Journey Into Love
When Lonnie Liston Smith made the transition from sideman to leader in 1973… Read Full Bio ↴When Lonnie Liston Smith made the transition from sideman to leader in 1973, it was the beginning of a fusion/crossover/post-bop band he dubbed Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes. The acoustic pianist/electric keyboardist, who was born in Richmond, VA, on December 28, 1940, should not be confused with soul-jazz/hard bop organist Lonnie Smith. This Smith would have had an impressive resumé even if he had never formed a band of his own. In the '60s or early '70s, he had been a sidemen for, among others, Pharoah Sanders, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gato Barbieri, singer Betty Carter, and trumpeter Miles Davis. In fact, Smith was still in Davis' employ when he signed with producer Bob Thiele's RCA-distributed Flying Dutchman label and recorded his first album as a leader, Astral Traveling (which Thiele produced). Nonetheless, the Cosmic Echoes were a major step forward for Smith -- the improviser had a lot more time to devote to his own compositions and he was free to concentrate on a very spiritual type of fusion that had a variety of influences. The post-bop of model explorers like Coltrane, Sanders, Kirk, Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner, and Charles Lloyd was a heavy influence on Smith's composing since all of those artists shared the Cosmic Echoes' spiritual concerns. But the Cosmic Echoes were hardly jazz purists. Their instrumental fusion combined those post-bop influences with funk, pop, and rock, and some of their best-known vocal numbers (which include 1979's "Space Princess" and 1983's "Never Too Late") were outright R&B. It was on April 24, 1973, that Smith recorded Astral Traveling and led his first Cosmic Echoes lineup, which included George Barron (soprano and tenor sax), Joe Beck (guitar), Cecil McBee (bass), David Lee, Jr. (drums), James Mtume (percussion), Sonny Morgan (percussion), Badal Roy (tabla drums), and Geeta Vashi (tamboura). Astral Traveling was entirely instrumental, but it wasn't long before Smith added a vocalist to the Cosmic Echoes: his brother Donald Smith. Although Donald Smith had helped his brother put together the Cosmic Echoes' first lineup, he isn't actually employed on Astral Traveling -- 1974's Thiele-produced Cosmic Funk was the first Cosmic Echoes album that featured him on vocals. From 1974 on, the Cosmic Echoes' albums were typically about 80 percent instrumental, but included a few vocal offerings. Subsequent Cosmic Echoes projects included 1975's Expansions, 1975's Visions of a New World, 1976's Reflections of a Golden Dream, and 1977's Renaissance, all of which were on either Flying Dutchman or RCA proper. Along the way, the Cosmic Echoes had more than their share of personnel changes. When the group recorded a live album for RCA in 1977, the lineup included Smith on piano and keyboards, his brother Donald on vocals, Dave Hubbard on tenor and soprano sax, Al Anderson on electric bass, Ronald Miller on electric guitar, and Hollywood Barker on drums -- a lineup that, except for Lonnie Liston Smith himself, is totally different from the Cosmic Echoes lineup heard on 1973's Astral Traveling. It was in 1978 that Smith and his Cosmic Echoes left RCA and moved to Columbia to record Loveland, which was a respectable seller (at least by jazz standards) and fared well among fusion, crossover, and quiet storm fans. Smith's next Columbia album, Exotic Mysteries, gave us the single, "Space Princess," which featured Donald on lead vocals and became a minor hit. Although Exotic Mysteries was primarily an instrumental fusion album, "Space Princess" wasn't jazz at all -- the tune is funk-disco but still has that mystic Cosmic Echoes vibe. Some people felt that when Smith and his Cosmic Echoes were recording for Columbia in the late '70s and early '80s, they became too slick and commercial -- nonetheless, the group still had integrity and was still enjoyable and interesting during its Columbia period. Donald Smith temporarily left the Cosmic Echoes after Exotic Mysteries and on 1979's Song for the Children, he was replaced by singer James "Crabbe" Robinson (who is also employed on 1980s Love Is the Answer). And Robinson wasn't the only person who passed through the Cosmic Echoes in the late '70s or early '80s. Others who came on board during Smith's Columbia period included guitarist Abdul Wali, bassist Pee Wee Ford, drummer Lino Reyes, and percussionist Lawrence Killian -- like Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes could be a revolving door. Donald Smith ended up returning to the fold in the early '80s, which is also when the Cosmic Echoes were reunited with Thiele (who signed Smith to his new Doctor Jazz label). One of songs that Smith's Cosmic Echoes recorded for Doctor Jazz was the urban/quiet storm vocal number "Never Too Late," which was released as a single and became a minor hit. In the mid-'80s, the Cosmic Echoes unofficially called it quits and Smith moved on to other things. But the pianist/keyboardist (who turned 60 in 2000) returned to a Cosmic Echoes-minded approach in 1998, when he was reunited with his brother Donald and featured him on the album Transformation (which came out on Smith's own label Loveland Records). In 2002, Sony's reissue-oriented Legacy Recordings looked back on the Cosmic Echoes' late '70s and early '80s output with a two-CD retrospective titled Explorations: The Columbia Years.

