Chandler attended Englewood High School (later known as Englewood Technical Prep Academy) on Chicago's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with The Gaytones. In 1957 he joined a doo-wop group called The Dukays with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, quickly becoming their lead singer. He was drafted by the U.S. Army to Germany for three years, returned to Chicago in 1960, and rejoined his bandmates. Through music industry contacts, the Dukays were offered a recording contract by the Chicago based Nat Records. The first single was titled "The Girl Is a Devil." In 1961, Nat Records released a song titled "Nite Owl", and the band went back to the recording studio to record once more.
The Duke is born
At the time, Nat Records wanted to release the new song "Duke of Earl", but was unable to. An executive with Vee-Jay Records, Calvin Carter, heard the song and wanted it for distribution as a song on his record label, but only as a Gene Chandler record. Vee-Jay were not interested in The Dukays.
Meanwhile, the previously recorded "Nite Owl" was on the charts, putting Chandler in a dilemma. He thus recorded with The Dukays under the name 'Gene Dixon' and recorded solo as 'Gene Chandler'.
When VeeJay was finally able to release "Duke of Earl", it sent it out as by Chandler, even though the Dukays had recorded it. The song sold a million copies in just over one month."The Duke" was born. Chandler can be seen in the full 'Duke' outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the 1962 movie, Don't Knock the Twist, starring Chubby Checker.
The Duke lives on
After spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Magazine charts, Chandler got a cape, a monocle, a top hat and a cane. He simply became "The Duke of Earl" and his concerts drew a large crowd. Occasionally he would come out for an encore, usually "Rainbow." "Rainbow" was one of Chandler's collaborations with Curtis Mayfield, and the only song Chandler has ever recorded three times. Each time the song has been re-recorded, it became a hit all over again.
Chandler left Vee Jay and recorded for Constellation Records and then for Chess and Brunswick Records. He wound up recording for Chess and Brunswick at the same time. This left the record labels with having to work out a compromise. It was decided that the companies would alternate Chandler's releases, a new one from Brunswick, followed by a release from Chess. In 1964, he had a Top 20 pop hit with the Curtis Mayfield produced "Just Be True"; another Top 20 pop hit in 1965 with "Nothing Can Stop Me", another Mayfield song, and hits throughout the 1960s with the songs "What Now", "A Man's Temptation", "Bless Our Love", and "You Can't Hurt Me No More". He also had success with his cover of James Brown's "There Was A Time" (taken from his 1968 Brunswick album of the same name); and "You Threw A Lucky Punch" - Chandler's answer song to the Mary Wells' Motown hit "You Beat Me To The Punch". Almost all of these songs were Top 5 R&B hits. To date, Chandler has had more than 30 chart hits. Throughout his career, he has maintained a close personal friendship with Mayfield, Butler, and the other members of The Impressions (Sam Gooden and Fred Cash), and they could be frequently heard as background singers on his recordings. In the late 1960s he also recorded a couple of reasonably successful duets with Barbara Acklin.
In 1970, Chandler teamed with Butler for the album Gene and Jerry: One on One on the Mercury label . He also guest starred with Mayfield, Butler and the group on the live album: Curtis in Chicago (1973).
After a number of years on the road, Chandler decided to become more involved with the business end of the music industry. He produced, wrote, arranged, and he had another major hit in 1970 on Mercury. "Groovy Situation", was a pop and R&B success (reaching #12 and #8 respectively), his second biggest hit after "Duke Of Earl". This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in November 1970.
The hits he recorded and produced earned him The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers 'Producer of the Year' award in 1970. It should be noted that Chandler was nominated with Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Norman Whitfield, who were successful producers at that time, working with The Temptations and the Philadelphia soul sound.
Chandler went on to have a number of disco era hits, including "Get Down," "When You're #1," "Does She Have A Friend?" and "Rainbow '80."[1] Most of these were more popular in the United Kingdom. At that time, he was also the Executive Vice President of Chi-Sound Records, and worked with reggae star, Johnny Nash.
Revival
In the late 1970s, even whilst he was placing hits on the disco chart, the nostalgia craze began. DJ Wolfman Jack put together a traveling show of "oldies" acts, and Chandler joined them in the travels around the country.
In 1997 Chandler was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
In 2002, his #1 hit recording of "Duke Of Earl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
He still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere around the U.S.
"Duke of Earl" was played in the 1988 film, Hairspray. It was also sampled by Cypress Hill, on the song "Hand on the Pump" on their 1991 album, Cypress Hill. Equally, Chandler's song "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" was also sampled by Cypress Hill, on the song "Legalize It" on their 1993 album, Black Sunday. "Groovy Situation" appeared on 2004's Anchorman: Music from the Motion Picture
You Threw A Lucky Punch
Gene Chandler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you walked away
I wanted to call you back
But I didn't know what to say
But when you said you had to part
Something hit, hit me all at once
Love walked right in
Cause you
You threw a lucky punch
(You threw a lucky punch)
Ooh, girl
You threw a lucky punch
(You threw a lucky punch)
That's right
You threw a lucky punch
Baby, baby
When I saw you, huh, uh huh
For the very first time
I wanted, wanted to love you
And leave you behind
Until you put me down
I had won every round
But something hit
Hit me all at once
Girl, I never thought you
Log on to kill this message.
