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.
Cloud Nine
Edwin Starr Lyrics
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You see, I was born and raised in the slums of the city,
It was a one room shack that slept ten other children besides me.
We hardly had enough food or room to sleep.
It was hard times,
Needed something to ease my troubled mind.
Listen! my father didn't know the meaning of work,
He disrespected mama, and treated us like dirt.
Depressed and downhearted I took to cloud nine,
I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine.
Listen one more time I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine.
Folks down there tell me,
They say, "give yourself a chance son, don't let life pass you by".
But the world of reality is a rat race where only the strongest survive,
It's a dog eat dog world, and that ain't no lie.
Listen! it ain't even safe no more to walk the streets at night,
I'm doin' fine, on cloud nine.
Let me tell you about cloud nine.
Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be
(cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility,
And ev'ry man, ev'ry man is free
(cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality.
I wanna say I love the life I live,
And I'm gonna live the life I love up here on cloud nine.
I'm riding high
On cloud nine, you're as free as a bird in flight
(cloud nine) there's no diff'rence between day and night
(cloud nine) it's a world of love and harmony
(cloud nine) you're a million miles from reality.
Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be
Cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility,
And ev'ry man, ev'ry man is free
(cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality.
(cloud nine) (cloud nine) (cloud nine)
The lyrics to Edwin Starr's song "Cloud Nine" paint a picture of a difficult upbringing by describing the poverty and lack of resources the singer had to endure in the slums of the city. The one-room shack that he shared with ten siblings left them barely enough space to sleep, let alone enough food. The songwriter masters a rawness in the lyrics, telling us about his father who refused to work and disrespected his mother forcing him to leave home to find a job that he never found. Depressed and downhearted with the harsh realities of life, he found solace in drug use—Cloud Nine, a term for heroin use—creating a state of euphoria and an escape from the world's harsh realities.
The song encourages people to keep trying while acknowledging the challenges that they might face in their daily lives. The lyrics speak to the idea of being unable to afford a happy life, the realities of life being harsher than we expect, and the soothing effect of drugs in easing pain. The song juxtaposes the resilience of the human spirit with the comfort of false realities and escape, forcing the listener to reflect on what constitutes a good life, what we should strive for, and what dangers we should avoid.
Line by Line Meaning
Childhood part of my life, it wasn't very pretty.
My early life was rough and tough for me.
You see, I was born and raised in the slums of the city,
I come from a poor and challenging background.
It was a one room shack that slept ten other children besides me.
Our living condition wasn't the best, and we often shared space.
We hardly had enough food or room to sleep.
Our basic needs were often insufficiently met.
It was hard times,
The situation was tough on all of us.
Needed something to ease my troubled mind.
I was looking for a way out of my troubles.
Listen! my father didn't know the meaning of work,
My dad was lazy and had no work ethics.
He disrespected mama, and treated us like dirt.
He was abusive and an unpleasant person to live with.
I left home, seekin' a job that I never did find,
I left home to seek a better life, but I couldn't find a job.
Depressed and downhearted I took to cloud nine,
I found solace in my imagination, in a place I called cloud nine.
I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine.
I feel good and full of life when I'm in that relaxed state.
Folks down there tell me, They say, "give yourself a chance son, don't let life pass you by".
People around me advice that I shouldn't give up on life too early.
But the world of reality is a rat race where only the strongest survive,
The real world is a hard place where people fight to succeed.
It's a dog eat dog world, and that ain't no lie.
It's a competitive world, and only those who are better survive.
Listen! it ain't even safe no more to walk the streets at night,
The state of the world has deteriorated, and it's not even safe to walk around anymore.
I'm doin' fine, on cloud nine. Let me tell you about cloud nine.
I'm comfortable and happy with myself and where I am in my mind, and I want to share it with you.
Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be (cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility,
Cloud nine is a place where you have no worries or responsibilities, and you can do whatever you want.
And ev'ry man, ev'ry man is free (cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality.
Cloud nine is a place where you are free and detached from the harshness of reality.
I wanna say I love the life I live, And I'm gonna live the life I love up here on cloud nine.
I want to live my life on cloud nine and be happy with myself and where I am.
I'm riding high On cloud nine, you're as free as a bird in flight (cloud nine) there's no diff'rence between day and night (cloud nine) it's a world of love and harmony (cloud nine) you're a million miles from reality.
Being on cloud nine is like flying high in the sky, and there's no day or night, only love and happiness, where reality is miles away.
Cloud nine, you can be what you wanna be Cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility, And ev'ry man, ev'ry man is free (cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality. (cloud nine) (cloud nine) (cloud nine)
Cloud nine is an ideal escape from the stresses and responsibilities of the real world, where you can find freedom and live your dreams.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind