Edwin Starr was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1942. He and his cousins (soul singers Roger and Willie Hatcher) moved to Cleveland, Ohio where they were raised.
In 1957 Starr formed a doo-wop group The Future Tones and began his singing career. Starr lived in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960s and recorded at first for the small record label Ric-Tic, and later for the famed Motown after it absorbed Ric-Tic in 1968.
The song which began his career was "Agent Double'O'Soul" (1965), a take-off on the James Bond films which were popular at the time.
He recorded more soul music for the next three years before having an international chart-topper in "25 Miles" (1968). As of 2005 it is one of only two Starr songs on oldies radio.
The biggest hit of his career, which cemented his reputation as a great soul artist, was the anti-Vietnam War protest song "War" (1970). A rousing tour-de-force, the vocals to "War" were - according to Starr - recorded in one take: an accomplishment which might make modern artists quail with apprehension. In explanation, Starr remained characteristically modest, explaining that he'd been allocated little studio time, so had to give each song his best shot.
Starr's intense vocals transformed a Temptations album track into a #1 chart success, which spent three weeks in that top position on the US Billboard charts, an anthem for the antiwar movement and a cultural milestone that continues to resound a generation later in movie soundtracks and hip hop music samples.
"War" appeared on both Starr's War and Peace LP and its follow-up, Involved. Involved also featured another song of very similar construction titled "Stop the War Now", which was a minor hit in its own right.
Moving to England in 1973, Starr continued to record music into the 1970s, most notably recording the song "Hell Up In Harlem" for the 1974 film, Hell Up In Harlem, which was the sequel to Black Caesar, an earlier hit with a soundtrack by James Brown.
In 1979 Starr reappeared on the charts with a pair of disco hits, titled "(Eye-To-Eye) Contact" and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio". By now he had joined the well-established disco boom, and had further singles out on the record label 20th Century Records. Over the years he released tracks on many labels including Avatar, Calibre, 10 Records, Motown (a return to his former label for a 1989 remix of "25 Miles"), Streetwave and Hippodrome.
In 1985 Starr released "It Ain't Fair". Despite garnering the attention of many in the soul and dance clubs, it fell short of becoming the hit many felt it deserved to be.
In 1988 Starr teamed up with the popular and successful Stock, Aitken and Waterman production company for the club hit "Whatever Makes Our Love Grow".
In 1989, a number 17 uk hit by the Cookie Crew called "Got to Keep On" sampled a portion of "25 Miles" [1]. This track was then featured on a 1990 dance medley made for the BRIT Awards which made number 2 in the UK Singles Chart [2]. A club mix of various artists, it included the previous years remix of "25 Miles". Starr also appeared on the charity number one single "Let It Be" by Ferry Aid, again a various artist project.
Starr resurfaced briefly in 2000, to team up with the UK band Utah Saints to record a new version of his song "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On". He appeared again in 2002 to record a song with the British musician Jools Holland, singing "Snowflake Boogie" on Holland's compact disc More Friends; and to record another track with Utah Saints, a so far unreleased version of his number one hit "War" - his last ever recording.
Starr remained a hero on England's Northern Soul circuit - and also in Germany, where his energy and dedication to delivering a quality performance were greatly appreciated. He was affectionately renowned to be "The nicest man in Showbiz."
Edwin Starr died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in his home in Beeston near Nottingham.
All Around The World
Edwin Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll lite on my baby n' stay with her 'till I die
With a toothpick in my hand, I'd dig a ten foot ditch
And run through the jungle fightin' lions with a switch
'Cause you know I love you, baby
Yes, you know I love you, baby
Well, if I don't love you, baby
And Mona Lisa was a man
All around the world I got blisters on my feet
Tryin' to find my baby n' bring her home with me
You better run into me baby and be convinced
If you don't run into me, woman, you ain't got no sense
'Cause you know I love you, baby
Well, you know I love you, baby
Well, if I don't love you, baby
Grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry
And Mona Lisa was a man
All around the world, I never will forget
Lost all my money, my woman and my pet
I got to have you baby, settle for nothin' less
Give up all my goodtime girls an' set'd for happiness
'Cause you know I love you, baby
Well, you know I love you, baby
Well, you know I want you, baby
Yes, your smilin' face is my heaven in life
Well, you know I love you, baby
Yes, you know I love you, baby
Ooh-ooh, you know I love you, baby
Yeah, you know I love you, baby
Well, if I don't love you, baby
Grits ain't groceries
Eggs ain't poultry
Mona Lisa was a man.
