Lou Rawls, who learned of gospel music through his grandmother in Chicago, became a successful singer, primarily from the 1950s through the 1980s. He was a high school classmate of music giant Sam Cooke, and they sang together in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a '50s gospel group.
After graduating from Chicago's Dunbar Vocational High School, he sang briefly with Cooke in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a local gospel group, and then with the Holy Wonders. In 1951, Rawls replaced Cooke in the Highway QC's after Cooke departed to join The Soul Stirrers in Los Angeles. Rawls was soon recruited by the Chosen Gospel Singers and himself moved to Los Angeles, where he subsequently joined the Pilgrim Travelers
After graduating from Chicago's Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, Rawls enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He left the "All-Americans" three years later as a sergeant, and hooked up with The Pilgrim Travelers as he traveled to Los Angeles. In 1958, while touring the South with the Travelers and Sam Cooke, Rawls was in a serious car crash. Rawls was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital, where he stayed in a coma for five and a half days. It took him months to regain his memory, and a year to fully recuperate. Rawls considered the event to be life-changing.
Alongside Dick Clark as master of ceremonies, Rawls was recovered enough by 1959 to be able to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. He was signed to Capitol Records in 1962, the same year he sang the soulful background vocals on the Sam Cooke recording of "Bring it on Home to Me." Rawls himself charted with a cover of the song in 1970 (with the title shortened to "Bring It On Home").
Rawls' first Capitol solo release was Stormy Monday (a.k.a. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water), a jazz album. On August 21, 1966, he opened for The Beatles at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.
Though his 1966 album Live! went gold, Rawls would not have a star-making hit until he made a proper soul album, appropriately named Soulin', later that same year. The album contained his first R&B #1 single, "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing". In 1967 Rawls won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, for the single "Dead End Street."
In 1969, the singer was co-host of NBC's summer replacement series for the Dean Martin Show along with Martin's daughter, singer Gail Martin.
After leaving Capitol in 1971, Rawls joined MGM, at which juncture he released his Grammy-winning single "Natural Man." He had a brief stint with Bell Records in 1974, where he recorded a cover of Hall & Oates' "She's Gone." In 1976, Rawls signed with Philadelphia International Records, where he had his greatest album success with the million-selling All Things in Time. The album produced his most successful single, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", which topped the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and went to number two on the pop side, becoming Rawls' only certified million-selling single in the process.
Subsequent albums, such as 1977's When You've Heard Lou, You've Heard It All yielded such hit singles as "Lady Love". Other releases in the 1970s included the classic album Sit Down And Talk To Me.
In 1982, Rawls received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On the night of September 29, 1977, Rawls performed the national anthem of the United States prior to the Earnie Shavers-Muhammad Ali title fight at Madison Square Garden. He would be requested to sing the anthem many times over the next 28 years, and his final performance of it came on October 23, 2005. The crowd at that performance may not have known that Rawls was extremely ill with cancer, but he reportedly delivered an electrifying performance to kick off Game Two of the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.
In 1980, Rawls began the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon" which benefits the United Negro College Fund. The annual event, known since 1998 as "An Evening of Stars: A Celebration of Educational Excellence", consists of stories of successful African-American students who have benefited from and/or graduated from one of the many historically black colleges and universities who receive support from the UNCF, along with musical performances from various recording artists in support of the UNCF's and Rawls' efforts. The event has raised over US$200 million in 27 shows for the fund through 2006.
In January 2004, Rawls was honored by the United Negro College Fund for his more than 25 years of charity work with the organization. Instead of hosting and performing as he usually did, Rawls was given the seat of honor and celebrated by his performing colleagues, including Stevie Wonder, The O'Jays, Gerald Levert, Ashanti, and many others. His final television performance occurred during the 2005-2006 edition of the telethon, honoring Stevie Wonder in September 2005, just months before entering the hospital and after having been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year. This program, aired in January, 2006, contains his final public television performance, where he performed two classics, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and a final ode to Frank Sinatra with, "It Was A Very Good Year."
