Simon was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, United States. Similar to many other African-American artists from the era, Simon began singing in his father's Baptist church. He pursued his vocal abilities full-time once the family moved to Richmond (near Oakland, California) in the late 1950s. There Simon joined the Golden West Gospel Singers and became influenced by Sam Cooke and Arthur Prysock. With this, the group decided to turn secular and recorded "Little Island Girl" as the Golden Tones in 1959.
Hush Records label owners Gary and Carla Thompson urged Simon to record on his own, and in 1964 Simon scored considerable success on the Vee-Jay label with "My Adorable One". Simon scored again in 1965 on the Chicago based label with "Let's Do It Over", which landed a #13 spot on the US Billboard R&B chart. However, the Vee-Jay label folded soon after the latter song's release and Simon found himself traveling across the country singing.
Simon caught the eye of Nashville, Tennessee, R&B disc jockey John Richbourg during this time, and Richbourg not only became Simon's manager/record producer but also brought the singer to Monument Records' subsidiary label Sound Stage 7 in 1966. That year Simon released "Teenager's Prayer", which peaked at #11 on Billboard's R&B chart. Within the next two years, Simon released a string of hits: "(You Keep Me) Hanging On", "The Chokin' Kind" (Billboard Hot 100 #13), "Farther On Down The Road", and "Yours Love". "The Chokin' Kind" was written by Harlan Howard, spent 12 weeks in the charts, and had sold one million copies by 16 June 1969. In addition, Simon was given a Grammy Award in 1970 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Under the encouragement of Richbourg, Simon moved to the Polydor distributed Spring Records label in 1970, which paired Simon with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The team scored a #3 R&B hit in 1971 with "Drowning In The Sea of Love" and a #1 R&B hit in the summer of 1972 with "Power Of Love". Both songs reached #11 on the Hot 100. "Drowning In The Sea of Love" sold over 1.5 million copies and the R.I.A.A. on 6 January 1972 gave a gold disc. "Power of Love", written by Gamble, Huff and Simon was Simon's third million seller, and the R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 29 August 1972.
Simon continued to release R&B hits with "Pool Of Bad Luck", "Trouble In My Home", "Step By Step", "I Need You, You Need Me", "Music In My Bones", "Carry Me", and 1975's "Get Down, Get Down (Get On The Floor)", which gave Simon his third #1 R&B hit, and also a #8 Hot 100 hit. Simon's success escalated with his writing/producing the theme tune for the film, Cleopatra Jones in 1973.
In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Simon decided to remove his tenor/bass-baritone voice from the secular music world and devote it and his life to Christianity. Simon began evangelist preaching in Flossmoor, Illinois. In 1983, he produced the album Lay My Burden Down for former Davis Sisters second lead Jackie Verdell. Simon released a gospel album titled This Story Must Be Told in the late 1990s.
In 1999 Simon was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Joss Stone covered "The Chokin' Kind" on her 2003 album, The Soul Sessions.
Simon has had a number of his songs sampled by other artists, including OutKast, who sampled "Before the Night is Over" in their hit "So Fresh, So Clean" and Lil' Kim, who sampled Simon's "It Be's That Way Sometimes" in "Magic Stick", featuring 50 Cent. Memphis Bleek sampled Simon's "Trace Your Love" for his track "Alright" on the 2005 534 album.
Farther On Down the Road
Joe Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will accompany me
Yes, further on down the road
You will accompany me
Every time I think about
Your sweet love
Shining' down on me like the sun
I don't remember any old cold days
Goin' farther on down the road
You will accompany me
If there's fools in this life
Then a happy fool is what I wanna be
So I'll be glad to learn about you, baby
You can learn a thing or two about me
But then if we ever should get down
And things really got sad
You know we could cheer each other up
And things wouldn't be that bad, baby
If I'm gonna be a fool in this life
Just want to be a fool for you, darlin'
Day by day, just one step at a time
Girl, you've been so sweet
Restore my peace of mind
And I don't care what anybody knows
And I don't care what anybody might say
With lovin' in my corner each and every day
And I wanna thank you for that, baby
Just want you to go with me thru time
And every step of the way
Farther on down the road
Farther on down the road
I know baby
You can say further on
Further on
Gonna turn around.
The song "Farther On Down the Road" by Joe Simon is a love song that celebrates the journey of a couple through life. The song speaks about the commitment to remain together through all the ups and downs of life. The lyrics emphasize the idea of companionship, where the singer tells his loved one that she will always accompany him as they walk down the road of life. The singer speaks about the sweetness of her love and how it has brought light to his life, erasing all the bad memories from his past. He talks about being a happy Fool for her and declares his intention to walk through life, learning new things about each other and supporting each other through difficult times.