"All Around the World" is a song about a man's love for his woman, the lengths he would go to be with her and his unwavering devotion to her. He finds value in his woman that exceeds material possessions and equates his love for her to the basic necessities of life, arguing that without her, those things are meaningless. The song opens with the singer saying that he would rather be a fly so that he can be with his woman all the time. He would do anything to be with her, even if it means digging a ten-foot ditch with a toothpick and fighting lions with a switch in hand. The singer then professes his love for his lady and uses examples to express it. He claims that if he doesn't love her, then grits and groceries are worthless and Mona Lisa is a man.
In the second verse, the singer reveals that he has blisters on his feet from his worldwide search for his lady so that he can bring her home. He warns her that if she doesn't run into him, she has no sense. The third and final verse finds the singer vowing to give up all his bad habits and good-time girls for the sake of his woman. He wants to make her happy and have her in his life forever. The message of the song is clear: his woman is everything. She is the only thing he needs in life, and he would do anything to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
All around the world I'd-a rather be a fly
I love my baby so much that I would rather be a fly and stay with her forever.
I'll lite on my baby n' stay with her 'till I die
I would always stay with my beloved partner until the end of my days.
With a toothpick in my hand, I'd dig a ten foot ditch
I am willing to do anything for my partner, even if it means digging a ten foot ditch.
And run through the jungle fightin' lions with a switch
I am willing to face any danger to be with my loved one.
'Cause you know I love you, baby
I love you dearly and you already know that.
Yes, you know I love you, baby
I love you deeply and you already know it.
Well, if I don't love you, baby
If I don’t love you, then grits aren't groceries, eggs aren't poultry, and Mona Lisa is a man.
Grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry and Mona Lisa was a man
I love you so much that it seems impossible that I couldn’t be in love with you.
All around the world I got blisters on my feet
I would travel anywhere in the world just to be close to you.
Tryin' to find my baby n' bring her home with me
I am determined to find my lover and reunite with them.
You better run into me baby and be convinced
You should come to me and realize how much I love you.
If you don't run into me, woman, you ain't got no sense
If you don’t come back to me and continue to ignore my deep love, you are foolish.
'Cause you know I love you, baby
I love you so much and you already know it.
Well, you know I love you, baby
You already know how much I love you.
Well, if I don't love you, baby
If I don’t love you, then grits aren't groceries, eggs aren't poultry, and Mona Lisa is a man.
Grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry and Mona Lisa was a man
I am in love with you and there is no doubt about it.
All around the world, I never will forget
I will never forget you no matter how far away I am.
Lost all my money, my woman and my pet
I lost all my material possessions, but I still have deep feelings for you.
I got to have you baby, settle for nothin' less
I need you in my life, and won't be content with anyone else.
Give up all my goodtime girls an' set'd for happiness
I am willing to give up all other women and find joy with you.
'Cause you know I love you, baby
You know that I love you deeply.
Well, you know I love you, baby
You already are aware of my undying love for you.
Well, you know I want you, baby
I want you, I need you and I love you.
Yes, your smilin' face is my heaven in life
Your smiling face gives me immense joy, and my happiness lies in it.
Well, you know I love you, baby
You know how much I love you.
Yes, you know I love you, baby
You already know how deeply I love you.
Ooh-ooh, you know I love you, baby
You know my affectionate feelings towards you.
Yeah, you know I love you, baby
You are aware of how much I love you.
Well, if I don't love you, baby
If I don’t love you, then grits aren't groceries, eggs aren't poultry, and Mona Lisa is a man.
Grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry and Mona Lisa was a man
It is impossible that I am not in love with you, because you mean everything to me.
Writer(s): Titus Turner
Contributed by Nora N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.