At the time of Rawls' death, news and UNCF figures noted the significance of Rawls' final performance, "It Was a Very Good Year." The song is a retrospective of one's life and its lyrics include, "When I was seventeen, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for small town girls and soft summer nights...And now those days grow short, it is the autumn of years, and now I think about life as vintage wine from fine old kegs, from the brim to the dregs, it pours sweet and clear, it was a very good year."
Rawls appeared in a segment of the first season of Sesame Street, to sing the alphabet. He dismissed the concept of using cue cards for the performance, but reversed such decision when he forgot the order of the letters.
Throughout Rawls' singing career, he had the opportunity to appear in many films, television shows, and commercials. He can be seen in such films as Leaving Las Vegas, Blues Brothers 2000, and Angel, Angel, Down We Go. He had a supporting role in the Baywatch spin-off, Baywatch Nights. He also appeared in the western television series, Big Valley, (starring legend Barbara Stanwyck, along with Lee Majors and Linda Evans) where he played a hired hand. Here, he delivered the memorial line: "Ain't a horse that can't be rode; ain't a man that can't be throwed".
Rawls lent his rich baritone voice to many cartoons, including Hey Arnold! as the voice of Harvey The Mailman, Garfield, and The Proud Family. For many of the Film Roman Garfield specials, Rawls would often compose songs for them, which he would then sing usually doing a duet with Desiree Goyette. He also was famously in American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
For many years, he was a spokesperson for the Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company. He was also a spokesman for Budweiser, helping promote the brand on radio and TV to African-American markets much as Ed McMahon did for the white audience. Budweiser was a key sponsor for the Rawls telethon and UNCF.
Rawls was also a regular guest host on "Jazz Central", a program aired on the BET Jazz cable channel.
He appears as "Dr. Rawls" in a dream on an episode My Wife and Kids, where he breaks into a parody version of "You'll Never Find", which a frightened Damon Wayans is afraid of having a colonoscopy the following day. Rawls uses the scope as a microphone in the scene. Rawls appears as a commentator in the second half of the unrated commentary of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Rawls was also a guest star during the second season of The Muppet Show. He also made a brief appearance on the series finale of Martin. (The show's character Tommy is excited to see Lou Rawls at Nipsey's and mentioned that his favorite song is "Natural Man." Lou replied that he received a letter from a female claiming that she and her boyfriend broke up because of the song. This eludes to the episode where Tommy and Pam decide to move in together, but winded up fighting and ultimately breaking up because Tommy played the song "Natural Man" so much that it drove Pam crazy.)
The following is a list of Lou Rawls singles that made the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. His first Hot 100 entry was "Three O'Clock in the Morning" in 1965, and his final was "Wind Beneath My Wings" in 1983. In addition to those two, nine other singles peaked at positions below the top 50 on the Hot 100, and additional singles reached the R&B, Adult Contemporary and Bubbling Under charts.
* "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" - 1966, #13 (also #1 R&B)
* "Dead End Street" - 1967, #29
* "Show Business" - 1967, #45
* "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" - 1969, #18
* "A Natural Man" - 1971, #17
* "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" - 1976, #2 (also #1 R&B and #1 Adult Contemporary); certified Gold for sales of one million copies
* "Lady Love" - 1978, #24
I Want to Be Loved
Lou Rawls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your voice is like a, angel above
The touch of your hand woman, drives me insane,
But baby, I want's to be loved
I'm crazy 'bout every little, thing you do,
I even, cherish your hug
Your kisses so sweet honey they, can't be beat,
Every time I ask ya, for a date,
You don't come at all or your, oh so late
I ask you to dance a, little spin,
You said wait a minute daddy, here come my friend
I love the way you walk when you, pass me by,
Even when you, tryin' to snub
The touch of your hand honey, drives me insane,
But baby I want's to be loved
The lyrics of Lou Rawls's song "I Want To Be Loved" convey a strong desire for love. The singer is completely mesmerized by a woman and can't help the way he feels about her. He is captivated by the spark in her eyes, the sound of her voice, and the touch of her hand, which symbolizes his deep attraction to her. He adores everything about this woman, and her kisses are unbeatable; yet, he still yearns for her love.
