We Belong Together
Edna Wright, Carolyn Willis, and Shellie Clark comprised the vocal trio Hon… Read Full Bio ↴Edna Wright, Carolyn Willis, and Shellie Clark comprised the vocal trio Honey Cone, which only stayed together for four years but was still one of the best female soul groups of the early '70s. Although Honey Cone (which lead singer Wright formed in 1969) was based in Los Angeles, their recordings were Northern-style soul — specifically, Detroit soul. Martha & the Vandellas and the Marvelettes — two of the female vocal groups that epitomized Motown Records' sound in the '60s — were among Honey Cone's main influences, and the group (which favored a blend of sweetness and grit) worked closely with three producer/songwriters who used to work at Motown: Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland. However, Honey Cone's members had been in the music industry before they joined forces with the famous Holland/DozierHolland team. Willis (born 1946, Los Angeles, CA) had been with Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, who were known for '60s hits like "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart?" and "Not Too Young to Get Married." Clark (born in 1943, Brooklyn, NY) was an ex-member of the Ikettes, (Ike & Tina Turner's female backup singers), while Wright (born 1944, Los Angeles, CA) had been with the Blossoms. In fact, Wright's older sister is singer/actress Darlene Love, who was a member of Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans as well as the Blossoms (in addition to doing a lot of recording by herself). Wright also recorded as a solo artist in the '60s; her Champion single "A Touch of Venus" (recorded under the pseudonym Sandy Wynns) was a small regional hit in Southern California. And like so many of the soul singers who were active in the '60s and '70s, Wright wasn't without gospel credentials. She had a Christian upbringing and sang gospel with the Church of God in Christ Singers, but ended up making secular R&B her primary focus. Wright, Clark, and Willis had only been together a few months when, in 1969, the group caught the attention of Eddie Holland (who came up with the name Honey Cone). The prolific Holland/DozierHolland team (which wrote countless mega-hits for Motown artists) had recently left Motown and started their own Detroit-based soul label Hot Wax/Invictus, and Honey Cone became the company's first signing. Honey Cone's first release, a 1969 single titled "While You're Out Looking for Sugar," was also Hot Wax's first release. The very Motown-sounding tune was not a major hit; it reached number 26 on Billboard's R&B singles chart and number 62 on the magazine's pop singles chart. But for a small upstart label, that single was a decent start. Honey Cone's next single, "Girls, It Ain't Easy," was equally Motown-sounding and did become a major hit, reaching number eight on Billboard's R&B singles chart. After that, Honey Cone enjoyed their biggest hits of all. Released in late 1970, the infectious "Want Ads" (which Taylor Dayne covered in 1988) got off to a slow start and the song had been out four months before it even charted in either Billboard or Cash Box (Billboard's main competitor at the time). But when "Wants Ads" finally took off, it really took off and soared to number one on Billboard's R&B and pop singles charts. In 1971, Honey Cone had another number one R&B hit with "Stick Up," which was also a number 11 pop hit. And a few more major hits followed in 1972, including the ballad "The Day I Found Myself" and the Latin-influenced "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" (a number five R&B single and a number 15 pop hit). But as big as Honey Cone was from 1969-1972, it didn't fare nearly as well in 1973; none of the three Honey Cone singles that Hot Wax put out in 1973 ("If I Can't Fly," "The Truth Will Come Out," and "Ace in the Hole") were big hits. Sadly, Hot Wax/Invictus found itself experiencing a serious cash flow problem in 1973, despite having put out big sellers by Honey Cone as well as Freda Payne, 100 Percent Aged in Soul, Laura Lee, and the Chairmen of the Board. The problem wasn't that Hot Wax/Invictus' releases lacked commercial appeal; the problem, allegedly, was that the company was not getting paid by its independent distributors. In 1973, Honey Cone broke up, and Hot Wax/Invictus went out of business the following year. Wright went on to record by herself, providing the solo LP Oops! Here I Go Again for RCA in 1976. All five of the LPs that Honey Cone recorded for Hot Wax — Honey Cone in 1969, Take Me With You in 1970, Sweet Replies and Soul Tapestry in 1971, and Love, Peace & Soul in 1972 — went out of print when the label folded. However, all of Honey Cone's major hits are included on a 14-song Greatest Hits CD that Fantasy assembled in 1990. And the comprehensive Soulful Sugar, which Castle put out in 2001, boasts no less than 45 tracks.

We Belong Together
Honey Cone Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Ooh, ooh, sweet love, yeah)

I didn't mean it
When I said I didn't love you, so
I should have held on tight
I never should of let you go

I didn't know nothing
I was stupid, I was foolish
I was lying to myself
I could not fathom that I would ever

Be without your love
Never imagined I'd be
Sitting here beside myself
'Cause I didn't know you

'Cause I didn't know me
But I thought I knew everything
I never felt

The feeling that I'm feeling
Now that I don't hear your voice
Or have your touch and kiss your lips
'Cause I don't have a choice

Oh, what I wouldn't give
To have you lying by my side
Right here, cause baby
(We belong together)

[Chorus]
When you left I lost a part of me
It's still so hard to believe
Come back baby, please
'Cause we belong together

Who else am I goin' lean on
When times get rough
Who's gonna talk to me on the phone
'Til the sun comes up

