One of the most underrated soul producers of the '70s, multi-talented produ… Read Full Bio ↴One of the most underrated soul producers of the '70s, multi-talented producer/singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Leroy Hutson began his career in various vocal groups around his hometown of Newark, NJ, in the '60s, but saw his early success as a co-writer for Howard University roommate Donny Hathaway's 1970 hit single "The Ghetto." Hutson would later replace Curtis Mayfield in 1971 as the lead singer in the Impressions and stayed with them until 1973, when he followed in Mayfield's footsteps and launched his own solo career. His smooth, imaginative productions set the bar very high for everyone at the label (including its owner) to follow suit. Although his lyrics were not as politically fueled as Mayfield's, Hutson's love-inspired songs were responsible for a string of mid-'70s classics for which he and Curtom are best known.

While he would enjoy the commercial success during a string of albums in the mid- to late '70s, he also lent his production and songwriting skills to several labelmates, including the Natural Four. After the closing of Curtom Records in 1980, Hutson's career diminished into obscurity with the exception of 1982's jazz-funk-tinged Paradise. However, he has maintained a strong cult following among soul collectors to this day, and in 2000 Sequel Records had the good sense to reissue not only the original albums on CD but a two-disc anthology spanning the greatest hits of his career.

Love Oh Love
Leroy Hutson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love, oh love why are you leavin me
I did everything I could I treated you so good still you're leavin me
Friends talk and you walk and I'm the one who's losing
In my mind sometimes it gets a bit confusin
This love game we play can get to be demandin, I always thought we had a real understanding
Love oh love, just why are you leavin me
You know everything I do I do it just for you now you teasin me
Baby, it should be we disagree at least we end up talkin

But hear say has changed your ways and now you started walkin
I never thought that I'd ever live to
See
The day when one of your friends
Could make you turn your back on me
Love, love, love just what am I suppose to do
I've spent every single dime devoted all my time to making love to you
Let's start today to find a way to get this thing together
Just trust in me and you will see that love can last forever
This love that we've got can be so groovy baby
So just take my hand and I don't mean maybe
Ooh ooh
I said now love love love just what am I suppose to do
I spent every single dime devoted all my time to makin love to you
Let's start today to find a way to get this thing together
Just trust in me and you will see that love can last forever

I'm so in love with you all that I can do
Is hope to please you everytime I see you say love love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Leroy Hutson's song Love Oh Love explore the theme of a failing relationship from the perspective of the person left behind. The singer laments that despite his best efforts, love is leaving him. He questions why his lover would leave him when he did everything for her and treated her well. He feels lost and confused about the situation and laments the losing end he is currently facing. He believes that the love game can be demanding and always thought they had an understanding. However, hearsay had changed his lover's ways and now she has started walking. He expresses disbelief in this sudden change and wonders what he is supposed to do.

Despite the despair in the song, there is still hope for the relationship. The singer laments about all the things he has done for his lover, hoping she will see his dedication to her. He pleads with her to trust him and take his hand in making things work, reassuring her that love can last forever. He finally concludes by saying how much he is in love with her and that all he can do is hope to please her every time he sees her. The lyrics to Love Oh Love reveal the complicated yet beautiful nature of love, its ups and downs, its struggles, and its perpetual hope of redemption.

Line by Line Meaning

Love, oh love why are you leavin me
Questioning the reason behind love leaving the singer

I did everything I could I treated you so good still you're leavin me
Expressing that the singer put in a lot of effort and treated love well, yet it decided to leave

Friends talk and you walk and I'm the one who's losing
Suggesting that love was influenced by the opinion of others and the singer is suffering as a result

In my mind sometimes it gets a bit confusin
Admitting that the situation with love can be confusing and unclear

This love game we play can get to be demandin, I always thought we had a real understanding
Acknowledging that love can be tough but reiterating the belief that there was a strong bond between the artist and love

Love oh love, just why are you leavin me
Repeating the opening line with the same questioning tone

You know everything I do I do it just for you now you teasin me
Stating that the singer did things for love and feels like they're being toyed with in return

Baby, it should be we disagree at least we end up talkin
Suggesting that disagreements are natural but communication is necessary to work through them

But hear say has changed your ways and now you started walkin
Implying that rumors or gossip led to love changing its behavior and walking away

I never thought that I'd ever live to see the day when one of your friends could make you turn your back on me
Expressing disbelief that someone close to love could have such a negative impact on its feelings for the artist

Love, love, love just what am I suppose to do
Continuing with the questioning tone, wondering what the singer can do in the face of love's departure

I've spent every single dime devoted all my time to making love to you
Stating that the artist invested a lot of time and money into their relationship with love

Let's start today to find a way to get this thing together
Suggesting that there's still hope to fix the relationship and proposing working together to achieve that goal

Just trust in me and you will see that love can last forever
Encouraging love to trust the singer and giving hope that their love can last

This love that we've got can be so groovy baby
Describing the potential positive and enjoyable dynamics of their relationship

So just take my hand and I don't mean maybe
Extending a hand and urging love to take a chance rather than being unsure

Ooh ooh
An interjection indicating a feeling of excitement or passion

I said now love love love just what am I suppose to do
Repeating the same question as a way of emphasizing the singer's confusion and frustration

I spent every single dime devoted all my time to makin love to you
Repeating the same statement as a way of emphasizing the singer's investment in their relationship with love

Let's start today to find a way to get this thing together
Repeating the same proposal as a way of emphasizing the artist's desire to work things out

Just trust in me and you will see that love can last forever
Repeating the same encouragement as a way of emphasizing the artist's belief in their love's potential to last

I'm so in love with you all that I can do is hope to please you everytime I see you say love love
Concluding the song with an expression of the artist's continued love and devotion to their partner, despite the challenges they may face

Writer(s): LEROY HUTSON, MICHAEL HAWKINS

Contributed by Aria T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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