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".
Rome
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you hear, don't you hear,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Now, you know that I love you dear with all my heart
I know that you didn't love me from the start
And it just needs time to grow, baby
Don't, honey don't, go away, no no
Don't you hear, don't you hear,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Listen to me honey now
How would Romeo feel if his Juliet
Had turned down his advances and played hard to get
He wouldn't have let this bother him, this I know
Because where there's light there's hope
Oh!
Baby, don't go away, no no
Don't you hear now, don't you hear now,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Don't you hear me telling you that
Rome wasn't built in a day
Don't you realize that
Rome wasn't built in a day
The lyrics to Johnnie Taylor's song, "Rome" speaks to the idea of patience and perseverance in love. Taylor pleads with his lover to not go away, to hear him out and give him time to build a love that is strong and enduring just like how Rome was not built in a day. The song acknowledges that love takes time to grow and that both parties must put in the effort to cultivate a love that will last. The lyrics allude to the story of Romeo and Juliet, making a comparison between their love story and the importance of not giving up on love.
Taylor's use of metaphors is cleverly woven throughout the song. For instance, the metaphor that compares love to Rome is impactful by emphasizing that lasting love is built over time. He also speaks of planting a seed in his lover's heart, emphasizing the idea that love needs time to grow and flourish like a plant. The song is not just about building love, but also about the idea of not giving up when something is worth fighting for. In essence, the song is a plea to his lover to have faith in their love and to stay the course even when things may not seem to be going well at the present moment.
Overall, "Rome" is a beautiful song with a simplistic yet impactful message. It is a reminder of the importance of being patient when it comes to love, and that good things are worth waiting for. Love is built over time, and like Rome, it takes dedication and effort to create something magnificent.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't, honey don't, go away, no no
Please don't leave me
Don't you hear, don't you hear,
What I say, what I say
Listen to my words
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
I need time to make our love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
I know true love takes time and patience to grow
Now, you know that I love you dear with all my heart
I love you with all my heart
I know that you didn't love me from the start
I understand that your love for me may not have been immediate
But I planted a lil' seed in your heart I know
And it just needs time to grow, baby
I know I may have sparked a small love in your heart that needs time to bloom
Listen to me honey now
How would Romeo feel if his Juliet
Had turned down his advances and played hard to get
He wouldn't have let this bother him, this I know
Because where there's light there's hope
Oh!
Think about how even if love takes time, it's important to not give up hope
Don't you realize that
Rome wasn't built in a day
It's important to remember that true love takes time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Betty Prudhomme, Beverly Prudhomme, Sam Cooke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GREATTECH1
This live version is Johnnie's best performance of this song in my opinion. This is better than both his and Sam's studio recordings...Credit must also be given to that KICKING BAND....
Clarence "GATEMOUTH" Brown is the bandleader.
The show was called "THE BEAT"
The announcer was the great BILL "HOSSMAN ALLEN, of WLAC Nashville Tennessee fame. This show was shot in Nashville for only 1 year.....1966. It highlighted soul singers and their great music contributions. Little Milton and a host of soul singers enhanced their careers on this show. I was upset when it did not come back the next year.. It was AWESOME.
BILL was so famous for playing "black" or "soul" or "race" music as they used to say on the AM radio late at night. The station carried hundreds of miles at night, and I listened intently for years as a teenager in Louisiana.
For years I thought he was black because of his sound. So did many other folks. He truly loved soul music, and because of him, many black artists got their start.
Thanks Johnnie and HOSSMAN for this once in a lifetime piece of footage. I treasure it. I go back over and over to hear it again..... AWESOME!
I don't want to talk bad about Johnny's dancers behind him, but for all the good they did, they could have stood on the sidelines and picked their noses, or got themselves other jobs.
HOW ABOUT SOME BEAUTIFUL WOMEN TO ADD SOME CLASS AND STYLE??!!
@amoreno8011
Don't, honey don't, go away, no no
Don't you hear, don't you hear,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Now, you know that I love you dear with all my heart
I know that you didn't love me from the start
But I planted a lil' seed in your heart I know
And it just needs time to grow, baby
Don't, honey don't, go away, no no
Don't you hear, don't you hear,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Listen to me honey now
How would Romeo feel if his Juliet
Had turned down his advances and played hard to get
He wouldn't have let this bother him, this I know
Because where there's light there's hope
Oh!
Baby, don't go away, no no
Don't you hear now, don't you hear now,
What I say, what I say
Give me time, give me time
I'm gonna make your love as strong as mine
But I know Rome wasn't built in a day
Don't you hear me telling you that
Rome wasn't built in a day
Don't you realize that
Rome wasn't built in a day
@Kanhje1
His voice was amazing very legendary
@reginaldvalentine8820
Man....oh man....JT was the man. And to think he once said he really didn't like the song but Sam Cooke suggested that he sing his version of it. And he killed it. JT was one one the most underrated singers that ever lived. But he was a giant to me. RIP JT
@janetboggs3004
When,was this,that He did,nt like it,History Has It that He always Loved This Song,He Hope Wrote The Song,I Heard Him Say Himself,That He Loved The Song,I think You Have Your Facts Wrong
@johnbarron2269
Reginald, I rate Johnny Taylor as my fifth (number 5) greatest singer of all time. 🎶🎵🎼 👍
@lindalee1358
@John Barron ok
@BILLYCLINT23
That man is sanging his soul out.
@carrienixon6663
Lord I just love this man singing. JT Had the perfect voice that could sing anything. I miss you JT. RIHP. ❤️💜💚💙
@BlvkColossus
I really can't stop watching/listening to this...Johnnie is so damn koo. Dude got charisma for days.
@beverlyzeigler6883
He was also very handsome!!!
@imanim4844
@Beverly Zeigler Yes, handsome and talented and aged like fine wine!