Who's gonna take your place
There ain't nobody better
Oh, baby baby, we belong together

I can't sleep at night
When you are on my mind
Bobby Womack's on the radio
Saying to me

"If you think you're lonely now"
Wait a minute
This is too deep (too deep)
I gotta change the station

So I turn the dial
Trying to catch a break
And then I hear Babyface
I only think of you

And it's breaking my heart
I'm trying to keep it together
But I'm falling apart

I'm feeling all out of my element
I'm throwing things, crying
Trying to figure out
Where the hell I went wrong

The pain reflected in this song
It ain't even half of what
I'm feeling inside
I need you
Need you back in my life, baby

[Chorus]

Who else am I goin' lean on
When times get rough
Who's gonna talk to me on the phone
'Til the sun comes up

Who's gonna take your place
There ain't nobody better
Oh, baby baby, we belong together, baby

[Chorus]

Who am I gonna lean on
When times get rough
Who's gonna talk to me
'Til the sun comes up

Who's gonna take your place
There ain't nobody better




Oh baby, baby
We belong together

Overall Meaning

The song "We Belong Together" by Honey Cone is a heartfelt expression of regret and longing for a lost love. The first verse starts with a confession that the singer didn't mean it when they said they didn't love the person anymore. They regret letting them go and realize their foolishness. The second verse shows how much the absence of the loved one has affected them, as they can't sleep, are falling apart, and can't imagine life without them. The chorus emphasizes the message of the singers need for their love to come back because they belong together. The bridge highlights the feeling of loneliness without the loved one and how no one else can take their place since they are the best.


The lyrics of the song are complemented by the soulful music and the unique voice of Honey Cone. The lyrics and music showcase the pain and emotions that people go through when they break up with someone they still love that they didn't realize they wanted until they were gone. The song resonates with people who have experienced a breakup and reminds them of the importance of holding on to the ones they love.


Line by Line Meaning

I didn't mean it When I said I didn't love you, so
I regret telling you that I didn't love you


I should have held on tight I never should of let you go
I should have fought for us and not given up on our love


I didn't know nothing I was stupid, I was foolish I was lying to myself I could not fathom that I would ever
I was ignorant and foolish thinking I could live without you


Be without your love Never imagined I'd be Sitting here beside myself 'Cause I didn't know you
I never imagined being alone without your love because I didn't truly know or appreciate you


'Cause I didn't know me But I thought I knew everything I never felt
Because I didn't know myself, I thought I knew everything but was really clueless


The feeling that I'm feeling Now that I don't hear your voice Or have your touch and kiss your lips 'Cause I don't have a choice
I miss your voice, touch, and kisses, but I have no choice but to be without them


Oh, what I wouldn't give To have you lying by my side Right here, cause baby (We belong together)
I would do anything to have you here right now, because we belong together


When you left I lost a part of me It's still so hard to believe Come back baby, please 'Cause we belong together
Since you left, a part of me is missing and it's unbelievable. Please come back because we belong together


Who else am I goin' lean on When times get rough Who's gonna talk to me on the phone 'Til the sun comes up
Who can I depend on when things get tough? Who will talk to me until sunrise?


Who's gonna take your place There ain't nobody better Oh, baby baby, we belong together
No one can replace you because we belong together, baby


I can't sleep at night When you are on my mind Bobby Womack's on the radio Saying to me
I can't sleep when I think of you. Even Bobby Womack's song on the radio reminds me of you


"If you think you're lonely now" Wait a minute This is too deep (too deep) I gotta change the station
"If You Think You're Lonely Now" is too deep, I can't handle it. I need to listen to something else


So I turn the dial Trying to catch a break And then I hear Babyface I only think of you
I'm trying to find a distraction, but even when I listen to Babyface, I can't stop thinking of you


And it's breaking my heart I'm trying to keep it together But I'm falling apart
This is hurting my heart. I'm attempting to hold it together, but I'm failing


I'm feeling all out of my element I'm throwing things, crying Trying to figure out Where the hell I went wrong
I feel lost and out of place. I'm crying and angry and trying to figure out what I did wrong


The pain reflected in this song It ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside I need you Need you back in my life, baby
This song barely reflects how much I'm hurting inside. I need you back in my life, baby


Who am I gonna lean on When times get rough Who's gonna talk to me 'Til the sun comes up
Who will I turn to when things get tough? Who can I talk to all night long?


Who's gonna take your place There ain't nobody better Oh, baby, baby We belong together
No one can ever replace you because we are meant to be together, baby




Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BALLADS BY DESIGN, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, MISSING LINK MUSIC
Written by: JOHNTA M AUSTIN, DARNELL BRISTOLL, MARIAH CAREY, JERMAINE DUPRI, KENNETH BABYFACE EDMONDS, SIDNEY JOHNSON, PATRICK MOTEN, MANUEL SEAL, SANDRA SULLY, BOBBY WOMACK

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Comments from YouTube:

Wanda Moppins

RIP, Edna Wright

TheAudivisioner

And this was a B-Side!

Music4allofU Classics!

The B Side of Want Ads (1969) and in Hot Wax LP " Sweet Replies" Classic R&B from the Holland - Dozier - Holland Label. who was also responsible for Invictus Records and Buddha Records.

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