Growing up amidst music, Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 50s as part of a doo-wop group called Five Echoes. Taylor was also part of the gospel group, The Highway QC's also, replacing r&b artist Sam Cooke that had left to become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951. Then, after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957, Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.
A few years later, after Cooke had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" in 1962. However, SAR Records quickly became defunct after Cooke's tradic early death in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor moved to Stax Records in Memphis, where he was dubbed "The Philosopher of Soul". While there he recorded with the label's house band, Booker T. & the MGs. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) and most notably "Who's Making Love?", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1968. During his tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with over a dozen chart successes, such as "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and producer Don Davis's "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)".
After Stax folded in the mid 1970s, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where he made his best-known hit, "Disco Lady", in 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified platinum single. Columbia pigeonholed Taylor as a disco artist, however, and neglected his wide-ranging talent. Not surprisingly, his record sales slipped.
After a brief stint at Beverly Glen Records, Taylor signed with Malaco Records after the label's founder Tommy Couch and producing partner Wolf Stephenson heard him sing at blues singer Z.Z. Hill's funeral in the spring of 1984. Backed by members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as well as in-house veterans like former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett, Malaco gave Taylor the type of recording freedom that Stax had given him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, enabling him to record ten albums for the Malaco label in his sixteen year stint. Taylor's record sales were good but not enough for the singer to receive the measure of stardom he once had.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, Good Love!, made it to Number One on Billboard's Blues chart (#15 R&B), the biggest record in Malaco's history.
Malaco recorded a live video of Taylor at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 1997.
Johnnie Taylor's 1999 album, "Gotta Get the Groove Back", also reached the # 1 Position on the Billboard Blues Charts. This album which featured veteran songwriter, Lamar Thmas (Woman don't be Afraid) was also a Grammy Nominated album during the same year that Johnnie passed.
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. He died in Dallas at the age of 66.
In what would turn out to be a sad foreshadowing, Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concert featuring deceased Soul music icons Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and MGs drummer Al Jackson, among others. In one verse, Taylor sang, "I didn't want to wake up/I was havin' such a good time".
Ain't That Loving You
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take that loving baby
Yeah yeah
You think I love you
For just one thing
To you my love this may
Be the way that it seems
But I love the way, that you carry yourself
I even love you, love you, love you, love you
The way you wear your hair
Ain't that loving you
Ain't that loving you
For more reasons than one
Somehow, my love
You've been misled
By the things that
That other guys have said
Well, I love you, for what you are
I even love you
For what you may become
Ain't that loving you
Ain't that loving you
For more reasons than one
Did it ever occur to you
Why I do all that a man can do?
To keep that smile on your face
It's because I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
In, uh, so many ways
Somehow, my love
You've been misled
By the things that
That other guys have said
But I love you, for what you are
I even love you
For what you may become
Ain't that loving you (Oh oh)
Ain't that loving you (Baby)
Ain't that loving you (Ain't that loving you, girl, yeah)
Ain't that loving you (Ain't that loving you, yeah, yeah)
Ain't that loving you (You and you and you and you and you)
Ain't that loving you (Let me say that one more time)
Ain't that loving you (You, you, you)
Ain't that loving you (My good love, my good love)
Ain't that loving you
In Johnnie Taylor's song Ain't That Loving You, he addresses his lover about how they may have misconceptions about his love for them. He acknowledges that it may seem like he only loves them for one thing, but he assures them that he loves so many other things about them. He loves the way they carry themselves and even the way they wear their hair. Taylor emphasizes that he loves his partner for more than just one reason.
Taylor questions his partner if they ever wondered why he does everything he can to keep a smile on their face. He explains that it is because he loves them in so many ways. He acknowledges that his partner has been misled by what other guys have said, but he reassures them that he loves them for who they are and who they may become.
The lyrics of this song showcase a deep and unconditional love that Taylor has for his partner. He emphasizes the idea that he loves them for all the things that make them unique and not just for one superficial aspect. Through his words, he tries to convey the depth of his love for his partner, which is something that they may have overlooked due to outside influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, hey baby, yeah
The singer is addressing a loved one.
Take that loving baby
The singer is expressing affection towards their loved one.
You think I love you
The singer is acknowledging the loved one's perception of their relationship.
For just one thing
The loved one believes that the artist only loves them for one reason.
To you my love this may
Despite the loved one's belief, the artist still loves them.
Be the way that it seems
The singer acknowledges that appearances could make it seem otherwise.
But I love the way, that you carry yourself
The singer admires the loved one's demeanor.
I even love you, love you, love you, love you, The way you wear your hair
The artist loves the loved one's appearance.
Ain't that loving you
The artist is stating that their actions are proof of their love.
Ain't that loving you
The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the point.
For more reasons than one
The singer loves the loved one for multiple reasons.
Somehow, my love, You've been misled
The artist acknowledges that the loved one has been misinformed.
By the things that That other guys have said
The loved one has been influenced by what others have said about the relationship.
Well, I love you, for what you are
The singer loves the loved one for who they are.
I even love you For what you may become
The singer loves the potential of what the loved one may become.
Did it ever occur to you
The artist is questioning the loved one's awareness.
Why I do all that a man can do?
The artist is wondering if the loved one understands their efforts to make them happy.
To keep that smile on your face
The singer is motivated by their desire to see the loved one happy.
It's because I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you In, uh, so many ways
The singer loves the loved one in multiple ways.
Ain't that loving you (Oh oh)
The artist is reiterating their actions as proof of their love.
Ain't that loving you (Baby)
The artist is emphasizing the point to the loved one.
Ain't that loving you (Ain't that loving you, girl, yeah)
The artist is reaffirming their love to the loved one.
Ain't that loving you (Ain't that loving you, yeah, yeah)
The singer is expressing the depth of their love.
Ain't that loving you (You and you and you and you and you)
The artist loves the loved one and wants to emphasize this to multiple people.
Ain't that loving you (Let me say that one more time)
The singer wants to restate the previous point.
Ain't that loving you (You, you, you)
The singer is addressing the loved one.
Ain't that loving you (My good love, my good love)
The singer is emphasizing their affection towards the loved one.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Homer Banks, Allen Alvoid Jones, Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind