The Teenagers' first single, 1956's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", was also their biggest. After Lymon went solo in mid-1957, both his career and those of the Teenagers fell into decline. Lymon eventually fell into heroin addiction, and died in 1968 at the age of twenty-five.
Change Partners
Frankie Lymon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have danced with him since the music began.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his
face?
Can't you see
I'm longing to be in his place?
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
I'll tell the waiter to tell him he's wanted on the
telephone.
You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
Won't you change partners and then,
You may never want to change partners again.
The song "Change Partners" by Frankie Lymon is about a man who is infatuated with a woman who is dancing with the same partner all night long. He tries to persuade her to dance with him instead, telling her that he is longing to be in the other man's place. He asks her to ask her current partner to sit out one dance with her and then suggests that she never wants to dance with him again once she has experienced dancing with him. The song is a plea for the woman to give him a chance to show her what he can offer and a declaration of his own desire.
The song's lyrics are a clear attempt to persuade the woman to change partners, but they are also a reflection of the man's own desire and longing for her. He is confident in his ability to make her happy and is willing to take a chance and ask her to dance with him. The lyrics are full of romantic and hopeful imagery, and the song itself is characterized by Lymon's smooth and soulful vocals.
Overall, "Change Partners" is a song about taking a chance on love and pursuing your desires, even if it means risking rejection or disappointment. It is a timeless classic that continues to speak to audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man?
Do you really have to dance with the same guy every time we're here?
You have danced with him since the music began.
You've been dancing with him since we got here.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Would you like to dance with me instead?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Do you really have to dance so closely and intimately with him?
Can't you see I'm longing to be in his place?
Can't you tell that I want to be the one dancing with you that close?
Ask him to sit this one out, while you're alone
Why don't you ask him to take a break so we can dance together?
I'll tell the waiter to tell him he's wanted on the telephone.
I'll ask the waiter to give him a fake phone call so we can dance alone.
You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
You've been dancing and holding on to him for a really long time.
Won't you change partners and then, You may never want to change partners again.
If you dance with me, you might enjoy it so much that you won't want to dance with anyone else again.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr. Nicholas Butler
His adult voice was phenomenal...
Jan-Ida Ripton
The world wasn't ready for him. It's so heartbreaking 😢
Jan-Ida Ripton
With a voice like that, I would stay in his arms forever
Dorail Crayton
No u wouldn't have....lol
rumwoldleigh
Never knew of this one. I'm a big fan of his adult voice, shame he didn't live long enough to grow into it and beat the older guys at their own game!
Seketha Jones
Just simply Lovely. Thanks so very much for this song.💞💞💞💞💞
Sports Talk With Planet Jadarius
Man this shocked me he was really trying to find a sound with his new voice
George Hewett
Yes, I know a lot of the Big Band era songs were recorded by the early rock era groups, but this particular song I don't feel lends itself to the upbeat tempo. I'd like to have heard Lymon and the Teens sing it at the ballad tempo in which it was originally written.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1961 {March 22nd} Frankie Lymon performed "Change Partners" and "So Young (And So In Love)" on the ABC-TV weekday-afternoon program,'American Bandstand'...
Neither song made Billboard's Top 100 chart...
"Change Partners" was composed by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film 'Carefree' {See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYX-7vcKvMM}...
césar
There any film of Frankie performance when he was a adult