Would open my nose
But you
You threw a lucky punch
(You threw a lucky punch)
Ooh, girl
You threw a lucky punch
(You threw a lucky punch)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You threw a lucky punch
Since I loved you
Let me prove my love is true
And love you tender
Oh, please, baby, surrender
I've been a playboy, it's true
But I'm hanging up my heart for you
So I guess I'll wait around
Tears falling down
Hoping you'd change your heart
And realize I need you by my side
Cause you
You threw a lucky punch
(You threw a lucky punch)
Ooh, girl
You hit me in my heart
(You threw a lucky punch)
That's right
Come on, it was a TKO
You made me love you so
You hit me left, right, left
Knocked me down...
The lyrics of Gene Chandler's "You Threw A Lucky Punch" tell a story about a man who fell in love unexpectedly. The song starts with the man reminiscing about the day his love interest walked away from him, leaving him speechless. However, as time went by, something changed, and the man realized that he had been struck by love. He had fallen for the lucky punch delivered by his lover, who had unexpectedly won his heart by surprise.
The man acknowledges that he had once been a playboy, but he was willing to change his ways to prove his love to his partner. He hopes that his love interest will come around and realize that they belong together. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the man waiting for his partner to return and hoping to mend their relationship.
The lyrics of "You Threw A Lucky Punch" portray a poignant story of love, heartbreak, and unexpected emotions. The chorus of the song, which repeats the line, "You threw a lucky punch," highlights the impact of a sudden change of heart and the unexpected surprises that come with love.
Line by Line Meaning
That day, oh, yeah
The day when the singer and their love interest separated
When you walked away
The love interest left the singer
I wanted to call you back
The singer wanted to reach out to their love interest
But I didn't know what to say
The artist was lost for words in expressing themselves
But when you said you had to part
The love interest informed the artist of the separation
Something hit, hit me all at once
The singer was struck with emotions suddenly
Love walked right in
The singer fell in love with the love interest
And caught me by suprise
The artist was taken aback by their emotions
Cause you
The love interest as the catalyst for the artist's emotions
You threw a lucky punch
The love interest's actions resulted in the artist falling in love
(You threw a lucky punch)
Reinforcing the love interest's actions
Ooh, girl
Addressing the love interest
That's right
Acknowledging the truth behind the situation
Baby, baby
Addressing the love interest
When I saw you, huh, uh huh
The singer's first impression of the love interest
For the very first time
The first meeting with the love interest
I wanted, wanted to love you
The artist felt a desire to love the love interest
And leave you behind
The desire to move on after confessing their love
Until you put me down
The love interest's rejection of the singer
I had won every round
The artist felt they had been successful in previous relationships
But something hit
The emotions they felt for the love interest were different
Girl, I never thought you
The artist did not expect to fall in love with the love interest
Would open my nose
An expression of surprise and an exaggeration of being caught off guard
You hit me in my heart
The love interest's actions caused the artist to fall in love
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
An expression of strong emotions
Since I loved you
The singer's strong feelings for the love interest
Let me prove my love is true
The singer wants to express their love
And love you tender
A promise of gentle love and care
Oh, please, baby, surrender
Asking the love interest to accept their love
I've been a playboy, it's true
The singer confesses to being a womanizer in the past
But I'm hanging up my heart for you
The singer is committing to the love interest
So I guess I'll wait around
The artist is willing to wait for the love interest to reciprocate their feelings
Tears falling down
The artist is emotional and upset
Hoping you'd change your heart
The artist wishes for the love interest to have a change of heart
And realize I need you by my side
The singer expresses their need for the love interest's presence
Come on, it was a TKO
An exaggerated expression of the love interest's effect on the artist
You made me love you so
The love interest caused the singer to fall deeply in love
You hit me left, right, left
An expression of being overwhelmed by emotions
Knocked me down...
The emotions caused the singer to feel overpowered or overwhelmed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON COVAY, RONALD WHITE, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mario Guicciardi
AHHHHHHH Gene Chandler on ne se lasse pas de l'écouter thanks my friends :-)
Leo Appeal
Total harmony!!!
Roger Skipp
from what I recall, first hearing this in UK via a crackling AFN Germany, an 'answer' to Mary Wells 'you beat me to the punch'; pity his UK releases were random so missed a lot of them until Utube
Carl Moore
The record label, resembling Capitol, caught my attention and then I indeed noticed the music with lyrics different from Mary Wells' rendition of You Beat Me To The Punch.
philtorpey
Top class record.
T.D. Barnwell
Umm...so sweet. Thanks for posting. Sounds even sweeter when mixed with Mary's version.
tnod64
Everyone thought that u beat me to the punch was the shit this is the og song
Nagib Sousa
Estou aqui por causa do canal Outras Áreas.
Valerie Vasquez
🎵🎵🎵🎵♥️♥️
ALAIN DEWAELE
superbe pascal