The lyrics further reveal that the singer's attempts to get close to the woman have been unsuccessful, as she is not reciprocating his advances. His efforts to go on a date with her have been fruitless as she either doesn't show up or arrives late. When he asks her to dance, she brings her friend instead, making it clear that she doesn't share his feelings. Despite the lack of responsiveness from the woman, the singer continues to be smitten by her.
Overall, the lyrics of the song encapsulate the universal theme of wanting someone to love and be loved in return. They depict the feelings of affection, frustration, and longing that accompany romantic pursuit, making the song relatable to many.
Line by Line Meaning
The spark in your eye sets my, soul on fire,
Your presence and energy is so captivating that it ignites a passion within me.
Your voice is like a, angel above
When you speak, it is as if an angel is singing to me from above.
The touch of your hand woman, drives me insane,
The physical touch of your hand is so powerful that it arouses and excites me in an intense way.
But baby, I want's to be loved
Despite all of the positive feelings I have for you, what I truly desire is to feel loved and appreciated by you.
I'm crazy 'bout every little, thing you do,
I am infatuated with every small action or gesture you make.
I even, cherish your hug
Your embrace is so valuable and meaningful to me that I treasure every moment we share it.
Your kisses so sweet honey they, can't be beat,
Your kisses are so enjoyable and desirable that no other kisses can compare to them.
Every time I ask ya, for a date,
Whenever I request to spend time with you on a date,
You don't come at all or your, oh so late
You either do not show up or arrive significantly later than expected, which causes me frustration and disappointment.
I ask you to dance a, little spin,
When I request that you dance with me and spin around,
You said wait a minute daddy, here come my friend
You respond by delaying the request, indicating that you are more interested in socializing with your friend than dancing with me.
I love the way you walk when you, pass me by,
I find your gait and movement highly attractive and I appreciate observing you as you walk by.
Even when you, tryin' to snub
Even in instances where you may be ignoring or consciously avoiding me,
The touch of your hand honey, drives me insane,
The touch of your hand still continues to arouse and excite me despite any negative feelings or actions.
But baby I want's to be loved
Nevertheless, all of these feelings and desires are rooted in my yearning for love and affection from you.
Contributed by William P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sweetpeepauline
Remembering Lou Rawls on this day in Heaven in 2024. 🕊🙏🏽
@StephanHenderson-ks3xf
I am a 13 year old. This music is better then the majority of music in my generation. Rest In Peace Lou
@PaulEvans-vc8ot
Understatement of the year. Great taste at such a young age
@StephanHenderson-ks3xf
@@PaulEvans-vc8ot thank you
@ThatguyCool-qp4ew
By
@Leandro-X
I was born in the 90's and I'm going through the classics right now. You're a Legend for tuning in so early, good look, young one.
@StephanHenderson-ks3xf
I’ve listened to a few other songs of his like “lady love” and “see you when I get there” I love his music
@bengear1986
Lou Rawls' voice is like a perfectly aged, velvety glass of bourbon infused with a sprinkle of humor. It's a smooth operator, buttering up your ears with its richness and charm, making you feel like you're sipping on a delightful cocktail of soulful melodies. His voice could turn a frown into a cheeky grin and whisk your worries away like a mischievous breeze. So incredibly refined, it's like a mischievous jazz cat playing hide-and-seek with your heartstrings, leaving a trail of laughter and joy in its wake.
@karenmiller1726
Sensational description, a joy to read❤
@skandaskanda1791
❤