, the song portrays the idea of unconditional love and the power it has to make it difficult to see the truth. It also highlights the paradox of love where sometimes the pain of betrayal and heartbreak only strengthen the bond.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey you do me wrong but still I'm crazy about you
Even though you mistreat me, I still love you deeply
Stay away too long and I can't do without you
When you're gone for too long, I can't bear to be without you
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
You take every opportunity to cause me pain, and it hurts more each time
But each hurt makes my love stronger than before
Despite the pain you cause me, my love for you only grows stronger
I know flowers go through rain
Like flowers that endure rain, love too can face hardship
But how can love go through pain
But it's difficult for love to endure the pain you put me through
Ain't that peculiar
Isn't that strange or unusual
A peculiar-arity
A distinctive or abnormal quality
You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
You lie to me, and the lies should be easy to see through
I've been so much in love with you baby til I don't want to see
I've been blinded by my love for you, and don't want to accept the truth
That things you do and say are designed to make me blue
You intentionally do and say things to make me sad
It's a doggone shame my love for you makes all
It's a shame that my love for you makes me believe your lies
Your lies seem true
I believe your lies as if they were true
But if the truth makes love last longer
If the truth can strengthen love and make it last longer
Why do lies make my love stronger
Then why do your lies make my love for you even stronger?
I cried so much just like a child that's lost its home
I cried so much, like a child who has lost their home
Maybe baby you think these tears I cry are tears of joy
Perhaps you mistake my tears for tears of joy
A child can cry so much until you do everything they say
A child's tears can be so persuasive that they get what they want
But unlike a child my tears don't help me to get my way
But unlike a child, my tears don't get me what I want
I know love can last through years
I know that love can endure over time
But how can love last through tears
But how can love endure through the tears I shed for you?
Said I don't understand it baby
I admit, I don't understand it, baby
It's so strange sometimes
It's so bizarre or peculiar at times
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, William Robinson Jr., Robert Rogers, Marvin Tarplin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind