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.
Please Don't Go
Edwin Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah
Babe, I love you so
I want you to know
That I'm going to miss your love
The minute you walk out that door
So please don't go
Don't go away
Please don't go
Don't go
I'm begging you to stay
If you leave
At least in my lifetime
I've had one dream come true
I was blessed to be loved
By someone as wonderful as you
So please don't go
Don't go
Don't go away
Please don't go
Don't go
I'm begging you to stay
Hey, hey, hey
Yeah
Babe, I love you so
I, Iwant yo to know
That I'm going to miss your love
The minute you walk out that door
So please don't go
Don't go
Don't go away
Hey, hey, hey
I need your love
I'm down on my knees
Beggin' please, please, please
Don't go
Don't you hear me baby
please don't go
Don't leave me now
Oh, no, no, no, no
Please don't go
I want you to know
That I, I, I, love you so
Don't leave me baby
Please don't go
The lyrics of Edwin Starr's song "Please Don't Go" express a plea for a loved one to stay and to not leave. The first verse declares the singer's love for the other person and the fact that they will miss their love as soon as they leave. As the singer recognizes the possibility of the person leaving, they ask them not to go and beg them to stay. The second verse acknowledges that if the person does leave, at least the singer had the opportunity to be loved by someone as wonderful as them. The repeating chorus emphasizes the singer's desperation to keep the person from leaving and the final plead closes out the song.
The song's message is simple and straightforward, expressing the intense emotions that come with the fear of losing someone you love. The repetition of the title phrase emphasizes the singer's plea and the urgency they feel to keep the person from leaving. Starr's delivery of the lyrics is filled with emotion, adding to the intensity of the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you
The singer expresses his love for the person
Yeah
An exclamation affirming the love expressed in the previous line
Babe, I love you so
The singer repeats his love for the person and emphasizes its depth
I want you to know
The singer wants the person to be aware of his love for her
That I'm going to miss your love
The singer is anticipating the pain of losing the person's love
The minute you walk out that door
The moment the person leaves will mark the beginning of the pain the singer will feel
So please don't go
The singer pleads with the person not to leave him
Don't go
Repetition of the plea not to leave
Don't go away
The singer doesn't want the person to leave his life
Please don't go
The singer repeats his plea for the person not to go
I'm begging you to stay
The singer is pleading with the person to remain by his side
If you leave
The singer acknowledges the possibility of the person leaving
At least in my lifetime
The singer recognizes that his time with the person has been precious
I've had one dream come true
The singer's dream of being loved by the person has come true
I was blessed to be loved
The singer feels fortunate to have received the person's love
By someone as wonderful as you
The singer acknowledges the person's positive qualities
Hey, hey, hey
An exclamation indicating the singer's seriousness
I, I want you to know
The singer reiterates the importance of the person knowing about his love for her
Hey, hey, hey
Another exclamation indicating the singer's desperation
I need your love
The singer expresses his emotional dependence on the person's love
I'm down on my knees
The singer is begging for the person's forgiveness
Beggin' please, please, please
The singer is repeating his plea for the person not to leave
Don't you hear me baby
The singer is appealing to the person's emotions
Don't leave me now
The singer is afraid of being abandoned
Oh, no, no, no, no
An exclamation expressing fear and anxiety
I want you to know
The singer repeats his desire for the person to know his love for her
That I, I, I love you so
The singer repeats his love for the person, emphasizing its importance
Don't leave me baby
The singer is begging the person not to leave him
Please don't go
The singer's final plea for the person not to leave
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DARRELL ALLAMBY, GORDON CHAMBERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Larry Wyse
Please Don't Go was a UK Number 1 and international Top 10 hit for KWS in 1992.
invinoveritas
great posting :-)
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