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.
Célébration
Edwin Starr Lyrics
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This is your celebration
Yahoo!
This is your celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's celebrate
Celebrate good times, come on
There's a party going on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you, come on
Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together
It's up to you
What's your pleasure
Everyone around the world, come on
Yahoo!
It's a celebration
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's celebrate
There's a party going on right here
A dedication to last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time, yeah, yeah
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together
It's up to you
What's your pleasure
Everyone around the world, come on
Yahoo!
It's a celebration
Yahoo!
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's celebrate, come on now
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's celebrate
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right, baby
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Celebration)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Celebration)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on
Ooh, ooh, ooh, hoo
Celebrate good times, come on
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on {Let's celebrate}
Come on and celebrate tonight
Celebrate good times, come on
‘Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's celebrate
Celebrate good times, come on {Let's celebrate}
Ooh, hoo, hoo
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's have a great time, celebrate
Celebrate good times, come on
The lyrics to Edwin Starr's song Celebration are an invitation to come together and celebrate. The song starts with a repeated call of "Yahoo!" which is a cheerful way to get everyone's attention and set the tone. The chorus repeats the phrase "celebrate good times, come on" encouraging the listener to join in the celebration. The song is about bringing people from all over the world together to have a good time and enjoy each other's company. The second verse emphasizes that it's up to each person to decide what they want to do and enjoy during the celebration.
The bridge of the song reminds the listener that it's time to come together and have a good time. The repeated call of "Yahoo!" throughout the song reinforces this message and adds to the overall celebratory atmosphere. The conclusion of the song reminds everyone that they're going to have a good time tonight and everything's going to be alright.
Overall, the lyrics to Celebration are meant to bring people together and encourage them to have a good time. The repetitive nature of the song makes it easy to sing along and join in on the celebration.
Line by Line Meaning
Yahoo!
Expressing joy and excitement
This is your celebration
This is a moment to celebrate and enjoy
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's enjoy and celebrate this moment
There's a party going on right here
There's an enjoyable moment happening now
A celebration to last throughout the years
A long-lasting moment to be remembered
So bring your good times and your laughter too
Bring your happy moments and share them with others
We gonna celebrate your party with you, come on
We will enjoy and celebrate your happy moment with you
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Let's enjoy and have a happy moment
It's time to come together
It's time to unite and celebrate together
It's up to you
You have the power to decide and participate
What's your pleasure
What makes you happy and comfortable
Everyone around the world, come on
Everyone from all over the world is welcome to join in the celebration
We're gonna have a good time tonight
We will enjoy and have a happy moment tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Let's enjoy and celebrate without worry
Ooh, ooh, ooh, hoo
Expressing excitement and happiness
'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Everything will be fine and enjoyable
Let's have a great time, celebrate
Let's enjoy and celebrate immensely
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Melodie Der Welt GmbH
Written by: MOSES DAVIS, LUMINEE CEDENO, TIMOFEI CRUDU, MORLON GREENWOOD, EFE OEKMEN, WINSTON THOMAS, CALIBE THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
flatheadcatfish9
It's hilarious how the background vocals are louder than the sax solo....really gets the crowd going