In 1969, Dayton, Ohio native Stephen Shockley formed the Young Underground after exiting the Monterreys. Vocalist Mark Woods, who was a member of the local band the Nomads, joined up with Shockley to form a more mature-sounding Young Underground. The group initially had a record deal with Curtom Records as a result of winning a talent contest in Chicago. However, Curtom folded shortly thereafter. While in Chicago the group renamed itself Lakeside Express, after the Lakeside Express Newspaper in Chicago.
In 1974 the emerging Lakeside Express and another group by the name of Liquid Funk, which featured Dallas native Fred Alexander, Jr. on drums, arrived in Los Angeles around the same time. For the next couple of years the bands performed at events around the greater L.A. area, occasionally crossing paths. The members of Liquid Funk returned to Dallas, but Alexander remained in L.A. Lakeside, who by now had dropped the Express from their name, was seeking additional personnel to solidify their band. After two auditions, Alexander was welcomed into the group.
Lakeside inked a deal with Motown, but found no success. Consequently, they released a ballad on ABC Records, but that label went under. The good fortune they were seeking turned out to be at Dick Griffey's Solar Records. The group signed a deal with Griffey, and released their first Top Ten hit on Solar Records, "It's All the Way Live," which peaked at number four on the Billboard R&B charts.
Lakeside released a host of songs that scaled the R&B charts, but didn't threaten the position of any other artists. However, in 1980 they went storming up the charts again with their smash number one single, "Fantastic Voyage," which was produced by the self-contained band. They followed the success of "Fantastic Voyage" with another Top Ten R&B single, a remake of the Paul McCartney and John Lennon classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The group continued their success with the Billboard Top Ten singles "Raid," "Outrageous," and a string of R&B party songs and ballads.
More hits on the R&B charts, such as "Raid" (1983) and "Outrageous" (1984), kept the group going.
Say Yes
Lakeside Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have almost everything but still you lonley girl.
Don't you get lonley at night but the worst of it all
Every time that i give a call you still resist me girl.
When all i want to do is to give all i can give so
That we can live in ecstasy just you and i in love.
If you say Yes,
We'll sail the sky say yes with both our hearts
The lyrics of Lakeside's song "Say Yes" talk about a girl who seems to have everything, but is still lonely at night. The singer tells her that every time he gives her a call, she resists him. He wants to give everything to her and live in happiness and love. He asks her to say yes to him, so that they can sail the skies together with their hearts beating as one. He promises to give her the love that she needs, right on time.
The main theme of the song is love and the willingness to give everything for the person you love. It highlights the difficulties faced in relationships when one partner is resistant to the other's love. The singer wants the girl to trust him and say yes to him, so that they can live happily ever after.
The chorus of the song is catchy and simple, with the repeated phrase "Say Yes". The singer's voice is smooth and soulful, adding to the romantic vibe of the song. Overall, the lyrics and melody of "Say Yes" work together to create a beautiful love song.
Line by Line Meaning
You didn't know when you seem,
You are not aware of your own emotions
You have almost everything but still you lonely girl.
You have everything, but you still feel lonely
Don't you get lonely at night but the worst of it all
You feel lonely at night, but it's worse that you resist love
Every time that I give a call you still resist me girl.
Despite my attempts, you continue to resist love
When all I want to do is to give all I can give so
I want to give my all, my everything
That we can live in ecstasy just you and I in love.
We can experience true happiness in love
If you say Yes,
If you agree to love
We'll sail the sky say yes with both our hearts
We can experience the highs of love together
I'll give you love when you need it right on time.
I will give you love whenever you need it, at just the right moment
Writer(s): Shockley Stephen Preston, Alexander Fred
Contributed by Caroline K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@eubdeandavis871
THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL REAL MUSIC !! THIS IS CALLED OLD SKOOL JAMS LOVE IT 100%, SAY YES
@JossephDavvid
Here in 2022! Was a 7th Grader in 1980 when this came out and just starting to take an interest in music. Lakeside. Bar-kays. Cameo. Con-funkshun. EW&F. Commodores. Parliament. What an era of R&B/Funk Bands. 👏🏾👍🏾😎
@yehvonneking86
My brother made it to Heaven, he has been forgiven for all unrighteousness, Hallelujah 👏👏👏💯
@lydiadixon8274
This song did not get the recognition it deserved in the 70's for this band. They had other hits that stood out more. But I always loved this one!❤️❤️❤️
@glorianelson4575
It's a sad music industry.
@smurffdiesel811
That part 🧐🤔
@monneyboiimexican
Spm
@youbigdummy4866
This classic is from 1980.
@dreamseeker9837
Yes!!
@mauricegreen8014
Best song ever! True romance and commitment. Say yes to love. Pleases.