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".
I Could Never Be President
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I won't last a day
I would lower all the taxes
Just to suit your taste
I'd bring home all the fellers
From over in Vietnam
Station them around your door
I'd name every street in the city
Honey, after you
In the fight against poverty
There's no limit to what I'd do
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you, you, yeah
Honey I would make you
The first lady of the land
Don't you know, I'd place Presidential
Powers in your hand
Congress would veto the first bill
I would pass
First would be, ?Tear the White House down
Build you a house of glass?
And stake out the Navy
On every downtown street
So your little feet won't get so tired
When you go on a shopping spree
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you, you, auh, auh
I could never be President
I could never be President
Honey to make sure
You never, never have a care
I'd open up the door to Fort Knox
Tell you to help yourself
And give you a nation
If that didn't seem to do
I'd send up a Gemini player
To stake a claim on the moon for you
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
I could never be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
I'd give you a nation
If that didn't seem to do
I could never be your President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
No baby
Just as long as I'm lovin' you, auh
The lyrics of Johnnie Taylor's song "I Could Never Be President" express the idea that the singer would rather love and cherish their significant other than become the President of the United States. The lyrics start with the singer acknowledging that being the President would not suit him because he would focus solely on pleasing his partner instead of performing his duties as President. He then goes on to propose some ideas of what he would do if he were President. These ideas include lowering taxes, bringing the troops back home from Vietnam, and even naming streets after his significant other. The lyrics also imply that even if he did become President, his significant other would remain his priority.
The singer continues by mentioning a few more outlandish proposals, like tearing down the White House and building his significant other a house of glass. He even mentions sending a Gemini player to stake a claim on the moon for her. These proposals imply that he would stop at nothing to please and impress his significant other. Towards the end of the lyrics, the singer suggests that he would even give her the nation and an open door to Fort Knox. In the end, the singer reiterates that he would rather love and cherish his significant other than be the President of the United States.
Line by Line Meaning
If I became President
Imagine a scenario where I am the President
I know I won't last a day
I am confident that I wouldn't last a day in office
I would lower all the taxes
To please you, I would lower taxes for everyone
Just to suit your taste
To comply with your preferences
I'd bring home all the fellers
I'd bring every soldier home from Vietnam
From over in Vietnam
From the Vietnam War
Station them around your door
I'd place them around your home for your security
So the world can't do you no harm
So that you'd be protected from any harm from the outside world
I'd name every street in the city
I'd name every street in the city after you
Honey, after you
My dear, in honor of you
In the fight against poverty
In the battle to end poverty
There's no limit to what I'd do
I am willing to do anything to fight poverty
I could never be President
I cannot be President
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
As long as I am loving you, being President is not my priority
Honey I would make you
My dear, I would designate you
The first lady of the land
As the President's spouse, you'd be the first lady of the country
Don't you know, I'd place Presidential
You should know that I would give you Presidential
Powers in your hand
Authority to make Presidential decisions
Congress would veto the first bill
Congress would reject my first proposed legislation
I would pass
Which would be
First would be, ?Tear the White House down
For your sake, I would like to demolish the White House
Build you a house of glass?
And instead, build a glass house for you to live in
And stake out the Navy
I'd send sailors from the Navy
On every downtown street
To every street in the city center
So your little feet won't get so tired
So that you wouldn't have to walk too much
When you go on a shopping spree
During your shopping trips
I'd give you a nation
If giving you all this was not enough
If that didn't seem to do
If that doesn't make you happy
I'd send up a Gemini player
I'd send an astronaut in a Gemini spacecraft
To stake a claim on the moon for you
To claim the moon in your name
No baby
My dear
Just as long as I'm lovin' you
As long as I am loving you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BETTYE JEAN BARNES CRUTCHER, HOMER BANKS, RAYMOND E. JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Al Gardner
Had the privilege of watching him record this. Stax Volt forever!!
Alan Wilson
Describe the scene man, shit!
prettycountrygirl2
Still loving this. One of my most favorites from Mr. Taylor. This is a SUPER SONG.
Ladyt Ellison
love this song and that funky beat!
Steve the music man
I remember when this came out, oh man, I was 12 years old and I so remember going to our little basement parties, this was a hot item. I could not get enough of this. I love this. I own the 45. I prefer the MONO version. Five stars and a fav. Thanks for posting. This is my all time fav song by Jonny Taylor.
Alexis Glenn
I absolutely love this song, you have to listen to the words!!!!
Cedric P
Great track!
Vanessa Hallman
I would appreciate someone downloading some of johnnie's old songs that are rarely played. thank you.
Nick Plaskon
This is one of them, for sure
Edwin Mangum
Guitar play is smokin'!