The Teenagers' first single, 1956's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", was also their biggest hit. After Lymon went solo in mid-1957, both his career and those of the Teenagers fell into decline. By age 26, he was found dead in his grandmother's bathroom from a heroin overdose.
Change Partners
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers 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 and The Teenagers is a plea to a girl to change dance partners and dance with the singer instead. The lyrics suggest that the girl has been dancing with the same guy since the music began and that the singer wants a chance to dance with her. He asks her to consider changing partners and dance with him, as he is longing to be in the other guy's place. The singer suggests that the girl is dancing too close to the other guy, and he wants a chance to be close to her too. He asks her to ask the other guy to sit this one out and tell him that he's wanted on the phone.
The lyrics suggest that the singer has been watching the girl dance with the other guy for a long time, and he wants a chance to dance with her. He hints that if she changes partners and dance with him, she may never want to change partners again. The song is a classic example of a doo-wop love song, with romantic lyrics and smooth harmonies.
Line by Line Meaning
Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man?
Do you really have to dance every single dance with the same guy? You've been dancing with him since the very start.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Why don't you switch things up and dance with me instead?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Do you have to dance so intimately with him, with your lips almost touching his face?
Can't you see
I'm longing to be in his place?
Can't you see that I really want to be the one dancing with you like that?
Ask him to sit this one out. while you're alone,
I'll tell the waiter to tell him he's wanted on the telephone.
Why not ask him to take a break while you and I dance alone? I'll even have the waiter tell him he's got a phone call.
You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
It seems like you've been dancing with him in a very close way for a really long time now.
Won't you change partners and then,
You may never want to change partners again.
Please give me a chance to dance with you like that, and who knows, maybe you'll like dancing with me so much that you won't want to dance with anyone else.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
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