In 1957, a doo-wop group known as The Chesters existed with members Clarence Collins, Tracy Lord, Nathaniel Rodgers, and Ronald Ross. Anthony Gourdine, a former member of The Duponts, joined as lead vocalist. Ernest Wright took over for Ross, and the group recorded shortly for Apollo Records.
Changing their name to The Imperials, they signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was "Tears On My Pillow", which was an instant hit. (While playing this song, D.J. Alan Freed dubbed the name "Little Anthony".) The B side, "Two Kinds of People" was also a hit. The group followed up with "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" in 1960. When their success dwindled in 1961, Little Anthony left to attempt a solo career. Some members left, and the line-up then became Collins, Wright, Sammy Strain, and George Kerr. Kerr was replaced by Kenny Seymour after a short time. This line-up had little success.
Little Anthony returned in 1963, replacing Seymour. With the help of record producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo, the group found success on the new DCP label with the dramatic pop-soul records "I'm On The Outside Looking In" (1964), "Goin' Out Of My Head" (1964), "Hurt So Bad" (1965), "I Miss You So" (1965), "Take Me Back" (1965), and "Out of Sight, Out Of Mind" (1969).
Ernest Wright left in 1971 to join Tony Williams' Platters. He was replaced by the returning Kenny Seymour, who was again replaced after a short time by Bobby Wade. Strain left in 1972 to join The O'Jays, and was replaced by Harold Jenkins (who had already been functioning as the group's choreographer). Jenkins and Seymour had previously performed together in The Impacts. Little Anthony left for a second (more successful) attempt at a solo career. The trio of Collins, Wade, and Jenkins continued as "The Imperials".
Clarence Collins left in 1988 and was replaced by Sherman James. They toured as "Bobby Wade's Imperials". James left in 1992, and was replaced by Ron Stevenson. That same year, Collins, Wright, Strain, and Little Anthony reunited for a concert at Madison Square Gardens. When the decision was made for the foursome to tour together again, Wade relinquished the Imperials name, with his group becoming "Bobby Wade's Emperors". They became the house band at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
Little Anthony, Collins, Wright, and Strain continued touring as "Little Anthony and the Imperials". Strain retired in 2004, and Harold Jenkins returned to take his place.
They were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.
Never Again
Little Anthony & the Imperials Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
I'll never love again
I'll never thrill again
To somebody new
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
Within my heart
I know I will never start
To smile again
Until I smile at you
The opening lines "I'll never smile again, until I smile at you" set the tone for the entire song, which is about a person who has lost the love of their life and can't imagine being happy again without them. The singer is saying that they are completely devastated by the loss of their love, and that their emotions are so raw that they can't even bring themselves to smile or laugh anymore. They can't imagine finding love or happiness with anyone else because their heart is still so firmly attached to the person they lost. The lines "for tears would fill my eyes, my heart would realize, that our romance is through" show how deeply the singer is feeling the loss and how difficult it's going to be to move on.
The next verse, "I'll never love again, I'm so in love with you," reinforces the idea that the singer is completely inconsolable and can't imagine ever feeling love for anyone else. Even the idea of being thrilled by someone else ("I'll never thrill again, to somebody new") feels impossible to the singer. The final lines "within my heart, I know I will never start, to smile again, until I smile at you" are a bittersweet expression of hopefulness and despair. The singer knows that they may never be able to fully move on, but they are holding on to the hope that they will eventually be reunited with their lost love and that happiness will once again be possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never smile again
I am so heartbroken and upset that my smile has faded completely.
Until I smile at you
The only thing that can bring a smile back on my face is the thought of seeing you happy and content.
I'll never laugh again
There is no reason to find joy or amusement in anything anymore.
What good would it do
Even if I tried to find something to laugh about, it would only be temporary and ultimately pointless.
For tears would fill my eyes
The pain of losing you is so great that it brings tears to my eyes whenever I think about it.
My heart would realize
I am fully aware that our relationship is over and there is nothing I can do to change that fact.
That our romance is through
Our love story has come to an end and I have to accept it, even though it hurts deeply.
I'll never love again
It's hard to imagine falling in love with someone new when my heart still belongs to you.
I'm so in love with you
I am completely devoted to you and no one else can take your place in my heart.
I'll never thrill again
I cannot imagine feeling excited or stimulated by someone else now that you are no longer in my life.
To somebody new
I cannot fathom finding the same level of emotional connection and intimacy with another person as I did with you.
Within my heart
Deep down, I know that my feelings for you are genuine and sincere.
I know I will never start
I understand that my heartache is so intense that I will never be able to move on from our relationship.
To smile again
The only time I can see myself smiling again is when I am with you or when I think about the happiness we shared together.
Until I smile at you
Seeing you happy and content is the only thing that can bring back my smile and remind me of the good times we shared.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Glenn Osser, Ruth Lowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
raincoatriver
I've always loved this one. Randazzo pulled out all the stops and Anthony did it right, as usual.
008BUCKINSSR
PURE AWESOME AWESOME TUNE.
kppresent
I have looked so long for this song!!! This is one of the best ones they did.....I'm so glad you have shared this. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Richard Holmes
I raised my children (aged 34 and 29 now) on Nat King Cole and Little Anthony. This is one of my daughter's favorite songs from those days.
Steven Stewardson
Superlative soul sound thanks for the upload soulhawk one of my faves 💯😎🤓👌✊✊✊✊✊
ladyjae65
Thanks so much for this posting. It's my favorite Little Anthony song. Can't find my greatest hits cassette, and don't know who in the family has our late father's albums! This group is timeless, thanks again!
Rikki Somerville
superb tune, 1st released on veep records (v1245) very rare apparentley
Teresa Carella
NICE!
Skinhead SoulBhoy
I've got The Royalettes version in my box ✊
kppresent
thank you @barnitbast for the info on the song...appreciate :)