Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Lavoie was raised by his mother in Winter Haven, Florida with his six siblings. He began his musical career in 1961 as a member of a local band, The Rumours. The band included Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford, as well as drummer Jon Corneal, who later joined Parsons' International Submarine Band.
In 1964, while attending the University of South Florida, Lavoie joined a band called the Sugar Beats and met producer Phil Gernhard. He recorded a regional hit for the band, a cover of Johnny Rivers' song, "What Am I Doing Here".
During the 1960s, Lavoie performed with many other bands, including US Male, The Uglies, and Me and the Other Guys. It was in the latter band that he met musician Billy Aerts, who became a member of Lobo's touring band in the early 1970s and produced Lobo's comeback album in 1989.
Again working with Gernhard, his first solo record was released in 1969, the single "Happy Days In New York City" backed with "My Friend Is Here". Both were original tracks. It was released on Laurie Records.
By 1971, Lavoie had started calling himself Lobo (Spanish for wolf). Gernhard was an executive for Big Tree Records, and the company released his first single, "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo". The first major hit for the label, it reached number 5 in the US and launched a successful series of singles. The song also reached number 4 in the UK.
His debut album, Introducing Lobo, followed that May. In June his second single, "She Didn't Do Magic", was released. In September, "California Kid And Reemo" was released. Another single was The Albatross. It was around this time that Big Tree Records was merged with Bell Records. In the confusion, Lobo's second album Close Up was lost and never released.
Maintaining the Lobo alias, he released Of a Simple Man in 1972, which yielded back-to-back Top 10 hits, including "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend", which reached #8 in the US charts, and "I'd Love You to Want Me". "I'd Love You To Want Me" was Lobo's biggest hit, climbing to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1972, and later reached #1 in Germany and in mid-1974, #5 in the United Kingdom.
With the release of Calumet in 1973, Lobo had three more Top 40 hits: "It Sure Took a Long, Long Time," "How Can I Tell Her" and "Standing at the End of the Line." He made an appearance on American Bandstand that year and also released a fourth single from Calumet, "There Ain't No Way." A fifth, "Standing At The End Of The Line" was released in 1975.
In June 1974 Lobo's fourth album Just A Singer. It was the first album by Lobo to contain tracks not written by Lobo. The only single from the album was "Rings".
His last Top 30 single for Big Tree, "Don't Tell Me Goodnight", was released in 1975. Lobo also released the album, A Cowboy Afraid Of Horses and his last single for Big Tree, "Would I Still Have You", was released. The label followed up with a compilation that year, "The Best Of Lobo".
In 1976, Lobo started to break from Big Tree and Phil Gernhard, releasing the album Come With Me in Europe on the Philips label. "At First Sight" was the single. Neither were released in US.
1977 Lobo signed with Curb Records in 1977 and released the single "Afterglow", which was co-produced by Lobo and Gernhard. Another single, "You Are All I Ever Need" was released in 1978. It was last single to have Gernhard as producer.
In 1979, Lobo resurfaced on MCA Records, where he was paired with producer Bob Montgomery and released the single "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love", which reached #23. He also released his first US album in four years, Lobo. Other singles for Curb were "Holding On For Dear Love", "With A Love Like Ours" and "Fight Fire With Fire".
Dissatisfied with the production of his records, Lobo sought a release from his Curb contract. He moved to Nashville and in 1981 he started his own label, Lobo Records, and released several singles including "I Don't Want To Want You", written by his brother, Roger Lavoie, "Come Looking For Me" and "Living My Life Without You". All making the country charts.
NOTE: The 1981 Disco Single by LOBO - "The Caribbean Disco Show" (Mercury - 1981) is not the same person as this Lobo.
Lobo Records became Evergreen Records in 1985. It released two singles, "Am I Going Crazy" and "Paint The Town Blue", a duet with Robin Lee.
Meanwhile, Lobo's popularity was growing in Asia, fanned by the release of his greatest hits compilations in 1987 and 1988.
In 1989, Lobo released his first new album in 10 years, Am I Going Crazy, made in Taiwan on UFO/WEA records and produced by Billy Aerts.
With his popularity in Asia sustained by the reissue of all his albums on CD, he signed a multi-album deal with PonyCanyon Records in Singapore, releasing Asian Moon (repackaging of tracks from Am I Going Crazy along with newly recorded tracks) in 1994, Classic Hits (re-recorded Lobo hits and some cover versions other artists' hits) in 1995 and in 1996 Sometimes (all new original songs). On another Asian label, Springroll Entertainment, he released You Must Remember This in 1997, an album of pop standards that was released in two formats, one with vocals and the other with instrumental tracks.
The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 drove his record labels out of business and Lobo retired to his home in Florida.