In the second verse, the singer admits to his vulnerability and how his loved one brings him peace of mind every day. He also emphasizes that he does not care what anybody might say about their relationship, as long as they have love in their corner, they can overcome all challenges. The song's repetition of "Farther on down the road" serves as a metaphor for the journey of life, emphasizing the need to stay committed to each other and move forward, no matter what the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
Farther on down the road
As we continue our journey through life
You will accompany me
I hope that you will be by my side
Yes, further on down the road
I believe that our bond will only grow stronger
Every time I think about
Whenever I reflect on
Your sweet love
Your caring affection towards me
Shining' down on me like the sun
Radiating warmth and positivity towards me
I don't remember any old cold days
I don't recall any negative or harsh past experiences
Baby, I guess that you're the one
I assume that you are the perfect partner for me
Goin' farther on down the road
As we continue to move forward in life
If there's fools in this life
If there are those who act foolishly in this world
Then a happy fool is what I wanna be
I would rather be a blissfully ignorant fool filled with joy
So I'll be glad to learn about you, baby
I am eager to get to know you better
You can learn a thing or two about me
I also have much to share and teach you
But then if we ever should get down
If we ever experience difficult times
And things really got sad
If the situation becomes overwhelmingly negative
You know we could cheer each other up
We can support and uplift one another
And things wouldn't be that bad, baby
Our bond would help us overcome hardships
If I'm gonna be a fool in this life
If I am destined to be viewed as a foolish person
Just want to be a fool for you, darlin'
I want to be viewed as foolish only in the eyes of my loving partner
Day by day, just one step at a time
Slowly and steadily, over time
Girl, you've been so sweet
My partner, you have been so kind and caring towards me
Restore my peace of mind
Help me regain my emotional stability
And I don't care what anybody knows
I am not concerned with other people's opinions or judgments
And I don't care what anybody might say
I am not affected by potential negative criticisms from others
With lovin' in my corner each and every day
As long as I have your love and support every day
And I wanna thank you for that, baby
I want to express my gratitude for your unwavering love
Just want you to go with me thru time
I want you to be with me through all of life's ups and downs
And every step of the way
Through every moment of our journey together
I know baby
I am confident
You can say further on
That our bond will continue to strengthen
Further on
In the future
Gonna turn around
We will persevere and overcome any negative circumstances
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JESSE DAVIS, TAJ MAHAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cityzen2717
Joe Simon – Farther on Down the Road
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"Farther on Down the Road" as written by Jesse Davis and Taj Mahal....
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Farther on down the road
You will accompany me
Yes, further on down the road
You will accompany me
Every time I think about
Your sweet love
Shining' down on me like the sun
I don't remember any old cold days
Baby, I guess that you're the one
Goin' farther on down the road
You will accompany me
If there's fools in this life
Then a happy fool is what I wanna be
So I'll be glad to learn about you, baby
You can learn a thing or two about me
But then if we ever should get down
And things really got sad
You know we could cheer each other up
And things wouldn't be that bad, baby
If I'm gonna be a fool in this life
Just want to be a fool for you, darlin'
Day by day, just one step at a time
Girl, you've been so sweet
Restore my peace of mind
And I don't care what anybody knows
And I don't care what anybody might say
With lovin' in my corner each and every day
And I wanna thank you for that, baby
Just want you to go with me thru time
And every step of the way
Farther on down the road
Farther on down the road
I know baby
You can say further on
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@ajabril02
Joe Simon!!!!!!!! I had the pleasure of meeting him in Person..... One of the best days of my life!!!
@deacontheseer4804
A real man's voice you don't hear anymore except for YouTube THANK God
@hannahgilliam3026
At The Age Of 10
I Knew Every Word
To This Song!!!! At 54
I Still Know And Love It!!!!
@henriettacoley6908
I grew up listening to Joe Simon.. All the time... No words for the experiences I've had with his music
@janetboggs3004
Mr.joe Simon,always been and stil is one of my all time favorites,great voice
@lilliemcclaud349
Bishop Simeon ! you are one of my R&B singers of the fifty sixty and seventy. your music was on top for teenagers in the sixty and seventy, along Otis ,Marvin, Percy, Joe Tex Gladys& the Pips Temptations Aretha and more. But now we are serving the most's previous Supreme of all. God and work we are doing is far better.
@mitchlane3507
xz BG
.
@kamaradice9957
Ha! oh yes! I remember when he had it going. I was an young party person.. A real one... I calm down a good bit. I am not racing to get to the club...
@patriciadavis8082
Love your response we love Joe but God is so much better and our work for serving the Lord
@b.g.960
Peace, Love, and always the best Mr. Joe Simon.