Career:
Green was the tenth child of eleven born in his family, and lived in Mississippi until 1958 when he moved to Chicago. While working and attending Englewood High, he sang on weekends, and one day while singing in a pool room, he was overheard by Argia B. Collins, a local owner of a bar-b-que chain. Collins agreed to bankroll Green's attendance at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, where Green studied voice and piano, and played in local bars and clubs.
In 1967, Green won a local talent show at a club called the Trocadero. His prize was a concert opening for Lou Rawls and Earl Hines at the Sutherland Lounge. In the audience was Mel Collins, and his wife Joshie Jo Armstead, who was a songwriter who had written tunes with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson prior to the couple joining Motown. The couple arranged for Green to do a recording session in Detroit and released the result as a single on their label, Gamma Records, a song called "Girl I Need You." It sold well locally and was picked up by MCA subsidiary, Revue Records for national distribution. Revue released three further singles from Green who then moved to MCA's main label, Uni Records.
In 1969, "Jealous Kind of Fella" became a major national success, reaching #5 in the Billboard R&B chart and #2 in the Cashbox soul chart.[1] Written by Green, R. Browner, M. Dollinson and J. Armstead, the record was released in the U.S. in August 1969.[1] It sold a million copies by March 1971.[1] Uni released an album from Green, but the follow-up single did not sell well and Green eventually left MCA, also parting company with Armstead. He then signed with Atlantic Records subsidiary, Cotillion Records, which released five singles from Garland, but only one proved a real success, "Plain and Simple Girl". Produced and arranged by Donny Hathaway, this reached the R&B Top 20.
Moving on to Spring Records in 1973, Green recorded five more singles, some of which charted modestly, notably "Let the Good Times Roll" (not the Shirley and Lee song) and "Bumpin' and Stompin'." His recording for the label, "Just What The Doctor Ordered", remained unissued until 1990, when it was included on a compilation album of his Spring singles on the UK label, Ace/Kent. A move then to RCA Records resulted in three singles and an album, produced by the Los Angeles, California producer/singer Leon Haywood.
In 1979, Green moved to California, and eventually signed with a small independent label, Ocean-Front Records for an album produced by Lamont Dozier and Arleen Schesel, the latter of whom Green would later marry. The album featured a re-worked version of a major hit for Dozier 10 years earlier, "Trying To Hold On To My Woman". When the label closed, Green continued to record and self-release.
Charting singles:
"Jealous Kind of Fella" (1969) U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #20, Black Singles #5
"Don't Think that I'm a Violent Guy" (1970) Black Singles #42
"Plain and Simple Girl" (1971) Black Singles #17
"He Didn't Know" (1974) Black Singles #67
"Let the Good Times Roll" (1974) Black Singles #65
"Tryin' To Hold On" (1983) Black Singles #63
Further reading
Pruter, Robert. Chicago Soul. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1991, ISBN 978-025206259-9
References
^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
Since You've Been Gone
Garland Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Same old sad song keep on repeating itself, oh
Same song used to make me laugh
I haven't shown a smile since the day you left
I know it's wrong baby 'cause
Since you've been gone I've been longing for you
Since you've been gone I've been calling your name
Since you've been gone I have been going insane
I said, saw one of your friends just the other day
She asked how you been, I didn't know what to say
Anyone can tell by the look on my face
There've been some lonely, lonely years in happiness' place
Since you've been gone I've been longing for you
Since you've been gone I've been calling your name, oh baby
Oh, since you've been gone, things just ain't the same, oh
Since you've been gone I have been going insane
Since you've been gone I've been longing for you
Since you've been gone I've been calling about you (your name)
Since you've been gone I miss the midnight hour (things just ain't the same)
Since you've been gone I've been crying about you
Since you've been gone I've been crying [?] (for you, baby)
Since you've been gone, oh baby (I've been longing for you) [?]
Since you've been gone, I've been (I've been calling)
The song "Since You've Been Gone" by Garland Green is a heart-wrenching ballad about the longing and pain that comes with a lost love. The opening lyrics set the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer confessing that something is wrong and that he cannot help himself. He admits that he has been stuck in a cycle of sadness, with the same old sad song repeating itself over and over again. He reflects on how this same song used to make him happy and laugh, but since his lover has been gone, he has not been able to smile.
The chorus of the song expresses the depth of his feelings since his lover left. He has been longing for her, calling her name, and going insane. He confesses that he saw one of her friends, who asked how she has been, but he didn't know what to say. He cannot hide the loneliness and sadness that have replaced the happiness he once knew.
The lyrics of this song are simple yet powerful, and they capture the pain and emptiness that come with lost love. Garland Green's delivery is emotive, and his voice conveys the heartbreak that the lyrics describe. The song is a timeless classic that speaks to anyone who has experienced the pain of a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Something's wrong, I can't help myself, oh baby
I'm feeling down and can't control my sadness alone, oh babe
Same old sad song keep on repeating itself, oh
Every day is the same, feeling low and all alone, oh
Same song used to make me laugh
The song we used to enjoy together now brings feelings of pain
I haven't shown a smile since the day you left
I haven't felt joy or happiness since the moment you departed
I know it's wrong baby 'cause
I realize it's not healthy, but it's hard to move on, oh babe
Since you've been gone I've been longing for you
Ever since you left, I've been aching for your return
Since you've been gone I've been calling your name
Your name is constantly on my lips, as if calling you back to me
Oh, since you've been gone, things just ain't the same, oh
Life has lost its color and vibrancy since you've been away, oh
Since you've been gone I have been going insane
The absence of you in my life has been driving me crazy
I said, saw one of your friends just the other day
I ran into a friend of yours recently
She asked how you been, I didn't know what to say
She inquired after you, but I couldn't find the words to reply
Anyone can tell by the look on my face
My heartache is plain to see in my expression
There've been some lonely, lonely years in happiness' place
The years without you have been filled with emptiness and loneliness
Since you've been gone I've been calling about you (your name)
I've been trying to reach you, calling your phone and searching for you
Since you've been gone I miss the midnight hour (things just ain't the same)
I long for the nights we used to spend together, and life without you just doesn't feel right
Since you've been gone I've been crying about you
Tears have been falling for you ever since you left, oh babe
Since you've been gone, oh baby (I've been longing for you)
I can't help but long for your return, oh baby
Since you've been gone, I've been (I've been calling)
I can't stop calling out for you or searching for your presence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mabon Hodges, Mashall Jones, Bernard Miller, Morris Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stephen Houghton
This has to be the tune of the century, wow this has soul oh yeah