Retirement was short-lived, however, as in 2000 Lobo signed with a German record company, Gmbh Entertainment, and recorded a few tracks for various Hits CD's. He also co-wrote two Christmas songs with Billy Aerts, "A Big Kid's Christmas" and "Late Christmas Eve", which have been released on various Christmas compilations from 2000 to present.
Singles recorded during this period include "Caribbean Disco Show", "Let It Be Me", "Who'll Stop The Rain" and "Different Drum". These were all available on different "Greatest Hits" releases.
His popularity in Asia is having a resurgence, and in 2006 he toured in Southeast Asia.
Strangely, his music has been sampled by Melbourne experimental band Kooties, although they paid little respect to Lobo's original intentions.
In 2008 Lobo released his first new album in over 10 years. Out of Time features some new songs as well as the old favorites. Out of Time represents a step back to the original era of these recordings, revisiting his old songs the same way he wrote them; by doing all the instruments himself, they are Out of Time. It refers to the classic nature of the old songs, how they are still favorites, even though they don’t follow the norm of today’s songs.
One More Time
Lobo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up in the morning
Imma need another, got another for my sorrow
Take me to the liquor store
Wake up at the river shore
Tryna fill a void but I just will avoid it
And it feels like I'm drowning
Solace in Cars, Clothes, and Models
But down at the end of the bottle
There's a new void that needs filled
Drink it, away
Put another one, nother' one down
Drive me insane
Pressure making me, making me drown
I think my Hope has a pistol to his temple
And a knife to his throat
And some dirt in its eyes
And its neck is in a rope
With one toe left on the chair
But it's sitting on slope
And if I'm laid to rest
May death pay the debt of my yesterdays
May there be less to pay
For all the lies
All the times I was high
Running round out of my mind
Oh I'll be fine
Needles and Demons alluring
To tie me a new tourniquet
Feel like the world's on my shoulder
Fuck it, it is what it is
Get the next hit
Shoot another one, nother' one up
Wake up, Pass out
Something I can't live, I can't live without
I think my Hope has a pistol to his temple
And a knife to his throat
And some dirt in its eyes
And its neck is in a rope
With one toe left on the chair
But it's sitting on slope
And if I'm laid to rest
May death pay the debt of my yesterdays
May there be less to pay
For all the lies
All the times I was high
Running round out of my mind
Oh I'll be fine
The song "One More Time" by Lobo is a plea from the singer (presumably a man) to his partner not to leave him. The singer is deeply afraid of being abandoned and imagines the pain of waking up to find his partner gone. He promises to change if necessary, but also fears losing his sense of self. The chorus repeats the plea not to leave, and emphasizes that the singer would be devastated if his partner chose to do so.
The singer's fear of abandonment is palpable in the song. He repeats his plea several times throughout the song, as though trying to convince his partner not to leave him simply by expressing his fear. However, he also recognizes that his partner may have been hurt by his actions in the past, and promises to change if that is what it takes to keep their relationship intact. Ultimately, the song is a very human expression of vulnerability and the potential for hurt that comes with any loving relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, baby
Expressing affection towards the significant other
Girl, don't pull the rug from under my feet
Don't surprise me with something that will hurt me deeply
Don't do it baby
Don't make a decision that will negatively impact our relationship
Don't leave, don't leave me so
Don't end the relationship or abandon me
I'm talking in my sleep
I'm so worried about losing you that it's impacting my subconscious
This could be the start of a nightmare
This situation has the potential to turn into something really horrible
Waking up and not finding you there
The fear of not having you in my life is terrifying
It would be more than I could stand
Losing you would be devastating for me
Girl, don't leave me so I'm pacing the floor
Your potential absence is making me anxious and restless
If you close the door, yeah
If you end this relationship, it will be difficult for me to move on
Maybe I've been too hung up on myself
Maybe I've been selfish and not paying enough attention to your needs
But don't change me by putting my heart on a shelf
Don't make me feel emotionally disconnected by making me feel rejected
Why you wanna leave me? Why you wanna go?
Why are you considering ending our relationship?
I promise not to never hurt you, no more
I promise to make a conscious effort not to do anything that will hurt you
Please don't leave me, please don't go
Please reconsider ending our relationship
It's causin' my heart to ache, causin' it to break
The thought of you leaving me is causing me emotional pain and heartbreak
We, we've still got a love
Our love is still alive and strong
Got of love to give, yeah
We have so much love to give each other
So turn around, baby, turn around
Reconsider ending our relationship and staying with me
While there's a lot of life to live
We still have a future together and should try to make it work
Leavin' me would ruin all of my plans
Your departure would completely derail my goals and aspirations
It would be like tying the both of my hands
It would be very difficult for me to move on from our relationship
And that is more baby than I could stand, yeah
Losing you would be devastating for me
Please don't go, baby, please don't leave
Please reconsider ending our relationship and leaving me
I never, never, I never, never hurt you, no more
I promise to never intentionally hurt you again
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Andrew Richmond, Josh Huie, Logan Bolton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind