Gladys Knight & The Pips were a soul and rnb family musical act from Atlant… Read Full Bio ↴Gladys Knight & The Pips were a soul and rnb family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, active from 1953 to 1989. The group is best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's 'Soul' record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including the songs "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1967) and "Midnight Train to Georgia" (1973). The longest-lived incarnation of the act featured Gladys Knight on lead vocals alongside backup singers 'The Pips', which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight as well as their cousins Edward Patten and William Guest.

Gladys Knight, born on May 28, 1944, developed her singing style while singing with her family at Baptist church functions. Though the group first released recordings in 1958, their career really got started when Motown founder Berry Gordy witnessed them perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1966 and felt very impressed. With a career following spanning decade after decade, featuring many hits, the group has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

How Can You Say That Ain't Love
Gladys Knight & The Pips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I could be reborn
Once again, honey, I would choose you
It′s not enough to love you one lifetime
With you I think I would need at least two

So how, how can you say that
I don't love you, I don′t love you, honey
How can, how can you say

That that ain't love

People rave of the world's natural wonders
I do, too, every time
I look upon your face, uh huh
I can′t think
I can′t think of any other wonder
Next to you they erase to last place
Now come and say

So how, how can you say that
I don't love you, I don′t love you, honey
How can, how can you say
That that ain't love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Well do you think now
If you think that I don′t really love you
Then why, oh, why, oh, why
Do I bother to stay
Just to play, to play the part of a loser
Can't my heart
Find a smarter role to play
I′d like to hear you say

So how, how can you say that
I don't love you, I don't love you, honey
How can, how can you say
That that ain′t love

Well, well, well, well, well, well
How, how can you say that
I don′t love you, I don't love you, honey

How can, how can you say
That that ain′t love

Overall Meaning

In Gladys Knight & The Pips's song "How Can You Say That Ain't Love," the singer expresses their unwavering love for their partner. They assert that if they could be reborn, they would choose their lover again and that one lifetime with them isn't enough. They describe their partner as a wonder of the world, erase any other wonders' presence when they're around, and can't imagine their life without them. The singer challenges their partner's belief that they don't love them, asking why they would bother to stay and play the part of a loser if they didn't really love them. Ultimately, the singer questions how their partner could possibly believe that their love isn't real.

The song is an ode to deep, enduring love. The singer's devotion to their partner is evident in every line of the song, and they refuse to let their partner believe anything else. The song has a soulful, upbeat melody that matches the singer's passionate declarations of love.

Line by Line Meaning

If I could be reborn
If I had the chance to start my life again

Once again, honey, I would choose you
I would choose to love you all over again

It's not enough to love you one lifetime
My love for you is so strong, one lifetime is not enough

With you I think I would need at least two
I will love you for more than one lifetime

People rave of the world's natural wonders
People talk about how beautiful the world is

I do, too, every time
I also admire and appreciate nature

I look upon your face, uh huh
But when I look at you, I see the most beautiful thing in the world

I can’t think
I cannot imagine

I can’t think of any other wonder
I cannot think of anything more beautiful

Next to you they erase to last place
Compared to you, everything else fades in comparison

Now come and say
Tell me