Journey Into Love
Lonnie Liston Smith Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come with me, on the trip through the galaxy
Flyin' high, away from misery
Come with me, on the trip through the galaxy
But your feet won't leave the ground

You know, comets and shooting stars hurrying on their way
Leaving trails of stardust in the Milky Way
Come with me on the trip through the galaxy
But your feet won't leave the ground

Come with me, let's take a trip
And I'll show you what's really here
And if you're wondering how we'll get there
Just try, try, try
Try my love

Oh sweet lady
Try my love, yes
Journey into love

Come with me, on the trip through the galaxy
Flyin' high, away from misery
Come with me, on the trip through the galaxy
But your feet won't leave the ground

Comets and shooting stars hurrying on their way
Leaving trails of stardust in the Milky Way
Come with me on the trip through the galaxy
But your feet won't leave the ground

Come with me, let's take a trip
And I'll show you what's really here
And if you're wondering, sweet lady, how we'll get there
Just try, try, try
Try my love

Oh sweet lady
Try my love
Yes, journey into love

Come on, sweet lady
Try, try, try my love
Let's get on the magic carpet ride




Soul to soul, yes
On the journey into love

Overall Meaning

The song "Journey Into Love" by Lonnie Liston Smith is a soulful invitation to take a trip through the galaxy on a magical journey of love. It is a song about escapism, about escaping from the daily grind of life, and transcending our reality by venturing into the cosmos. The lyrics suggest that love is the key to this journey of transcendence. The singer is urging his sweet lady to come with him on this journey to experience the beauty of the universe and love. The song is a beautiful metaphor for the power of love to take us to places beyond imagination.


The lyrics are characterized by repeated phrases like "come with me" which emphasizes the singer's desire to share this experience of transcendence with his lover. The imagery of comets and shooting stars leaving stardust in their trail paints a picture of a breathtaking cosmic journey. Lonnie Liston Smith's vocals on this track, is characterized by a soothing, hypnotic quality that perfectly compliments the spacey arrangement of the instrumentation.


In conclusion, "Journey Into Love" is a beautiful, soulful, and hypnotic song that is an ode to the power of love to transcend reality. Its lyrics and melody are beautifully woven together to create a truly immersive listening experience.


Line by Line Meaning

Come with me, on the trip through the galaxy
Join me on a journey exploring the universe and its mysteries.


Flyin' high, away from misery
Let's escape our problems and enjoy the wonders of space.


But your feet won't leave the ground
We'll be experiencing this through our imaginations, not physically.


You know, comets and shooting stars hurrying on their way
Witness the beauty and movement of celestial objects twinkling in the night sky.


Leaving trails of stardust in the Milky Way
These objects leave remnants of their journey behind, adding to the cosmic landscape.


Come with me, let's take a trip
Let's embark on a voyage of discovery together.


And I'll show you what's really here
I'll share my knowledge and insights with you, revealing the secrets of the universe.


And if you're wondering how we'll get there
If you're curious about the logistics, don't worry. I've got it covered.


Just try, try, try
Trust in me and let go of your doubts or fears.


Try my love
Believe in my affection and dedication to you as we embark on this journey together.


Oh sweet lady
Addressing the listener affectionately and respectfully.


Journey into love
Our exploration of the universe will be infused with the power of our connection and love.


Come on, sweet lady
Encouraging the listener to come along on the ride.


Let's get on the magic carpet ride
Imagining ourselves soaring through the stars on a magic carpet, unfettered by gravity or mundane concerns.


Soul to soul, yes
Emphasizing the intense and profound nature of our shared experience.


On the journey into love
Our voyage through space is also a journey into a deeper bond of affection and unity.




Writer(s): Marcus Miller

Contributed by Austin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found